Strategic networking

Since the beginning of my career, I am at the core of strategic networking and coalitions building, with local and regional authorities and civil society groups.

Within the Council of Europe institutions



Within the European Union institutions and advocacy and action groups

  • Chair of the Board of EPD - The European Partnership for Democracy, Brussels, www.epd.eu
  • Cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and the CIVEX committee (attendance and contribution to rapporteurs’ papers), contribution to ARLEM (joint initiatives in Tunisia and Libya with ALDA – see Nicosia initiative) and with the CORLEAP (various initiatives and participation)
  • Steering Committee member of the Civil Society Convention for the Conference on the Future of Europe.
    Co-creator of the Civil Society Convention for the Conference on the Future of Europe, animation of the cluster Democracy and Good Governance. Recommendations and elaborations of proposal to the Conference. The Civil Society Convention takes part in the plenary of the Conference with 5 seats. The Democracy Cluster coordinates recommendations on electoral reforms, key political elements to make Europe more democratic and understood by EU citizens and more accessible to all vulnerable and disadvantaged people. As steering committee members, contribution to the strategy and liaison with various stakeholders, including the French EU Presidency, to make our voice heard (for an event in Paris in March 2022). The Convention is composed of 92 civil society organisations, representing various components of the civic engagement. ALDA represents the local democracy component.
  • Co-Founders of the Alliance for the European Year on Citizens (2013), annual priority of the European Union, http://ey2013-alliance.eu/, Coordinator of the Working Group 1, Civic Dialogue
    Initiator and coordinator as member of the Steering Committee of the European Year of Citizens alliance, in coordination with the European Commission. For the European Annual priority. Coordination of a all European initiative, which brought to recommendations to the EU in general. This programme had an impact on the civil society engagement with forums and instruments, which are stil in place. In particular, those who were active in the Year 2013, created Civil Society Europe, which ALDA is part of : https://civilsocietyeurope.eu


MEMBER OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE AND CIVIC DIALOGUE OF THE PROGRAMME EUROPE FOR CITIZENS, NOW CERV EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Member of the Structural Dialogue of the Programme Europe for Citizens, as ALDA SG, and beneficiary of the programme Europe for Citizens Operating Grant for 14 years. Development of strategies supporting local governments and citizens engagement, and town twinning, cooperation with the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. ALDA has successfully recommended to extend the programme to the Balkans so to engage also local authorities and civil society from these countries. We supported and implemented town twining initiatives. ALDA is now also beneficiary of a 4 years Operating Grant from the new programme CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values)

  • FormerCoordinator of the EPAN - Enlargement&Neighborhood of Concord, www.concordeurope.org European Confederation for Relief and Development
    Working group coordinator, of the former EPAN group, Eastern Europe and Neighbourhood, Elaboration of recommendations to the EU in terms of democracy and development in these countries, coordination of the members. Concord is a key organisation representing civil society engaged in Development. ALDA is associate member (because we represent mostly local governments) and therefore not full member. Our experience in the Neighbourhood was valorised for the coordination for this group. Our recommendations led part of the new orientations of DG Near towards East and South
  • From November 2009 to 2011 elected co-chair and Member of the Steering Committee of the Forum Civil Society of Eastern Partnership of the European Union (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova), EU coordinator and liaison between civil society in EaP countries and EU civil society and institutions (including DEVCO and EEAS)
    At the end of the mandate in the Steering Committee, creation and animation of the subgroup of civil society organisation working on local governance and support to public Administration Reform in EaP countries, including elaboration of studies, recommendations, participation in the EaP events with the European Commission, European Parliament and CORLEAP - Committee of the Regions. Coordinator of about 20 organisation in EU counties and EaP countries engaged in supporting local governance. We worked on legislations and practices and produced the first report on citizens engagement at the local level on the EaP, which I presented in Armenia, together with the Congress and Corleap, represented by Pavel Adamowicz, the Mayor of Gdansk, who became active member of ALDA and created the Local Democracy Agency in Mariupol. The LGPAR sub group was part of the Public Administration working group of the Eastern Partnership and contributed with political and strategic recommendations. The work of the Subgroup studied also the new laws on civil servants recruitment for EaP and the transparency in PA. The Sub group does not exist any more but it components are now present in all the key Ministries and Associations of local governments of the countries engaged. it worked closely with Transparency International and with OGP.
  • From 1996 to 2010, member of the Steering Committee of the programme Working Together, Local Government management programme in Central and Eastern Europe, head in Bucharest, Romania
    Capacity building and strategic planning for Local Authorities (Management, leadership, participatory planning process, fighting against corruption, conflict management) Programme of UNHabitat, LGI Budapest (Local Government and Public Reform Initiative)
  • From 2008 till 2021 - Member of the Structural Dialogue on the programme Europe for Citizens and town twinning programmes, European Commission, http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/citizenship/programme/priority_themes_en.php. Promoting local governance and dialogue between citizens’ and local governments in Europe.
  • From 2012 - European and Economic Social Committee, Expert on EuroMed on civil society engagement.


Within the European civil society movement



Within the Global institutions

  • Member of the Advisory Board of the American Civic League
  • Representative of ALDA in Civicus (www.civicus.org), World alliance for citizens’ participation. Former member of the Board.
    Member of the Board of the Alliance, strategy and vision of the Alliance, programming and development of partnership, representation at the UN level. I was elected as Member of the Board during the Montreal Congress in 2016.
  • Canadian Urban institute

Appointed as international fellow in the Advisory Board, recommending strategies for the development of the organisations, exchanges of practices, develpment of advocacy and lobbying for local governments in Europe and in Canada. The cooperation was initiated on the bases of exchanges of practices about how local governments are coping with COVID, with inclusive and innovative means.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS