Throughout the week of 2 December 2019, FEDRE coordinated the study visit to the canton of Vaud by an Albanian delegation of 25 people and 5 accompanying persons. The visit was organised as part of the Bashki të Forta (Strong Cities) programme, funded by the Swiss Confederation and implemented in the country by Helvetas. This programme aims to improve the functioning of governance and local democracy in the Republic of Albania, following the reforms decided in 2015.
The study visit took place at the City Hall of Lausanne, with all working sessions taking place in the hemicycle of the Municipal Council. On Tuesday, a day was devoted to the City of Ecublens, located near Lausanne. FEDRE President Claude Haegi addressed the opening and closing sessions.
The whole of this visit was aimed at deepening the role, functioning and organization of the Communal Council: budget, secretariat, committees, examination of petitions, control of executive reports, links with political parties, etc….. The relations between the Council and the Executive, as well as the relations of local authorities with the Canton (the Prefect of Lausanne made a presentation) were also presented.
The delegation and its accompanying persons were delighted with the welcome they received. They were struck by the quality and accuracy of the presentations given and the information they received. A large number of questions were asked by the Albanians, which is a sign of the enormous interest generated by the various presentations.
In conclusion, it was generally agreed that this study tour was extremely productive for the continuation of the current Swiss program in the Republic of Albania.
