About the Forum

There is no universally accepted definition of decentralized cooperation. Jangu Le Carpentier, former chairperson of the United Cities and Local Governments, emphasized in 1994 that: “What is important today is the realization that decentralized cooperation is a concept with a significant impact. … It is a concept that is still somewhat vague. (…) If we try to define it more precisely, we run a risk: either it will be defined so broadly that it becomes a maze of contradictions, or it will be defined so restrictively that everyone is completely lost.”

Many forms of it, however, share the common feature of involving non-governmental actors in development and service delivery. In January 2000, Philip Lowe of the European Commission drew up an operational guide for decentralized cooperation, in which he describes the concept primarily as a different way of working that places all types of actors at the center of the cooperation process and involves them in the entire cycle of activities, while defining the role and responsibilities of each party in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. A 2001 UNDP study defines decentralized cooperation as “a long-term partnership between communities in different cities or municipalities and as a mechanism for establishing a new partnership modality, emphasizing direct relations between regional areas, as opposed to the model that promotes bilateral cooperation at the national level” . A committee on decentralized cooperation of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), which met in Washington on February 10, 2006, defined decentralized cooperation as “a solid partnership between foreign local communities” [aimed at] “promoting mutual prosperity and consolidating local development and governance.” UN-Habitat regards decentralized cooperation as a process “in which cities (and other institutions) work together to define their problems and develop appropriate solutions based on shared experiences among similar groups.” Decentralized cooperation is known by various names, such as twinning, city-to-city cooperation, and sister city relationships. More recently, a new concept—municipal international cooperation (WIC)—has been introduced into the literature on decentralized cooperation, opening up the possibility of providing long-term technical and financial assistance to municipal governments in a spirit of partnership and global common interest.

The underlying principle is that closer cooperation and exchanges between municipalities in Romania and Belgium can lead to creative and effective solutions to local development challenges. MIC also encompasses networking and cooperation between associations of local and regional governments in Romania and Belgium. As mentioned, there are many definitions of decentralized cooperation, which are sometimes quite contradictory, and none of the definitions mentioned can be said to prevail. For the purposes of this evaluation document and taking into account the overall objective of the forums for decentralized cooperation between Belgium and Romania, decentralized cooperation is defined as any project, initiative, or partnership between at least one Belgian and one Romanian subnational government.