UDiTE HELPING TO LAUNCH NEW ROUNDS OF ELOGE GOOD GOVERNANCE LABEL

PORTUGAL - 19th / 20th  SEPTEMBER 2022
MALTA - 28
th JUNE 2022


UDiTE was accredited by the Council of Europe to lead the ELOGE programme in Portugal. In 2020-2021, in at the height of the pandemic, a first round was organised where seven municipalities were successfully accredited with the label of 'good governance' at a ceremony held in Loulé on the 28th  June 2021. 
As UDiTE's accreditation comes to an end at the end of 2022, a second round has been organised for Portuguese municipalities. Following a call launched during the summer, eight municipalities applied to undergo the self-assessment exercise.

On 19th  and 20th September 2022, the municipalities of Albergaria-a-Velha (Aveiro district), Alenquer (Lisboa district), Alijo (Vila Real district), Paços de Ferreira (Porto district), Lousâ (Combra district), Sines (Setubal district) and Vila Pouca de Agular (Vila Real district) kicked off the good governance self assessment process in attending a two-day workshop hosted by the Municipality of Alenquer.  The workshop was led by experts Ronny Frederickx and Maria Gloria da Sarmento with the support of Niall Sheerin from the Centre of Expertise at the Council of Europe. Participants received an overview of the programme and then broke into smaller working groups to discuss the process further in their own contexts. A video address was given by UDiTE President Stephane PINTRE. 

Stephane underlined UDiTE's key role as an association that represents local government municipal directors from all over Europe with a view to improving local administration, and that the ELOGE programme is a real tool for progress from this point of view. He thanked the Council of Europe for the accreditation partnership that is a natural step in the building the "Boa Governaçâo" and that UDiTE looks forward to extending the programme in the months ahead with ELOGE in Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Malta.

In this new phase, Stephane spoke of municipalities across Europe being confronted by multiple crises meaning that good governance is more necessary than ever.  Whilst the last two years have been largely overshadowed by the COVID pandemic, he underlined the urgent need to accelerate the ecological transition and all of this at a difficult time when the impacts of the war in the Ukraine is knocking on Europe's doors.

He reminded participants of the need for us all to demonstrate sobriety, manage the energy transition,  show leadership with responsible innovation and mobilise all of the stakeholders in our local territories.

With a growing global notion of resilience in the face of risks to the local level, Stephane underlined the importance of the ELOGE process in helping municipalities to translate many of these major issues for the European continent with appropriate answers and policy solutions that are adapted to the local territories participants repreent in Portugal.

Nial Sheerin confirmed that the Council of Europe will organise a congress on the ELOGE programme in Strasbourg in March 2023. By that time, the current round of laureates will be known and will be awarded the ELOGE label of good governance in Strasbourg in March 2023.


MALTA

The Portuguese launch comes in addition to the recent initiative taken in Malta by the Department of Local Government on the 28th June. UDiTE was asked to provide its expertise and support at an 'Awareness-rising and relaunch event' that was organised in St.George Bay in the presence of Mme Alison Zerafa Civelli, Parliamentary Secretary Local Government. Representatives from the Department of Local Government (Mr Natalino Attard), Council of Europe (Niall Sheerin) and UDITE (Ronny Frederickx) who all spoke at length about the programme. Maltese municipalities had until the end of September to sign up for this latest round of the programme the first since 2018 before the pandemic.

 

 

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