About
At the request of Libyan municipalities, the European Committee of the Regions has been mobilising partnerships for Libya’s local administrations since January 2016. The CoR is matching the requests of Libyan cities with offers of expertise from EU cities and regions. The purpose is to improve the lives of ordinary Libyans, by helping municipalities provide better services in areas ranging from local economic development to environmental safety. The initiative is also a bottom-up contribution – through city diplomacy – to the stabilisation of Libya.
In 2021, the Nicosia Initiative entered a new phase, with new actions to build capacities for local politicians and civil servants, and foster local social economic and institutional development. With funding from the European Commission, the projects Towards a new Multilevel Shared Approach for Libya Local governance [TAMSALL – which finished early 2024] and Research and Education Building Urban Institutions for Local Development [REBUILD – which ended in May 2025], enabled continued cooperation among EU and Libyan partners and made efforts to help support further improvement in the living conditions of local populations. As a continuation of REBUILD, another project was launched in September 2025 focusing on improving water management systems in 12 Libyan municipalities in partnership with the Province of Trento, the University of Trento and the Centre for International Cooperation of Trento: MUWALI – Municipal Upgrading of Water Systems for Local Impact. These projects have marked a shift from incremental to more structural support for the Nicosia Initiative.
The Nicosia Initiative is now fully recognised as an international best practice of decentralised cooperation in fragile settings, as documented in a March 2026 study on the topic from the CoR, which will in turn feed into the CoR opinion on The Importance of Decentralised Cooperation and City Diplomacy in the EU Approach to Fragile settings (rapporteur Magali Altounian – FR/Renew).
The Nicosia Initiative is a bottom-up process that responds to the needs of one of the EU’s closest and most fragile neighbours. The CoR’s involvement reflects the belief that city diplomacy and peer-to-peer diplomacy can make a key contribution to addressing long-term international challenges in a sustainable way. It is also in line with the EU’s global strategy and the conviction that the EU should think globally and act locally.
With whom is the CoR working?
Libyan cities participating in the projects inscribed in the framework of the Nicosia Initiative include:
- Tripoli Centre
- Tajoura
- Benghazi
- Ghariyan
- Tobruk
- Tokra
- Sabha
- Sirte
- Zintan
- Zliten
- Al Marj
- Ajdabiya
- Al Kufra
- Al Beyda
- Azzawiya
- Batan Al Jabal
- Ghat
- Derna
- Jadu
- Nalout
- Wadi Etba
- Bint Beya
The selection of municipalities was based on criteria such as the mayors’ availability to overcome existing differences and work together, inclusion of all regions of the country, the potential of municipalities to reach out to a wider number of neighbouring territories, and their capacity and availability to establish cooperation partnerships with international partners.
The Mayor of Tripoli, Ibrahim Eshible, and the Mayor of Zliten, Muftah Ahmadi, represented Libyan mayors until 2025 as observers in the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM). Most European members of ARLEM, which brings together politicians and political representatives from the EU and the Mediterranean region, are members of the CoR. After the last local elections held in Libya and with new administrations in place, we are currently waiting for the nomination of the two new observers.
The CoR serves as the secretariat of the Nicosia initiative.
How is the CoR supporting Libyan cities?
As a political assembly, the CoR aims to help Libyan cities join the international community and benefit from mutually beneficial partnerships with EU cities and regions that contribute to fostering sustainable territorial development.
Since 2011, Libya has suffered at the national level from political turmoil. Although some progress has been made over the years, including the installation of a national unity government, the political situation remains very fragile. The crisis has affected the health, schooling, livelihoods and prospects of Libyans across the country. In this challenging situation, many local administrations have managed to sustain basic services, enjoy an electoral mandate and robust popular legitimacy. Throughout the crisis, they have succeeded in providing a certain level of stability for their communities.
The CoR therefore concluded that support for Libya’s cities was one promising way in which the EU could help Libya. The EU’s cities and regions had already shown that they have the political experience, institutional capacity and technical skills to support counterparts around the world. Through the Nicosia initiative, the CoR seeks to catalyse support for Libya in areas identified as critical by Libya’s local administrations.
What kind of support do Libyan cities need?
EU regions and cities have provided or pledged support in the following areas:
- Water management and wastewater management: Murcia (ES)
- Waste management: Antwerp (BE)
- Primary health care: Vila Real (PT)
- Public administration: Nicosia (CY)
- English-language training: Maltese local authorities (MT)
- Financial administration and transparency: Flanders (BE)
- Positive peace training for young Libyans: Málaga (ES), Sligo (IE), Northern Ireland Local Government Association (UK)
- Fisheries, in particular achieving the Euro code for export of fish from Libya into EU markets: the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia (IT)
- Fisheries, fish processing and aquaculture: Galicia (ES)
- Continuous learning for local administrations and water quality management systems: the autonomous Province of Trento (IT)
During study visits to the EU, Libyan experts have made on-site visits to operational facilities, participated in workshops, debates and training activities, and initiated longer-term cooperation actions with EU regions and cities.
The CoR is currently working on encouraging the development of additional full-scale projects involving Libyan and EU LRAs.