On 25 November, in Brussels, the fifth cluster meeting of PLATFORMA’s Eastern Partnership was held, attended by local government associations and partner organizations from various countries.
The Georgian side was represented by the Deputy Executive Directors of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG) — Tatiana Bokuchava and Lasha Archvadze, as well as the Association’s expert Nino Zurabishvili.
The session was opened by the Secretary General of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), Fabrizio Rossi, after which participants discussed the priorities of the European Union’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), with particular emphasis on the Eastern Neighbourhood and Enlargement directions.
Following a presentation by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), a discussion took place, including with representatives of the European Parliament. On behalf of NALAG, Tatiana Bokuchava delivered a speech.
In her remarks, the Association’s representative focused on the role of municipalities in EU candidate countries in the European integration process and stressed that the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) should allocate specific resources to support municipalities. She highlighted the particular importance of experience-sharing, capacity building, learning formats between partner municipalities, and conducting studies that help local governments better understand EU directives and regulations.
Tatiana Bokuchava also underlined the need to strengthen municipalities’ capacities to absorb EU funds. According to her, both technical support and the improvement of skills in project management, financial administration, and the use of EU instruments are crucially important.
At the end of her speech, the member of the Georgian delegation also noted that exchange and internship programmes for municipal staff significantly contribute to aligning local governments with European standards.
During the internal working session of the EaP Cluster, participants reviewed the draft 2026 Policy and Advocacy Action Plan and upcoming activities. The meeting was summarised by PLATFORMA Director Boris Tonhauser.
It is noteworthy that on the same day, an experience-sharing and peer-learning session among municipal associations from various European countries was organised by NALAS and PLATFORMA in which the representatives of the Georgian delegation also took an active part.