The fifth cluster meeting of PLATFORMAâs Eastern Partnership concluded in Brussels, closing with the sharing of progress achieved by the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG).
At the end of the session, NALAG Deputy Executive Director Tatiana Bokuchava and NALAG expert Nino Zurabishvili informed partner countries about the services the Association offers to its member municipalities, as well as about good practices that can be shared based on the experience of associations from other countries.
Tatiana Bokuchava particularly emphasised the effective cooperation with PLATFORMA and NALAS, which contributes to the implementation of decentralisation reforms, the institutional strengthening of local self-government, and the promotion of initiatives necessary for democratic participation.
The Associationâs Deputy Director also introduced to the audience the work of NALAGâs Legal Affairs Committee, adding that the idea for its creation emerged exactly at the Peer-Exchange meeting held in Strasbourg in March 2024.
According to Tatiana Bokuchava, within just one year this initiative has become a fully functional instrument of NALAG and, in cooperation with committees of the Parliament of Georgia, has already facilitated the initiation of two specific legislative amendments in favour of municipalities.
Nino Zurabishvili spoke about the platforms established by NALAG in recent years and noted that the Association is gradually creating multi-level thematic and regional platforms â regional networks as well as thematic groups for self-governing cities and high-mountain municipalities â so that municipalities with different needs have their own space and opportunity to participate in policy-making.
The expert also expressed gratitude to NALAS and PLATFORMA for their research support, including in the areas of decentralisation of social services and development of digital services, without which the ongoing large-scale analytical processes would not be complete or effective. She explained that the studies help the Association to thoughtfully determine where, how and to what extent it is possible to delegate powers, what support municipalities need, and what changes are required to manage the process effectively.
Nino Zurabishvili also spoke about NALAGâs Best Practice Programme (BPP) and noted that the annual competition, alongside sharing good practices, contributes to increasing the visibility of municipalitiesâ activities.
The fifth cluster meeting of PLATFORMAâs Eastern Partnership in Brussels was attended by local government associations and partner organisations from various countries, as well as NALAG Deputy Executive Director Lasha Archvadze.