The Local Observatory on Reform Agendas Implementation (LORAI), a joint initiative between the European Commission and the Council of Europe, was launched yesterday at a high-level ceremony on the margins of the 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
LORAI will support local authorities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia in contributing to the implementation and monitoring of reform agendas under the EU's Reform and Growth Facility, which are central to the region's progress towards EU accession.
The programme will be implemented by the Congress in partnership with the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and local government associations. It will deliver targeted activities to strengthen local governments' capacity for monitoring reforms, engaging in policy dialogue, and promoting good democratic governance.
The launching event brought together representatives of the European Union, NALAS, CEMR, local government associations from across the Western Balkans, and Congress members. Addressing the event, Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen stated: "With its unparalleled convening power among local and regional authorities, this partnership will deliver real benefits for the citizens of Western Balkans. Real change happens when local governments are active shapers of reform; we must enable their meaningful participation in the reform process."
Representatives of the European Union, NALAS and CEMR also reaffirmed their commitment to supporting local governments as key actors in the reform process.
Valentina Superti, Director for the Western Balkans at of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood: "The Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans supports reforms that accelerate the convergence of the region with the EU. For citizens, progress must be visible and tangible. The Local Observatory on Reform Agendas Implementation, LORAI, plays a key role in empowering local authorities to turn reform commitments into concrete results for communities and citizens to actively influence the monitoring of reforms. Today marks the beginning of a fruitful collaboration."
"Sustainable progress under the Reform Agenda requires that implementation be tracked where it matters most-at the local level-in the context of improved services and changed lives. This is why NALAS is strongly committed to develop an Observatory that monitors the impact on the ground and analyses the long-term sustainability of the Reform Agenda actions. This is to ensure that reforms go beyond strategies, laws and short-term commitments, and deliver real, measurable, and sustainable results for citizens," stressed NALAS President Dubravko Bilić.
Reflecting on the pivotal role of local authorities in realising European objectives, CEMR Vice-President Mélanie Lepoultier observed: "Our mission at CEMR is to transform the experiences of municipalities into actionable policy and to translate EU frameworks into fundable, sequenced, and measurable local priorities. In terms of LORAI implementation, we will assist local officials in converting reforms into investment roadmaps that can be integrated into the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Additionally, we aim to foster meaningful peer-to-peer exchanges".
