EPP-CoR member Borboly Csaba (RO/EPP) has called for the creation of an annual CORLEAP scorecard on local and regional governance to better assess how reforms linked to enlargement and the Eastern Partnership are delivering results on the ground.
Speaking at the 15th Annual Meeting of CORLEAP in Chișinău, Borboly proposed that the scorecard track common indicators such as fiscal decentralisation, local authorities’ access to decision-making, administrative capacity and the quality of public services.
“We have many good practices, but we still lack a comparable overview of the results achieved at local and regional level. Local experience should not remain confined to our discussions – it should feed into the Committee of the Regions’ official recommendations to the European institutions,” Borboly said.
He suggested that the information could be provided by national associations, working groups and joint consultative committees, and used by the CIVEX Commission and CoR rapporteurs in their work on enlargement and the Eastern Partnership.
Representing the EPP in all three policy discussions, Borboly also highlighted three key priorities: "stronger local resilience against disinformation, evidence-based policymaking without unnecessary bureaucracy, and practical support for local administrations through the new Eastern Partnership Academy for Public Administration (EPAPA)."
He stressed that the academy should remain accessible to smaller, rural and border municipalities and focus on practical skills, mentoring and peer exchange.
“European ambition has to become local delivery. Citizens experience Europe through the quality of public services, the transparency of institutions and the ability of local administrations to solve everyday problems,” Borboly said.
For Moldova, Ukraine and the wider Eastern Partnership, Borboly underlined that successful reforms require not only legislative alignment, but also capable municipalities, resilient communities and trusted information.
“European credibility ultimately depends on whether citizens can see and feel the results of reforms locally,” he concluded.