On 29 November 2011, FEDRE attended in the European Parliament in Brussels the annual Ceremony of Signatures of the Covenant of Mayors. This Covenant is a telling example of environmental commitment at local level in the wider Europe.

During the meeting of the NALAS Committee held in Bursa (Turkey) on 17 November 2011, François Saint-Ouen presented the first results of a survey he realised in September on the opinion of its members about the usefulness of this network of associations of local authorities of South-East Europe.

Broadly speaking, the degree of satisfaction for the services received from the network is high.

Europe, its successes and failures, is now becoming a burning subject for the world. FEDRE’s General Secretary is precisely publishing a book (in french) in Brussels on 20 years of European Union since its birth with the Maastricht Treaty in a period corresponding to the collapse of the Soviet bloc.

He is using the perspective of Federalism which is growingly debated to find some solutions to a number of shortcomings in the EU Governance.

From 18 to 20 October 2011 took place in Strasburg the 21sth Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Among various subjects, were unanimously adopted a report and a Resolution 335 presented by Svetlana Orlova (Russia) on Energy supply and energy efficiency at local and regional level : promoting energy transition.

The resolution is mentioning two times the positive role played by FEDRE.

In 2002, Macedonia settled decentralization as a Constitutional objective for the benefits of the 85 municipalities of the country. Since 2003, the Swiss cooperation and development agency (SDC) has supported the Macedonian association of local authorities (ZELS).

NALAS is the initials of a network gathering 15 national associations of local authorities of 12 countries of the Balkans. FEDRE has been part of it since its creation in 2001 and is nowadays the only organization not coming from the Balkans which is elected as member of the Committee of this association.

A study of NALAS Task Force Energy Efficiency in cooperation with NALAS member associations and GTZ Open Regional Fund Energy

NALAS is the Network of Associations of Local Authorities in South East Europe. It gathers approximately 4000 local authorities, directly elected by more than 80 million citizens of this region.

NALAS Task Force Energy Efficiency (TFEE) was established in 2008, as a response to the growing need for the improvement of Energy Efficiency (EE) and the more intensive utilization of Renewable Energies (RE) in South-East European municipalities.

Launched one and a half year ago, the "Covenant of Mayor" is a unique bottom-up initiative of Mayors taking firm commitment to sustainable development, by signing a "Covenant". To-day, 1800 Mayors in Europe have already signed this document, but only 45 in the Balkans.

By Gaye Doganoglu

Throughout history, cities have been looked upon, and sought, as places of protection, as fortresses whose walls shielded its residents from foreign invasions or feudal wars. Over centuries, urban dwellings have built up their status as depositories of knowledge and hubs of cultural traditions to become centres of excellence for arts and sciences, and a source of creativity and innovation. Today, urban settlements, towns and cities are playing a key role as generators of ideas, catalysts for change and a tool for pooling resources to advance development in a more sustainable manner.

The first European Urban Charter, adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in 1992, was a ground-breaking step for Europe and marked a key stage in the necessary recognition of the urban phenomenon in the development of our societies. Since then, our societies, economies and cultures have undergone far-reaching changes. In a context of rapid change and of massive urban development, towns and cities now face challenges on an unprecedented scale.