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MEETING WITH DELEGATION OF LIBYAN MAYORS

9 JULY 2015 14:30

Dear Colleagues,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the house of regional and

local representatives within the European Union. Our institution voices

the needs and priorities of European cities and regions and promotes

local democracy. We stand for a modern approach of governance

which favors territorial development, growth and jobs by allowing the

local level to take direct responsibilities and lead actions for citizens

grounded on local democracy.

Let me thank all of you for accepting my invitation and being here

today, in particular during this holy time of the year and at a very

particular moment for the future of your country, in representation of

other Libyan Municipalities. I recognise your presence in Brussels

today as a first step towards a more structured partnership between

us; a partnership which is equally important for all involved.

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As part of our work with neighboring countries, the European

Committee of the Regions hosts the joint assembly of regional and

local authorities of the Union for the Mediterranean (ARLEM). ARLEM

bridges European mayors and regional representatives with their

natural Mediterranean partners and brings their voice to the main

European institutions.

It is also a platform of knowledge and shared experience on

decentralization and territorial development, which also helps

promoting projects for local growth and jobs creation in the context of

the Union for the Mediterranean.

As a very first outcome of our meeting today, I am happy to invite a

delegation of mayors from Libya as Observers at the forthcoming

plenary session of ARLEM, which will be organized in Nicosia, Cyprus

in January 2016.

I am confident you will find in ARLEM, the Committee of the Regions

and in its members, sincere partners and fruitful instruments as well

as models of governance and tools for decentralized cooperation to

use in your country. I welcome today the presence between us of

Director Mingarelli from the External Service of the EU who will

illustrate possible ways forward of cooperation.

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Let me particularly welcome today your establishes internal

coordination mechanism, which strengthens and confirms your

contribution to the existing peace process in coherence with the

UNSMIL-led Libyan dialogue, as stressed by the European Council

last March. Indeed, your coordination facilitates the opening of further

chapters for dialogue in Libya and at the same time it strengthens the

dialogue with the European local and regional authorities, making the

most of existing opportunities for development offered by the EU and

the Union for the Mediterranean. Today, elected mayors in Libya

represent a vital element for countering the existing threats, building

new opportunities.

Dear colleagues,

We are aware of the dangers confronting Libya, its people and the

wider region. Terrorist attacks are currently jeopardizing several cities

and regions of your country representing a source of danger for all

Libyans and the whole region. We are also aware that the contribution

of local actors in Libya is essential for resolving the political crisis and

fighting the spreading of terrorism. We meet today in a moment where

not just Libyans but the international community counts on your help

creating positive conditions for a better future. Several municipalities

have supported the United Nations' call to stop fighting and engaged

in the peace process by further advancing to forge local ceasefires,

exchange prisoners and to allow for the return of internally displaced

persons. We commend you for your active role in this process.

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In addition, the "migration policy" - used by criminal organizations in

several countries bordering the Mediterranean - represents an open

issue which concerns all of us because it goes against the respect of

fundamental human rights and concerns human dignity. It facilitates

international trafficking of human beings and it weakens our common

credibility. Radicalization and extremism find fertile ground in today's

Libyan instability and capitalize on the weakness of the institutions -

both of the EU and Libya. There is therefore a need for a strategy for

quick intervention and a strategy for the long-term. Both actions must

involve local authorities from both side of the Mediterranean.It is in the

complex context that the vice president of the European Commission -

High representative Ms Mogherini - and Commissioner for

neighborhood Hahn have shown their encouragement to initiate new

actions to help democratically elected municipalities of Libya to

interact with the Committee of the Regions and ARLEM members.

To that purpose, we encourage the reinforcement of your mechanism

of coordination among Libyan municipalities with a view to cooperate

with the European Union's municipalities and regions through twinning

and shared projects. The setting of a horizontal political body through

elected Mayors represents a fundamental step towards unity of action

and to the enforcement of a grass-rooted rule-of-law system in Libya.

Your dialogue is coherent with our calls for multi-level governance and

for a stronger decentralized cooperation in the Mediterranean, where

local authorities have a vital role to play.

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Your initiative also reflects the spirit of the proposals made by the

United Nation for the activation of a decentralized system as a basis

for local governance where institutional and confidence building

measures are necessary to assure the rule-of-law.

Dear colleagues,

United, you can more easily pave the way for a further positive

dynamic in the new institutional building.

Stronger, you will be better at serving your communities and local

economy.

Through a genuine partnership with European local and regional

authorities and through an active participation within ARLEM, we wish

to initiate a new dynamic of cooperation which can assist the

developing of a vision for planning economic social and territorial

development in Libya. This new process can contribute to establishing

four much needed developments:

1. capacity building measures to set up modern public administration;

2. models of multi-level governance and decentralization to better

represent citizens and encourage an entrepreneurial environment

which needs stability and security to develop;

3. technical assistance to support your mechanism of coordination

among municipalities in order to harmonize strategies and needs and

better be heard at national and international level;

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4. inclusive methods to foster local democracy where women and

youth actively take part to the political, social and economic life of your

communities.

There are 3 fundamental tools that a modern local authority needs in

order to deliver services, growth and jobs to citizens:

1. Credible financial means; 2. capacity to act in the international

arena to match them; 3. trained human resources in the public

administration to use them. ARLEM works in partnership with the

European Training Foundation (ETF), an agency of the EU helping

local communities to develop vocational training. I would like to share

with you the standing availability of the Foundation for cooperating in

this important strand. Similarly, the European Commission adopted

last week a decision to allocate €12 million for the next 3 years to the

'European Endowment for Democracy', an instrument available also

for Libya where it is currently working for financing Minorities'

participation in the constitutional process and the Constitutional

Dialogue Forum.

Our staff will present to you later on some tools for cooperation

already existing within the CoR and which could be useful for you. We

would be happy to further develop and adapt them in order to meet

your specific requirements. In addition, I remember that the EU funds,

within the ENI instrument, amount to about 150 millions of Euro for

2014-2020 spread on priorities such as democratic governance

including municipalities, youth, health and civil society.

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Decentralization is an evolving process: in our respective countries we

keep developing our internal structures to better serve our citizens

with a bottom-up approach. We have created, at our respective

national levels, networks of regional or local representatives which

provide a solid common ground when it comes to be heard by our

respective national governments or by the European institutions. We

are happy to share with you our experience in this field.

Similarly, we are at your disposal to share further experiences we

lived through in Europe: some of our colleagues - I mention the ones

from the Balkans who also have a seat in the ARLEM or Cyprus, the

Northern Ireland and others – have unfortunately experienced

conflicts or permanent terrorist threats that have hampered the local

social and economic development. But in all these cases, partnership,

unity and dialogue overcame instability and fear. I will give the floor to

my colleagues who can share with you their own experience and offer

practical partnership for the future. I am confident that with your

contribution, our meeting will constitute a fruitful occasion to establish

a new solid partnership throughout the Mediterranean.

Let me conclude by stressing our support the work of the United

Nations and the European Union, and by wishing to complement their

efforts. I would like to thank Dr. Farida Albugassem el Allagi and her

staff for their help and tireless commitment for establishing solid

partnership with the CoR and ARLEM.

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The sense of responsibility must prevail in Libya to solve the delicate

political situation: your kind acceptance of coming to Brussels today

shows that it has already emerged at the political level the closest to

citizens.

Similarly, I believe that a sense of solidarity and partnership must

prevail in Europe vis-à-vis our close neighborhood in order to

stimulate 'a sea of opportunities in the Mediterranean basin'.

Thank you for kind attention

Mayors attending the meeting:

1. Mr Omar Al BARAESI - Mayor of Benghazi

2. Mr Mustafa ABDALLAH (BARUNI) - Mayor of Zintan

3. Mr Yosof IBDERI - Mayor of Ghariyan

4. Mr Hamed AL KHAYALI - Mayor of Sabha

5. Mr Abdlrauf BEITELMAL – (Deputy Mayor of Tripoli) coordinating

member of the Libyan municipalities' coordination committee

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