The annual General Assembly of ALDA took place on 6 June in Strasbourg, hosted by the Council of Europe. Mr Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, welcomed the over 50 members attending from the enlarged Europe.
Mr Francesco Zarzana, President of Progettarte, active civil society organization member of ALDA for many years, chaired the assembly. After the moral report of ALDA President Oriano Otocan, the activity report for 2013 was presented, and the Treasurer's report for the year was approved. The strategic views were also approved, and the new opportunities for cooperation and fundraising involving the members of ALDA were presented.
An extraordinary assembly also took place, which approved some changes to the statute of the association. The main changes involve the introduction of the role of the Secretary General, which substitutes the Director of ALDA; the Secretary of the association, at the same time, becomes the third Vice-President. The Scientific Committee is changed to Advisory Board to highlight its advisory role, while its competences are the same.
The event represented the ideal moment to present the book, written by Antonella Valmorbida and gathering the contributions of the staff of ALDA, delegates of Local Democracy Agencies, and members and partners of the association, on citizen participation in the enlarged Europe. Published by Peter Lang, it collects 15 years experiences on the field.
The Vice President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr Svetozar Pudaric, and the Permanent Representative Mr Sahovic also attended the event, and explained the dramatic situation affecting the country because of the disastrous floods. ALDA and the Local Democracy Agencies located in the area are actively fundraising to support the affected population.
During the Assembly, the Gianfranco Martini scholarship 2014 was awarded to Mr Dumitru Sratan, from Szent Istvan University, for its study project: Building Social Capital in Developing Countries on the basis of integrated community planning and cooperation. His thesis will take into the consideration the challenges of building social capital in developing countries (on the practical research that will be taken in the most developed regions in Republic of Moldova), as well as the importance of participation, civic engagement and social capital of creating community-based development projects.
Generalna skupština ALDA-e 06.06.2014. Vijeće Evrope, Strasbourg
Godišnja generalna skupštine ALDA-e održana je 06 juna/lipnja u Strazburu, u zgradi Vijeća Evrope. G. Andreas Kiefer, generalni sekretar Kongresa lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti Vijeća Evrope, pozdravio je više od 50 članova predstavnika zemalja proširene Evrope.
Skupštinom je predsjedavao G. Francesco Zarzana, predsjednik, aktivne organizacije civilnog društva „Progettarto“, te članice ALDA-e već dugi niz godina. Nakon moralnog izvještaja predsjednika ALDA-e Oriana OTOČANa, predstavljen je izvještaj o radu za 2013, te je odobren izvještaj blagajnika za istu godinu. Strateški pregledi su također odobreni, a predstavljene su i nove mogućnosti za saradnju i prikupljanje sredstava koji uključuju članove ALDA-e.
Također je održana i izvanredna skupština, koja je odobrila neke izmjene statuta asocijacije. Glavne promjene uključuju uvođenje uloge generalnog sekretara, koji zamjenjuje direktora ALDA-e; Generalni sekretar, u isto vrijeme, postaje treći potpredsjednik. Naučni odbor se mijenja u Savjetodavni odbor, kako bi se istakla njegova savjetodavna uloga, a njegove nadležnosti istaju iste.
Događaj je predstavljao idealan trenutak za predstavljanje knjige, koju je napisala Antonella Valmorbida uz doprinos osoblja ALDA-e, delegata Agencija lokalne demokracije, te članova i partnera Asocijacije, o učešći građana u proširenoj Europi. Ova knjiga čiji je izdavač Peter Lang, predstavlja 15 godina iskustva na terenu.
Događaju je prisustvovao i ambasador Bosne i Hercegovine pri vijeću Evrope G. Almir Šahović, te G. Svetozar Pudarić potredsjednik Vlade Federacije Bosne i Hercegovine, koji je ujedno i stalni član Kongresa lokalnih i regionalnih vlasti Vijeća Evrope. Skupu su se obratili sa predstavljanjem dramatične situacije u kojoj se zemlja nalazi zbog razarajućih poplava. ALDA i Agencije lokalne demokratije koje se nalaze na ovim područjima aktivno prikupljaju sredstva za pomoć ugroženom stanovništvu.