Programme

Summary

There are a number of mechanisms for international and cross-border intermunicipal cooperation, and intermunicipal diplomacy and public diplomacy of local communities are one of them. Currently, according to Rossotrudnichestvo, 334 municipalities of Russia are partnering / twinned with 1679 foreign cities.
These ties do not replace traditional diplomacy, but help creating a fertile ground for implementing official measures in the field of interregional and intermunicipal cross-border policy cooperation.
Municipal international relations may cover economic, cultural, educational, academic spheres as well as humanitarian cooperation.
Thus, the role of international and cross-border intermunicipal ties and ties of local communities in implementing the foreign policy priorities of the Russian Federation is currently growing. In addition, international cooperation of municipalities is an important part of their organizational independence. Municipalities not only have the freedom to determine their internal organization, but also have the right to cooperate with other municipalities, including foreign states.
The right to carry out international relations of local authorities in the Russian Federation is fixed both at the international and national levels. So, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Article 10 of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, local governments can cooperate with local governments of other states on the conditions established by law.
However, in contrast to the special legislative consolidation of this issue in relation to the subjects of the Russian Federation, there is a significant gap in the federal legislation in relation to municipalities. In fact, none of the federal laws fully regulates the procedure and conditions for the implementation of international relations by local governments.
At the same time, an important step in regulating the cross-border cooperation of municipalities was the adoption of the Federal Law of July 26, 2017 No. 179-FZ “On the Basics of Cross-Border Cooperation”. Along with the Russian Federation and its regions, the law distinguishes municipalities of the border subjects of the Russian Federation as subjects of cross-border cooperation, but at the same time they insufficiently regulate the procedure for their participation in the regulated sphere of legal relations.
Thus, despite the lack of a sufficient legislative framework, local authorities of municipalities of the Russian Federation are actively involved in building international and cross-border ties, including in the process of strengthening the position of the Russian Federation on the geopolitical map of the world, which requires further development and, as it seems, a more systematic and detailed legislative regulation.

Organizers: State Duma Committee on Federal System and Issues of Local Self-Government, State Duma Committee on Regional Policy and Problems of North and Far East, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Rossotrudnichestvo, Union of Russian Cities, All-Russian Congress of Municipalities

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