EU integration

The European charter of local self-government, promoted by the Council of Europe, provides principles for political, administrative and financial independence of local authorities. We guide EU candidate countries and countries already in the union through EU local government policies and legal frameworks.

These aspects guide our work with candidate and potential candidate countries to the EU as well as countries falling within the neighbourhood policies of the EU.

Except for the Swedish experience of EU accession, SALAR and SKL International both have a long and rigorous experience of supporting the most recent candidate countries with legal advice and reforms.

Until now we have provided technical assistance to many new member states while they were still in accession. This work comprises cooperation with ministries, national agencies, local governments and NGOs. Our work includes services related to:

• Technical assistance in line with European local governance and good practice
• Technical assistance in alignment with EU legislation
• Guidance to associations in conducting impact analysis of European Integration and harmonization
• Guidance to access EU funding
• Expertise for the Committe of Regions
• Advice to EU-impact studies in Turkey and Albania

We are also engaged in providing services to Swedish clients, most typically municipalities and regions. This work relates to development of project proposals and identifying cooperation partners within or outside the EU, through consultation and educational workshops.