Following the first two Italian dates of the European project MOVES - Mountain Voices for Engaged and Sustainable Democracy, held in Campoli Appennino and Rocca Priora, the international path continued on 5 and 6 May in Tirana, in Albania, with the Transnational Exchange Conference dedicated to the exchange of experiences and good practices among the project partner countries.
A delegation from the conference took part ANCI Lazio composed of Francesca Calamari, Angelo Mattoccia, Giuseppe Musto, Franco Spoto, Gianluca Quadrini and Massimo Fiori, involved in the work alongside institutional representatives and partners from Albania, Portugal, and Italy.
The day of May 6, hosted at the’University of Tirana, was opened with a session dedicated to local governance practices and community engagement.
For Italy, the following intervened:
- Angelo Mattoccia, Mayor of Pofi and President of the ANCI Young Lazio Council
- Francesca Calamari, Assessor of the Municipality of Paliano and member of the ANCI Lazio Women's Council
During the panel dedicated to territorial experiences, Angelo Mattoccia presented the case of the Municipality of Pofi as an example of civic participation and the involvement of younger generations through environmental initiatives shared with the Plastic Free association. The presentation highlighted how, in small municipalities in inland areas, concrete and inclusive actions can become effective tools for strengthening the relationship between citizens and institutions and counteracting democratic disengagement.
Francesca Calamari, on the other hand, illustrated the theme of “Participatory Cities”, focusing on youth policies and participatory governance processes capable of enhancing the common good and strengthening the protagonism of local communities.
During the conference, topics related to the participation of mountain communities, local governance, energy communities, and innovative civic inclusion practices were discussed, with the aim of identifying replicable models in the various territories involved in the project.
Work continued in the afternoon with co-creation activities and discussions among international partners aimed at defining shared practices and operational recommendations for strengthening democratic participation in Europe's rural areas.