READINGS Local Democracy Will Save Democracy

30 Years of Local Democracy by Antonella Valmorbida

In an era where democratic discourse often feels trapped in high-level geopolitical debates and distant bureaucratic institutions, Antonella Valmorbida’s latest book, 30 Years of Local Democracy, offers a refreshing, ground-level antidote. As the Secretary General of the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), Valmorbida delivers a compelling chronicle of how a more peaceful, democratic Europe was built not just in legislative chambers, but as a local project.

At the heart of this book lies a bold, defiant thesis: local democracy will save democracy. It is a timely narrative detailing the journey of ordinary people whose collective vision, passion, and sheer dedication laid the groundwork for transnational solidarity.

Valmorbida takes readers back to the volatile landscape of the 1990s, a time when blurred television broadcasts of the streets of the former Yugoslavia signaled a continent in crisis. Living in Vicenza in Northern Italy—just a few kilometers from Trieste—the author watched the war unfold on her literal doorstep. Weekends were spent delivering crucial aid to refugee camps near Croatia and the Adriatic coast, with dangerous journeys extending all the way to Mount Igman to reach a blockaded Sarajevo.

Interestingly, Valmorbida notes that many who stepped up to help the victims were deeply nostalgic for a Yugoslavia and a "socialism with a human face". It was a gritty, high-stakes environment where weapons were everywhere, forcing volunteers to creatively invent car nameplates and logos just to safely cross hostile borders.

Electoral and humanitarian operations acted where there was zero European institutional presence.  Transactions and funding were paid out entirely through a virtual currency called the ECU—a predecessor to the Euro.

Before ALDA evolved into the large, structurally sound organization it is today—complete with thousands of partners and hundreds of members—it existed as a daring pilot program. Established in 1993 by the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the program was initially dubbed the Embassies of Local Democracy (LDEs), heavily inspired by the Swiss association Cause Communes Suisse.

The primary mission of these embassies was to provide material and moral support to refugees and conflict-weary citizens, effectively paving a localized path toward post-war reconciliation. Valmorbida details the fascinating, often precarious rollout of these early outposts:

• Subotica (Serbia): Established in 1993 within a country where outside entry was nearly impossible, the first LDE had to operate covertly under the protective umbrella of the Open University of Subotica.
• Osijek (Croatia): Opened under incredibly tense conditions with UN peacekeeping troops still actively on the ground.
• Ohrid (North Macedonia): Launched via an innovative partnership involving Greek entities.

Then there’s Sisak, Croatia, where Valmorbida herself became involved while working for the National Association of Local Authorities (ANCI). Supported by the towns of Mogliano Veneto, Arese, and Lainate, she describes grueling five-to-six-hour meetings where the cigarette smoke was so thick participants could barely see one another across the room. Their mission in the Banovina area meant navigating landmines, destroyed bridges, and complex interethnic dialogues right on the frontier of what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Two things make 30 Years of Local Democracy worth your time. First is its patience, step-by-step description of how to build a network of local government partnerships that affect deep change in communities. The second is its profound philosophical grounding. Valmorbida reminds us that the municipal level is a space where there is very little opportunity to hide from civic responsibilities. It is where governance gets real: sorting out refugee accommodations, dealing directly with homelessness, and discovering community development ideas for isolated rural areas.

"Even during the disastrous wars,” she writes, “there have been exemplary mayors, local councilors, and civil society activists... who put their civic commitment before everything (including themselves and their families)."

The book highlights how these early local experiments eventually achieved major institutional recognition. The "local authorities working with civil society" blueprint championed by ALDA was eventually recognized as a feature of European integration, enshrined directly into Article 17 of the Lisbon Treaty. Over three decades, this micro-targeted approach has directly benefited nearly 25 million people.

Valmorbida goes to great lengths to ensure that the human architects of this movement are not forgotten by history. She highlights visionaries like Gianfranco Martini, the former mayor of Landinara, Italy, and the future president of ALDA, who dedicated his entire life to municipal twinning as a structural tool for creating deep-seated European friendships and reconciliation. Key institutional figures such as Rinaldo Locatelli, Ulrich Bohner, Sylvie Affholder, Michael Fluckiger, and Claude Haeghi are similarly celebrated for their vital structural contributions to the network's evolution.

The book does not shy away from contemporary heartbreaks. Valmorbida balances historical triumphs against modern challenges, chief among them the outbreak of the war in Ukraine—a country where ALDA has actively maintained members and localized projects since 2012.

Ultimately, 30 Years of Local Democracy is both a detailed guide to building local networks, and profoundly moving, in all sense of that work. It demonstrates that empowering ordinary citizens, fostering understanding across borders, and securing local community commitment rooted in basic human rights remains our most powerful tool for planetary success..

For anyone searching for a realistic, battle-tested framework of hope for the future of democratic societies, Valmorbida’s chronicle is essential reading.