On 28 October 2026, Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Emil Drăghici, President of the Networks of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the margins of the Congress 51st session.
The agreement aims to strengthen local democracy, build the capacities of local authorities, promote Council of Europe standards, encourage citizen participation and support local authorities' involvement in European integration and reform processes. Building on a partnership established in 2001 and strengthened in 2017, when NALAS became an Institutional Partner of the Congress, the agreement will reinforce co-operation in support of local authorities and their role in responding to citizens' needs across South-East Europe.
"Local and regional authorities are essential partners in strengthening democracy and responding to citizens' needs. This agreement will help us turn our shared priorities with NALAS into concrete action," said Gunn Marit Helgesen.
"This Memorandum builds on our strong partnership and sets out shared priorities for co-operation on local democracy, the European Charter of Local Self-Government, multilevel governance and European integration," said Emil Drăghici.
