Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative (LGI), as one of the programs of the Open Society Institute (OSI), is an international development and grant-giving organization dedicated to the support of good governance in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Newly Independent States (NIS). LGI seeks to fulfill its mission through the initiation of research and support of development and operational activities in the fields of decentralization, public policy formation and the reform of public administration.

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 spectacular advance of local and regional democracy was the main innovation of 20th century democracy. The recognition of local democracy by the Council of Europe member states led to the elaboration of the European Charter of Local Self-Government – the first internationally binding treaty that guarantees the rights of communities and their elected authorities. This text, which affirms the role of communities as the first level for practising democracy, has become the benchmark international treaty in this area.