MODERATOR - Udo SEIWERT-FAUTI 

Mr. Seiwert-Fauti is a senior reporter and correspondent for BBC Scotland and other Scottish media, as well as a reporter at the European radio. He is accredited to the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the Scottish Parliament.

He is a founding member and member of the Board of Directors of Strasbourg-based European Journalists Association AvenuEuropA and Initiator of the “Fair Radio Initiative” in Germany, helping to create a more open, unbiased, transparent and more ethical radio broadcasting 

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Democratic trust begins at the local level – this is a firm belief of the Congress^[1]. This trust is encapsulated in the relationship between politicians and the electorate, and is nurtured by the proper implementation of the principle of subsidiarity. Decentralisation of competences to the local level entails transfer of powers and responsibilities to local and regional authorities enabling them to respond to the needs of their citizens and deliver good quality services. Decentralisation should enable local and regional elected representatives to implement efficient, transparent and accountable local governance. At the same time decentralisation should be accompanied by capacity building of local authorities empowering and enabling the latter with skills and knowlege to exercise the decentralised competences. The plans for the decentralisation of powers in the light of territorial adminitrative reforms in Armenia, the opportunities and challenges, will be discussed  during Session I. Panel speakers will address questions such as:

• How to ensure the dialogue between national and local authorities in developing and implementing an action plan for decentralisation?
• What are the mechanisms and appropriate timetable for the transfer of competences to the local level?
• What are the challenges remaining on the path to decentralisation?
• Which measures could be taken at national, regional and local level to strengthen the local responsibility for the transferred competences?

Moderator - Armenak DARBINYAN

Armenak Darbinyan  is a member of the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia since 2010. From 2007 to 2010 he was the Director of the Institute of Economics and Management.

Mr. Darbinyan worked as a consultant on public administration issues for UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and as a Programme Coordinator at UNDP. From 2000 to 2007 Mr. Darbinyan was the Director of Institute for Economic Research. 

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The transfer of powers must be accompanied by the transfer of corresponding financial resources to allow local authorities to fulfil their responsibilities, financial autonomy being one of the basic principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Plans for fiscal decentralisation, the opportunities and challenges, will be discussed during Session II. Panel speakers will address questions such as:

• How to ensure the dialogue between national and local authorities on issues of the transfer of financial resources?
• What are the mechanisms for ensuring financial autonomy at local level?
• What are the challenges of financial decentralisation?
• Which measures could be taken at national, regional and local level to strengthen the local capacity for financial autonomy?