The purpose of the research "Participation of CSOs in cross-border cooperation" is to give a clear picture of the participation of CSOs in cross-border cooperation programs, focusing on the following issues:
- Participation of CSOs in cross-border cooperation projects,
- Participation of CSOs in the process of planning and decision making in cross-border cooperation programs,
- Cooperation between civil society organizations, municipalities and other stakeholders in cross-border cooperation projects.

The reform of Public Administration is NOT an essentially legislative process but it is strictly connected with cultural and systemic elements in the community. It is therefore essential to consider the existence/non existence of the relation between institutions and citizens. PAR and the legislation cannot be developed without considering a constant process of information, dialogue and exchanges with citizens that will establish trust from both sides that will then allow the laws/provisions to have a certain chance of being implemented. 

Actors for democracy: civil society versus local authorities. Mistakenly, often, decentralised cooperation (but not only) considers elected representatives as the only “pure” expression of local democracy. Indeed, it seems that the magic moment of the elections gives its blessing to all those who have been elected. Today, when representative democracy is going through a difficult period, we wonder how much elected representative could be the only democratic voice or actors, and therefore to be able to transmit these capacities in decentralised cooperation. Our basic assumption is that democratic civil society, governed by democratic rules and respectful of the criteria of the membership and financially accountable, is a real actor of democracy. Citizens participate with membership, with opinions and actions (often much more than it is the case in the political parties themselves). They could even participate in large, cross border movements, much wider and influential than the political parties themselves. Therefore, they could be considered fully, and without any doubts, real actors of democracy.

On the initiative of the Mayor of the City of Gdansk, Poland, The European Association for Local Democracy ("ALDA") was asked to conduct a survey that revealed local issues and opinions with the help of the Local Democracy Agencies in Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine.

Local self-government outlines the right and the ability of local authorities, within the limits of the law, to regulate and manage a substantial share of public affairs. In a local democracy this right is 
conferred to councils or assemblies composed of members freely elected by secret ballot and directly accountable to their own local constituency. This adheres to the principle of subsidiarity, which ensures that problems are addressed by those institutions and civil society groups that are most competent and closest to citizens.

Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve a greater unity between its members for the purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and principles which are their common heritage; Considering that one of the methods by which this aim is to be achieved is through agreements in the administrative field; Considering that the local authorities are one of the main foundations of any democratic regime; Considering that the right of citizens to participate in the conduct of public affairs is one of the democratic principles that are shared by all member States of the Council of Europe; Considering that it is at local level that this right can be most directly exercised; Convinced that the existence of local authorities with real responsibilities can provide an administration which is both effective and close to the citizen;

In 2007, the Government of the Republic of Macedonia adopted the first Strategy for Cooperation of the Government with the Civil Society and the Action Plan 2007-2011. There, the Government emphasized the importance of the civil society in general, thereby setting the ground for its cooperation with CSOs and took a systematic approach in strengthening the basic conditions for a faster and more efficient development of this sector. The Strategy refers to the cooperation with associations and foundations, as part of the wider civil society sector, with the aim of ensuring inclusive 
process and engagement of the civil society in policy making processes. In the period following the adoption of the Strategy, a number of activities were undertaken, each with the aim of implementing the goals and measures and strengthening the sector. Following the example of that Strategy, a number of other strategies and documents were adopted, through which institutions on both a national and local level expressed their commitments to develop certain areas important for the work of the civil society and to include CSOs in inter-sectorial initiatives.

The main goal of the study is to inspect the mechanisms for cross-sectoral cooperation and dialogic mechanisms at the local level and on that basis to make a series of recommendations for further development of the methodology and transparent system of financial and non-financial support for CSOs, at the local level. Effective, functional and sustainable mechanisms for cooperation are a key precondition for creating an enabling environment for active participation of civil society and civic activism at the local level. These principles, of course, include basic principles: respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, respect for basic democratic principles, political engagement, clear procedures, and open space for dialogue and encouragement of conditions for an energetic, pluralistic and sustainable civil society.

How do the municipalities support CSOs? Has the cooperation between the local government and the civil sector improved? Which municipalities have publicly announced a call for projects? The publication "Research on the Financial and Non-Financial Support of Civil Society Organizations by the Local Authorities" contains the answers to these questions and much more.

This publication is prepared for the needs of the Institute for Human Rights "Ludwig Boltzmann" - BIM-FV, Skopje, within the project "Social Inclusion and Human Rights in Macedonia". The project aims to address the human rights-based approach to poverty reduction and social exclusion at the national and local levels, which includes identifying vulnerable groups, their direct involvement in decision-making processes that will affect their lives, such as and establishing a system for monitoring and accountability of holders of liabilities. The subject of this analysis was determining the situation, ie the needs in terms of social inclusion at the local level in the following six municipalities: Stip, Prilep, Kicevo, Saraj, Caska and Radovish.
 

For the proper functioning of the Council as a "legislative" body at the local level, which conducts policy and adopts acts in the municipality, it is essential that its members have critical knowledge of the legal rights and competencies they have chosen. Therefore, we believe that this Handbook will greatly facilitate the acquisition of the necessary knowledge of all members, that will solve some of the dilemmas that the members of the councils face in relation to the legal work. In the end, we hope that the use of the Manual will contribute to greater efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and oversight in the performance of the advisory function at the local level. The manual provides an opportunity for reflection, which means that opens the horizon for further action and the creation of greater political will by local elected representatives in order to develop local democracy.

This Guide is intended to respond to an increasing demand from UNDP Country Offices and a wide range of national stakeholders for guidance on the multiplicity of tools and methods that are being used to measure, assess and monitor governance at the local level. The Guide uses the term ‘local governance’ to cover the range of governance issues that exist at the local level, including decentralisation of policies and processes, the roles and inter-relationships of different actors and institutions, local democracy and local government performance.

In the discussions about the current crisis of the European Union caused by “NOs” to the Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands, one sometimes forgets that all in all the construction of the European Union is more than a success story! Europe is currently experiencing an unprecedented period of stability and peace. 60 years after the end of the Second World War, 27 European countries are constructing their common future based on the values of peace, democracy and human rights. The project “Cities acting for Peace and Democracy in Europe” therefore intended to bring local authorities, NGOs and young people together to evaluate and debate their role in the construction of a peaceful and democratic Europe.

ALDA coordinates and supports the network of 14 Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs) and 3 Operational Partners (OPs) in their activities. ALDA works throughout the enlarged Europe. Most of the Local Democracy Agencies are located in the Western Balkans, but ALDA is more and more active in the European Neighborhood with 5 LDAs in various Eastern Partnership countries and the first one in the Southern Neighborhood, in Kairouan (Tunisia), established in 2017. The LDAs and OPs are supported by more than 100 partners (local authorities and civil society organizations) all over Europe, providing financial and political support to fulfil their mandate and to accompany local democracy, civil society empowerment and participation in the decision-making process at the local level.

This document is based on the work carried out over the last five years by our 350 members, locally and regionally elected representatives. We work together across the whole range of Europe’s regions and cities to ensure that the voices of our communities are heard. Our objective is to reinforce the European Union by involving regional and local authorities in the EU decision-making process, working closely with all levels of government and directly with citizens through a permanent dialogue. We want to anchor EU policies locally and make sure they are properly resourced. 

The project entitled "Good governance of municipal democracy and civic participation at the local government level" contains activities aiming at initiating social change at the local level in the Republic of Macedonia, also aiming at consistent practice of democratic values ​​and uninterrupted participation of citizens in local decision making. By examining the situation in 8 selected municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia in terms of: their management of public finances, fiscal transparency, control and audit of public spending, the undertaken reform activities and initiatives by citizens in the last 3 years, we will get information about the species and the quantum of activities undertaken at the local level at the initiative of the citizens.

As democracy is not an event but a complex and continuous process, it is essential that its inception and development are properly managed and nurtured. It is in this regard that this handbook will be a very useful tool in the process of promoting and developing democracy at the local level. It will be an essential reference document for all those who are involved in the political and administrative processes of democratization. It will enhance people’s capacity to manage diversity and to design appropriate systems to suit various levels and degrees of democratization.

The Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (LGI), in partnership with the Tocqueville Research Center (T–RC) in Budapest, has been conducting a multi-year project entitled ‘Indicators of Local Democratic Governance’ (hereafter:‘Indicators’). The project aims to help decision-makers and researchers assess and explain the state of local democracy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. While there are numerous international research initiatives examining the condition of democracy on a national level, only a limited number of comparative inquiries have been launched at the subnational level. The ‘Indicators’ project is a modest but perhaps unique enterprise, having three broad aims: (a) the generation of original survey data and collection of other relevant statistical data; (b) regular reporting on the state of local democracy in Central and Eastern Europe; and (c) the dissemination of results and standardized datasets to inform developmental and policy reform initiatives.

Today, CEMR is the broadest organisation representing European local and regional governments. Its members are 54 national associations of municipalities and regions from 40 European countries, representing over 100 000 local and regional authorities. Our strength relies on a strong cooperation between the General Secretariat, based both in Brussels and Paris, experts from our member associations and active local and regional politicians. Together, we advocate a true partnership between all actors of the European governance and for the application of the principle of subsidiarity—matters that should be handled by the lowest or least centralised competent authority. 

In this issue, we additionally refer to the role of the Council of the local government unit, ie the activities and competencies performed by municipal councilors. The manual has great symbolic significance for ZELS and municipalities, because through it ZELS, establishes the first step of mutual communication with the newly elected structures in all its members. These are all 80 municipalities in the Republic of Macedonia, together with the City of Skopje, as a separate unit of the local government. The handbook also opens the horizon for further joint lobbying to improve legislation and ensure greater financial independence of municipalities, strengthened municipal councils, the creation of effective and efficient administration and better municipal services. In particular, the manual should provide the basis for further improvement of joint efforts to provide modern European municipalities, in which citizens will have good living conditions and quality services.