Today, the Secretariat for European Affairs organized a plenary meeting of the Sector Working Group for Local and Regional Development, as part of the first cycle of meetings to strengthen the sectoral approach established by IPA 2 and will continue to be implemented within IPA 3.

The purpose of the meetings was to present the strategic priorities of the Ministry of Local Self-Government in order to inform the members of the sectoral working groups and improve the coordination of national resources, resources from bilateral donors, the EU Delegation and support in their implementation.

The priorities of the local self-government are a horizontal activity that should be planned and implemented taking into account the EU standards and the principles of democracy. Namely, all municipalities in the country should have access to the same instruments and opportunities, and this is provided through the horizontal coordination of the Ministry of Local Self-Government.  At today's meeting it was realized that the interest of donors in this sector is huge, hence the need for constant coordination and transparency and inclusiveness in planning future projects that will be funded by donors, including IPA 3.