Which countries are involved?
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.
What's the aim of CORLEAP?
CORLEAP aims to:
- coordinate the representation of the local and regional authorities within the Eastern Partnership
- complement and support the effort by the EU institutions and other participating stakeholders in delivering the European Neighbourhood Policy
- spread the concepts that will bring partner countries closer to the EU and foster the internal reform and capacity building at the local and regional level
How does it operate?
CORLEAP functions as a “territorial cooperation platform". Local and regional associations from the partner states are contact points for CORLEAP in their countries, while CoR is the natural contact point for the EU institutions. This enables CORLEAP to collect and share information relevant to the local and regional dimension of the Eastern Partnership.
How is it composed?
CORLEAP consists of 33 regional and local politicians: 18 members of the CoR and 15 representatives from the five Eastern partner countries.
Each Eastern partner country has three seats. The EU seats are distributed according to the CoR's political composition, divided between its six political groups: European People's Party (EPP), Party of European Socialists (PES), Renew Europe (RE), the European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), European Alliance (EA), and the Greens.
Between the annual CORLEAP meetings a Bureau acts as a steering body. The Bureau is responsible for coordinating the work of CORLEAP, monitoring its activities, reports and resolutions. It is composed of five members from the partner countries and six members from the CoR representing the European Union.
The body is co-chaired by the CoR President and a representative from the partner countries who is elected by CORLEAP members each year. The EU is currently represented by Vasco Alves Cordeiro, the partner countries are represented by Constantin Cojocaru, Mayor of Edinet (Republic of Moldova).