NEW: Municipalities and EU Funding : In this video, Funding Master explains how a municipality can use EU funding as a strategic lever to co-fund innovation projects. This can work across the entire range of municipal departments. Not only does EU funding bring co-funding to projects but the requirement to collaborate with other municipalities, third-level institutions, community and voluntary organisations, business and other experts. This can result in the innovative local project being far more impactful rather than going it alone. If a municipality does not have a designated EU-funding unit then working with Funding Master could provide an effective, cost efficient way to strategically use EU funding applications to support your municipality’s work.
Municipalities, also known as local authorities or local councils, exist in every EU country. The exact roles and powers of municipalities vary from country to country, but the key functions and structures are universal. Every municipality is run by, or accountable to, a council made up of elected local councilors. The chair of the council is normally the Mayor. Some mayors are directly elected and some are elected by the Council members. Mayors have different levels of power and authority in different countries, but, in continental European countries Mayors have significant powers and effectively lead the council during their term of office.
Municipalities are the most basic level of democratic representation. They deliver key services including planning and development of their city, area or region. They also deliver utilities and oversee a large range of services, including education and health provision in many countries. They also have a key role in the economic development of their area, culture, libraries, environment, social services, provision of drinking water and waste services. The list goes on.
The EU places great emphasis on regional policy and development, and recognizes the key role of municipalities in that policy. So, municipalities are important governmental structures, under locally controlled councilors, that provide a large range of services to the local citizenry.
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