Local government leaders will meet with Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen
The Presidents of the five largest associations of local and regional governments will meet with Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, on 12 September in Brussels. Local government leaders will discuss and reaffirm their partnership with the European Union to promote international development.
The five local government Presidents participating are:
- Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris (France), President of the International Association of French-Speaking Mayors (AIMF)
- Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) and of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) & PLATFORMA
- Rev Mpho Moruakgomo, former President of the Botswana Association of Local Authorities, Chairperson of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF)
- Jan van Zanen, Mayor of The Hague (Netherlands), Governing President of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)
- Fatimetou Abdel Malick, President of the Regional Council of Nouakchott (Mauritania), President of United Cities and Local Governments – Africa (UCLG-A).
The five presidents will be accompanied by the respective secretaries-general and will also meet with other senior EU officials, including Koen Doens, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA).
The first Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) were signed seven years ago between these five associations and the European Union. With the signature of the new FPAs, they will be renewed for a period of four years.
On the occasion of the renewal, the five associations “committed to strengthening local and regional governments in Europe and in third countries”, in particular to implement Sustainable Development Goals aiming “to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.”
(Picture: European Union, 2019, Mauro Bottaro)
