alda* - European Association for Local Democracy

What happened last week in Rome? 🇮🇹 🇺🇦 The Ukraine Recovery Conference, which brought together international institutions, all levels of government, and representatives of business and civil society, ended on 11 July in Rome with two key announcements: 🔵 The creation of a European Partnership Hub, to support international cooperation at the municipal level, 🔵 The creation of the EU4Reconstruction programme, aiming to strengthen the management of regionally developed projects in Ukraine. Read the full story at: https://lnkd.in/dkQZB-2H #URC2025

📢We are glad to share that a new, updated, version of our Migration Flagship is out! Read the document to discover ALDA’s Migration Hub and its approach dedicated to supporting the rights of people on the move. Have a look at the Hub here: https://lnkd.in/dsMZGdar  Learn about: ✅Today’s global migration trends and current debates; ✅Internal, regional, and EU policy frameworks; ✅ALDA’s ongoing projects, activities and the expertise accumulated by our association so far; ✅Our key findings and needs identified, and more … 👉Find the Flagship here: https://lnkd.in/ee_afYZq

Today, our Secretary General Antonella Valmorbida and the delegation from the Poltava Regional Council was received by Roberto Ciambetti, President of the CONSIGLIO REGIONALE DEL VENETO, at Palazzo Ferro Fini in Venice. During the meeting, Mr. Oleksandr Yuriyovych Bilenkyi, President of the Poltava Regional Council, shared an overview of the region’s #resilience, #development potential, and cultural #heritage, highlighting key #opportunities in the agro-industrial sector. President Roberto Ciambetti expressed Italy’s strong commitment to strengthening #partnerships with Ukrainian regions and reinforcing interregional #solidarity. The delegation included also: 🔹 Tamara Syniavska – Vice Chief of Staff and Head of the Executive Apparatus 🔹 Tetiana Oleksandrivna Onufrienko – Head of the Department for Support of Executive Activities 🔹 Marina Hryhorivna Golovko – Advisor to the President of the Regional Council

At #URC2025 we launched the new #European_Partnership_Hub to facilitate #municipal_partnerships with #Ukraine !!! Since URC2024, the #Coalition_for_Sustainable_Municipalities has been advocating for three core priorities: ensuring access to #finance_for_municipalities; #strengthening_local_capacities and supporting both new and existing #municipal_partnerships. The Coalition acts directly on the #Berlin_Call_to_Action which called for the substantial increase of municipal partnerships for Ukraine’s recovery.   This momentum has resulted in over #400_new_partnerships between Ukrainian and European municipalities — including approximately 40 partnerships between German and Ukrainian communities. In parallel, a new digital platform was launched to facilitate and streamline connections between municipalities across Europe and Ukraine. At URC2025 in Rome, the German government, together with U-LEAD with Europe’s other donors reaffirmed its long-term commitment by announcing the launch of the #European_Partnership_Hub for Municipalities — a key initiative aimed at fostering international cooperation for Ukraine’s recovery. The European Partnership Hub is being established to provide coordinated, strategic, and sustained support for municipal partnerships. It seeks to: o Mobilize municipalities from across all EU Member States for #active_collaboration o Leverage innovative digital matchmaking tools to support the creation of #new_partnerships o #Engage_thematic_networks — including those focused on emergency services and local recovery Functioning both as a catalyst and capacity builder, the Partnership Hub is designed to accelerate recovery, strengthen resilience, and promote sustainable development at the local level.   The European Partnership Hub is led by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), in partnership with U-LEAD with Europe and the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC). To translate these partnerships into concrete results, the Partnership Hub supports the implementation of joint projects developed by Ukrainian municipalities together with their international counterparts. This work is reinforced through the #Small_Projects_Fund, which aims to support Ukrainian municipalities in its work to engage in partnerships.   Antje Grotheer European Committee of the Regions Stefan Schleuning European Commission Volker Oel Fabrizio Rossi Antonella Valmorbida Khrystyna Kvartsiana alda* - European Association for Local Democracy; Nataliya Lazarenko of #Association_of_Ukrainian_Cities Marcin Chruściel Ministerstwo Funduszy i Polityki Regionalnej Frédéric Blanc Violaine Silvestro von Kameke European Investment Bank (EIB) Dr. Helge Arends Illia Tolstov Ljubica Kosheliuk Servicestelle Kommunen in der Einen Welt (SKEW)

🗣️Meet the speakers of our next HUB Event “Global Calls, Local Acts - Grassroot Participatory Practices for Achieving Sustainability”, hosted by Coop Cite 🇫🇷! On July 16, Marcos Díaz Ramírez, Pierre Musseau-Milesi, Ciaffi Daniela, Giulia Marra, Lucie Romac and Elisa Betti will explore how local communities can drive global change towards a sustainable transition.🌱 There is still time to join us in Paris 🇫🇷 and directly talk to the speakers for an interactive and constructive discussion! 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d-XTbXuw The event is organised by the Territorial and Local Development Hub of alda* - European Association for Local Democracy, under the Up2You project.

🤝 Official Signing – #Bari & #Mykolaiv During URC 2025 in Rome 🇮🇹, an important #cooperation agreement was signed between Vito Leccese, Mayor of Comune di Bari 🇮🇹, and Oleksandr Senkevych, Mayor of Mykolaiv 🇺🇦 – a powerful gesture of #decentralised cooperation and long-term solidarity between Italian and #Ukrainian cities. This #partnership reinforces the crucial role of local authorities in Ukraine’s recovery and European path, promoting shared values of #democracy, #resilience and mutual support. 📸 Also present: Davide La Cecilia, Special Envoy of the Italian Government for the Reconstruction of Ukraine, underlining Italy’s commitment to Ukraine’s reconstruction and future.

Ukraine Recovery Conference #URC2025 I had the honor of taking part, as Mayor of Comune di Torino, Città metropolitana di Torino and Vice President of ANCI - Associazione nazionale Comuni italiani for European Policies and International Relations, in the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in Rome — a moment of great political and diplomatic relevance, which brought together over 70 countries, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. During the panel “United Communities and Regions: Effective Governance for Ukraine’s Recovery", promoted by alda* - European Association for Local Democracy, I shared the experience and commitment of Italian cities and of Turin, with the strong belief that municipalities and regions are strategic partners in building a recovery that is solid, inclusive, and future-oriented. It was also a pleasure to be there together with fellow mayors Vito Leccese (Comune di Bari), Damiano Tommasi (Verona), and elena carnevali (Comune di Bergamo), whose presence highlighted the united and proactive stance of Italian local governments in supporting Ukraine’s reconstruction. 🏙️ Cities are places of innovation, cooperation, and solidarity. They can contribute through concrete, needs-based actions — even small ones — that help address real challenges on the ground. That is the spirit behind the collaboration that Turin has started with the city of Kharkiv, aimed at supporting the recovery of essential local services such as public transport with the partnership of GTT - Gruppo Torinese Trasporti S.p.A. A gesture of proximity, and a sign of how cities can step in with practical, timely support. 💬 On the sidelines of the conference, I also had the opportunity to meet our Deputy Minister of Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale Edmondo Cirielli, with whom I discussed the growing role that local governments can play in Italy’s development cooperation — building bridges between communities, institutions, and international strategies. In a context marked by complex challenges but also by a strong drive for recovery and hope, Europe’s strength lies in its ability to connect communities, value diversity, and build a common future. Ukraine is not just a country to support — it is a fundamental part of our shared European project. And Italian cities are ready to do their part, with commitment, responsibility, and a long-term vision. #Turin #ANCI #URC2025 #UkraineRecoveryConference #Ukraine #Europe #Kharkiv #ALDA

🌍 Even on a warm Saturday afternoon in Rome, the commitment to local democracy continues! Honoured to attend the ALDA General Assembly 2025 on behalf of the Local Councils’ Association🇲🇹. A heartfelt thank you to ALDA for trusting us to take part in the FOCUS project, promoting the Human Rights Charter and enabling us to offer free training to local councils in Malta. We are also proud to have submitted our intent to be represented in the ALDA School of Local Democracy — a key step in strengthening local governance and participation. These collaborative opportunities are vital in shaping inclusive, resilient, and democratic communities across Europe. 🤝 #LCA #ALDA #LocalDemocracy #FocusProject #HumanRights #GoodGovernance #Rome2025 #EUProjects #LocalLeadership Local Councils' Association Malta 🇲🇹 Mario Fava alda* - European Association for Local Democracy 🇪🇺

🇪🇺I was honored to take part in The General Assembly of ALDA alda* - European Association for Local Democracy followed the #URC2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference on 12,July in Rome at the Ufficio di Esperienza Europa – David Sassoli.🇮🇹 The Assembly gathered ALDA members, partners and institutional friends from all over Europe and beyond. In addition to important official reports and presentations, it was a unique opportunity to meet, exchange views and ideas for new projects to strengthen local governance and local democracy. It was a great honor to receive an honorary award for the city of Chernihiv -The Diploma of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe for our active role in the development of local democracy and involvement in the ALDA network. I was so delightful to meet in person Natasa Vuckovic , Antonella Valmorbida , Adrien Licha , Erica Migliorati 💛💙 Many thanks for the cooperation, support and solidarity! 🇺🇦 Strength in unity! 🇪🇺🤝

📍 Rome, Italy, at Esperienza Europa David Sassoli 📆 12 July 2025 ✨ Another milestone for our network! The General Assembly 2025 of ALDA has just taken place in the heart of Rome, gathering our members, partners and institutional friends from across Europe and beyond. Held at Spazio Davide Sassoli, this year’s Assembly followed the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 and provided a timely space for reflection, commitment and exchange. 💬 From the approval of strategic documents and reports to the welcoming of new members and the call for the ALDA Festival 2026, the day was full of meaningful discussions – reaffirming the strength of our community-based approach and our mission to promote local democracy, even in times of crisis. 👏 Thank you to everyone who joined us – in person and online – and helped make this gathering a success!