The first study visit of LAR III Project was conducted to Spain on 10-16 November 2019. The senior officials from the Ministry of Interior, Directorate General of Provincial Administrations and the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, Directorate General of Local Authorities, the representatives of the Support Group on Legislation Drafting Process and the Consultative Group of Local Authorities, as well as the Chief Technical Advisor, M. Ferhat Emil and the Key Expert on Effective Local Service Delivery, Prof. H. Hakan Yılmaz from the UNDP LAR III Project Technical Assistance Team participated in the study visit. During the visits to Barcelona and Madrid hosted by the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), various meetings were held with senior officials and experts from the central governmental institutions and local authorities.
The participants came together with the senior officials of the Barcelona Municipal Council (Ajuntament de Barcelona), Barcelona City Council (Diputacio de Barcelona), Barcelona Activa (Barcelona Municipal Enterprise), Madrid Municipal Council Water and Sewerage Administration and the Directorate of Parks and Gardens and found opportunity to receive information about the provision of public services in local administrations, financial structure and budgeting processes, the processes of citizens’ participation in the decision-making mechanisms of local administrations and technology-based business development practices for local economic development through municipal enterprises during these meetings.
The delegation also exchanged information about the Spanish local administration system and the related issues with the Secretary General of the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces of Spain (FEMP) and its team, as well as the Ministry of Regional Policies and Public Service, Directorate of Autonomous Regions and Bilateral Relations. In the last part, a meeting was held with the Director and Deputy Directors of the Office of the Conflicts of Interest, affiliated with the Spanish Ministry of Regional Policies and Public Service and exchanged views on the practices related to the fight against corruption and ethical management of public officials in local authorities.
