1 / 13

Intergovernmental relations

Intergovernmental relations. Experience and ideas. Three questions: How do we as associations engage in successful lobbying? What do we consider as innovative actions and ideas? How can we as associations successfully influence the national / regional levels of government?. About VVSG.

schmittr
Download Presentation

Intergovernmental relations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Intergovernmental relations The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  2. Experience and ideas Three questions: • How do we as associations engage in successful lobbying? • What do we consider as innovative actions and ideas? • How can we as associations successfully influence the national / regional levels of government? The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  3. About VVSG • Represents all 308 local authorities in Flanders: 6,5 million people out of 11,3 million in Belgium • Mission: strengthening the quality of local policy and enhancing local democracy by quaranteeing top expertise, advocacy and partnerschips, stimulating innovation together with • Tasks(for all municipalities and cities – our elected members and civil servants): - information, advice, training - advocacy - sharing of knowledge, building networking and innovation • Political structure: Board of presidents / Executive Board / Board of Governors / General Assembly • Committees for (more rural) municipalities, the 13 big cities, for regional structures, for small cities The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  4. As an organisation ... • Our members: • 308 municipalities (Flemish region in Belgium) including other levels of local government (308 Public Centres of Social Welfare; 111 Police zones; 60 intermunicipality cooperations or regional structures; 53 Autonomous Local Companies) • 165 employees specialised in all relevant policy areas • Budget of 18 Mi euro • Membership fees: 46% • Grants (Flemish, federal, European): 37,3% • Own income (publications, conference, training, …): 16,7% The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  5. Belgium, an interesting case for lobbying Vereniging van Vlaamse Steden en Gemeenten

  6. Belgium, the context The institutional context is decisive: • Federal state with ongoing state reforms: • Regions are in charge of supervision and financing of local authorities since 1988 • Currently, process of the sixth state reform • Regionalisation: transfer of competences to the regions (employment, care, welfare) • Decentralisation in Flanders: transfer of tasks and competences to the local level – cities become more important and have lots of responsabilities on a local level but legally it is very complex… The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  7. Succesful lobbying – how? • Many informal contacts between VVSG and government • Cabinets of ministers (federal and Flemish) • Administration (federal and Flemish) • Invitation of VVSG to hearings and plenary sessions in the Flemish Parliament and federal Parliament • Participation of VVSG in 270 external committees including positions in board of governors of Flemish institutions (mobility, social housing, and others) • VVSG dealt with 125 political dossiers (2016): some successful, others still ongoing The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  8. The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  9. Innovative actions or new tactics? • Breakfast meetings with the minister, in this case on social welfare • Well planned and proactive tactics towards cabinet and administration, in this case on a new decree on street trading (in the context of devolution of competences of federal to regional level) • Use of knowledge platforms and … simple whatsapp groups are interesting tools to use in coming to conclusions at the final stage The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  10. The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  11. Influencing the national / regional debate • Informal contacts • Network of mayors who at the same time have a seat in Parliament • Making use of high level expertise • Seminars and conferences … The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

  12. Building a new organisation with a new governance structure The Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities

More Related