Documentos CIDOB Europa; 5

Reflection on the external action of local and regional governments is a relatively undeveloped area in our country, especially with respect to the growing weight that they have been gaining in this field of political intervention, with the spread of globalisation. The aim of this document is to contribute to a broader discussion, including a brief analysis of its historical evolution, framing the political background of the works carried out during the seminar “Local governments in Catalonia's external action” which was organised by the CIDOB Foundation in conjunction with the Generalitat of Catalonia, Barcelona Provincial Council and Granollers City Council, and held in May 2008. Developing technical capabilities, theoretical rigor and coordinating the different new actors in external action and decentralised cooperation all correspond to, and are coherent with the desire (one that is shared by Catalan administrations and civil society) to continue to exercise leadership in the international sphere. It is a question of doing so responsibly and with greater knowledge of the complex network of actors that shape international relations today. This is a sphere that is projecting Catalonia toward the future as a society in transformation, one that is cosmopolitan and open to the great challenges of a globalisation that are emerging both in the regions and great metropolitan capitals and in the more immediate setting of our local neighbourhoods.

Key words: International policy, new actors, local and regional governments, globalisation, external action, international relations, decentralised cooperation, Catalonia, Barcelona.

ISSN: 1886-2829 (print edition)
ISSN: 1886-2837 (online edition)

57 pp.

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