Hajautetun yhteistyön ja kaupunkidiplomatian merkitys epävakaissa olosuhteissa sovellettavassa EU:n toimintamallissa

The draft opinion was presented by the rapporteur to the Council Working Party on Development Cooperation and International Partnerships (CODEV-PI) on the 22nd June, at the invitation of the Cyprus presidency of the Council, who had requested this opinion from the CoR as a presidency referral. The rapporteur presented the key points of the opinion alongside a presentation of the Nicosia Initiative of decentralised cooperation with Libya. Members states representatives showed high interest on the topic and the added value that local and regional authorities can bring to EU efforts to stay engaged in fragile settings, with the Nicosia Initiative standing out as a best practice on the topic.
As a result of the strong cooperation between the rapporteur and the Cyprus Presidency in the preparation of the opinion, the Council Conclusions on fragility include a strong emphasis on the role of local authorities (https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-9285-2026-INIT/en/pdf):
*The Council reaffirms its commitment to mutually beneficial partnerships to strengthen local ownership, transparency and inclusiveness. It remains firmly committed to empowering and cooperating with local actors, including local authorities, civil society, local private sector, including SMEs, and independent media, ensuring that interventions contribute to sustainable, locally-owned solutions, support inclusive and accountable governance, and reduce aid dependency."

The response from the European Commission - DG INTPA - shows a strong convergence of the Commission and the CoR of the importance of the subnational dimension of fragile contexts, and the critical role that local authorities can play. The Commission also acknowledges the importance of decentralised cooperation in such context, which had been ommitted from their initial communication: 'it can be useful to integrate decentralised cooperation into the consolidated EU offer. Moreover, partnership-based approaches can reinforce coordination, complementarity and local relevance in fragile contexts, including by supporting local authorities in the delivery of essential services in cities and urban areas, which are critical to resilience, social cohesion and stabilisation.' The Commission commits to continue engaging with teh Committee in order to include these actions in the mapping and coordination of a wider EU offer in specific contexts. Importantly, the commission confirms that internal guidance has been shared with EU Delegations to engage more effectively with local authorities and strengthen transitions between central and local authorities by enabling territorial diagnostics, and a new e-learning course on the territorial approach to local development will be available shortly for Delegations.