Set up on the 24th of July, 1982, Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP) is the unique association that represents the local interests and authorities from Valencia Region. Their main goals are the following:
• Boost and defend the autonomy of local entities, as well as represent their interests.
• Develop and consolidate the European and democratic spirit at local level.
• Promote and carry out studies to know better the problems and circumstances of local life.
• Cooperate and provide technical support for the development of local interests.
• Enhance and carry out training programmes and activities aimed to local decision makers and civil servants.
• Expand initiatives to contribute to local economic development, job creation and environment protection, and in this way to improve the life quality of citizens.
• Encourage the citizen participation in the local entities.
FVMP has 581 local entities as members.
FVMP works daily with the municipalities knowing closely the problems and circumstances of local entities. In this sense, FVMP has great experience providing local entities a technical support service on local matters:
• Legal and economic issues
• Employment promotion
• Commerce
• Education and training
• Tourism and culture
• Health and consumption
• Social issues
FVMP has been working for a long time to get closer European Union to local entities through their European Projects Department, with the following lines of action:
• Information and advice about European Union aids and grants in different topics: regional development, interregional cooperation, climate change, training and employment, and other topics of local interest.
• Training about European programmes. FVMP organizes seminars and training sessions about European programmes involving local entities, to know their priorities, lines of action, calls for proposals, application requirements and deadlines.
• Networking with European Projects experts. FVMP organizes meetings and workshops with representatives of European Projects and municipalities, with the objective to create an exchanging experiences forum.
• Lobbying for municipalities of Comunitat Valenciana. FVMP is member of Foundation Comunitat Valenciana European Region, counting with a delegation in Brussels to know first-hand what is happening in the European institutions.
• Participation in European Projects. FVMP has participated and participates actively in different European Projects related to topics of interest: renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, rural and urban development. FVMP has taken part in the European partnerships like project coordinator and project partner, always trying to reach the engagement of local authorities in the main activities of the projects.
FVMP holds a great profile to participate in European projects as it is composed by a wide variety of Local Entities of Comunitat Valenciana. In this sense, FVMP can support small villages and rural areas to access to the Calls and develop the tasks, plus disseminating the results achieved among its extensive netwrok, reaching the transferring and capitalization objectives contemplated in many European programmes.