ASAEL, the Aragonese Association of Local Authorities is a non-profit organisation devoted to defend and represent the interests of local authorities in Aragon (municipalities, districts and provincial governments). Currently, ASAEL represents 350 Local Authorities and 32 counties scattered throughout the region of Aragon (Spain) looking for economic and social development.

Moreover ASAEL has a standing office in Brussels to make sure that the interests of the Local Authorities in Aragon are taken into account at a European level. The growing numbers of European projects that our organisation currently manages are another way to promoting and carrying out studies for the best knowledge and dissemination of the problems and circumstances, in which local life develops.

ASAEL participates actively with the EU Parliament, the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions of the European Union. A clear example of this is the participation of ASAEL as speaker in the several D Plan sessions, in debates about Equal Opportunities, examples of Active European Citizenship Good Practices, Town-Twinnings and Local Policies in the environmental field.

ASAEL takes part in information and co-operation networks in Europe. The networks in which ASAEL participates are the following: Aragonese Fund for Development Co-operation, Aragonese Network of European Information and HABITATE network (Federation of Authorities for the settlement of population). Additionally, ASAEL is an active member in other International Networks such as: IULA (International Association of Local Authorities), ACCI (Association of Cities for International Co-operation), ALDA (Association of Local Democracy Agencies), where our President is member of the governing board and LIEDRA (a European Association of Local Authorities for Equal Opportunities and against Gender Violence).

Foundation

Founded in 1988, ASAEL started its course with the objective of contributing to territorial development through local co-operation   and giving specific answers to the needs expressed by its associates and the cooperation at local level. Most of the municipalities of our Region are medium-small sized and characterized by a low population density: for this reason we have to provide them a better service that it will be not possible without our support. For this reason ASAEL has create a European  programmes and projects department in 2005 in order to promote the exchange of information and better services to approach European Union to the local authorities.

Actually ASAEL is a strong economic and political actor in Aragon that contribute to the economic- development of Aragon’s territory through the EU projects, bringing new” know how” to the region and as political actor, giving a strong positioning through Aragon’s regional government, good positioning at national political scene, important position at EU level with stand alone office in Brussels.

Vision/Mission- Objectives

Our Missions are:

• - To defend and to promote the municipalities’ general interests
• - To foster and to strengthen the municipal and regional autonomy.
• - To defend the municipalities interest under any organism.
• - To advise the municipalities on juridical, economic and the local development issues.
• -To carry out the permanent training of the city majors, town councilors and regional and municipal technicians.
• - To develop actions to provide a better service to the citizen and as a result, to enhance the citizen’s quality of life.
• - To foster and promote the cultural and social development.
• - Promotion and the implementation of new technologies.
• - To promote the environmental issues.
• - To promote gender equality and to fight against gender violence.
• - To act in support of these small and medium municipalities.
• - To promote the information and participation in Europe.

Main Activities

Some services provides by ASAEL are the following ones:

• - Information and Dissemination Service: Web page with a daily average number of 3,580 visits; Alert System by e-mail to an average of 2,500 contact addresses; bimonthly magazine, Sessions, Seminars, Exhibitions.

• - EU programmes service that counts upon the best material and human means managing a total of 23 projects (Leonardo da Vinci, INTERREG IV C, INTERREG MED, Active European Citizenship, Town-Twinning, eparticipation, Youth and Culture) and two Development Co-operation projects. Participation in information and co-operation networks in Europe.

• - Representation Service: ASAEL is achieving its objective of becoming a reference regarding EU issues.

• - Training Service that is in charge, on the one hand, of the co-ordination, supervision, fostering and execution of the different training plans. On the other hand, it carries out information campaigns, promotion and dissemination tasks through the development of sessions and seminars where experiences, demonstrations and applicability studies of NTCI, implementation of Quality Management Systems, Environmental Management Systems and languages are put in common.

Legal Service: ASAEL offers all its associates the possibility of an adequate legal support irrespective of their size or economic means to promote local development for a better quality in the citizens’ services.

Projects Materialized

Contact Information

Address: Pza. del Pilar, 16, Pral. dcha.

50003 ZARAGOZA

Responsible: Yolanda Matas

- Telephone/Fax No.+34 976 207 527/Fax +34 976 207 527

- E-mail :directorproyectos@asael.es

- Website: www.asael.es