Congress: 7 local authorities of Friuli Venezia Giulia join network of governance excellence

The seven local authorities of Pagnacco, Premariacco, Reana del Rojale, Ruda, Sagrado, San Lorenzo Isontino and Tavagnacco from the Friuli Venezia Giulia region join over 50 peer municipalities in Italy and nearly 300 across more than 20 member states awarded the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE).

"ELoGE serves as an encouragement for us to improve our way of management and our interaction with citizens. Pursuing this award means renewing our commitment and striving to meet the challenges we face, focusing on self-improvement rather than competition", said Franco Lenarduzzi, Mayor of Ruda.

In accepting the crystal with the engraved 12 principles of good democratic governance, Ezio Clocchiatti, Mayor of San Lorenzo Isontino, recognised its symbolic value. "We need to preserve its transparency through effective evaluation processes and pass it on to the next administrators and future generations", he emphasised.

In Italy, ELoGE has been promoted by the Italian Association of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE) since 2021, with the Friuli Venezia Giulia region leading the initiative. As noted by AICCRE FVG President Franco Brussa and Secretary General Silvia Caruso, ELoGE has triumphed, overcoming scepticism from local officials and staff regarding self-evaluation and public scrutiny. It has also addressed public disaffection with institutions, fostering trust and mutual engagement between local administrations and their communities.

Conferred by the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, ELoGE is an initiative that promotes good democratic governance, paving the way for enhanced municipal work and building a foundation of dialogue and trust between local public authorities and citizens.