Helpdesk

If you have questions or need informational support, choose your country from the drop-down list and write your query or request in the respective field.

Before that, please check the FAQ section below – your question might already be answered!

  • Are the commitments spelled out in the Membership Form legally binding for the Mayor (Head of Municipality), who have signed it?
    Participation in the M4EG Initiative is voluntary, and the commitments undertaken by the M4EG members are not legally binding. However, delivering on these obligations is necessary to remain the member. With the Local Economic Plan not submitted on time (for Junior Members), or reporting on the Plan implementation long overdue (for Acting Members), the membership in the Initiative will be automatically suspended.
  • What if some objective external reasons (circumstances) prevent us from submitting the Local Economic Development Plan within the established deadlines?
    The Mayors for Economic Growth Secretariat will be working in close contact with the signatories and monitor their progress. The Secretariat has the discretion to make decisions and exceptions about individual cases based on the assessment of the commitment and effort made by the signatory in question, as well as seriousness of the external circumstances preventing success.
  • Can the M4EG Initiative cover the costs for hiring a qualified expert, who will be responsible for drafting the Local Economic Development Plan for our municipality?
    No. It is the principal key point that the Plan has to be developed and owned by the city/municipality itself. External expert support by the M4EG Initiative is possible only for specific topics/issues, which are deemed to of key importance for the territory in question, on which the signatory lacks internal expertise or knowledge.
  • Does the Economic Development Officer (EDO) have to be a staff member of the local administration, appointed full-time for this Initiative? Can they time-share with other projects/activities?
    The M4EG Secretariat has no formal requirements as to the EDO status and the arrangements between EDO and the city/municipality administration. A lot of flexibility is allowed in this respect to reflect the differences in the size and institutional arrangement of signatory administrations.
    However, it is required that the EDO is a) mandated and empowered by the Mayor to conduct his/her work within the project; b) ready and able to take part in the Project capacity building events, as well as ready to transfer the received knowledge to the other local stakeholders; c) accessible and responsive to the M4EG Secretariat team communications and requests.
  • Our municipality has officially joined the Mayors for Economic Growth Initiative. But currently it is undergoing the process of amalgamation (or might face such a prospect in the near future). How will this affect our membership in the M4EG Initiative?
    The Secretariat’s assumption and expectation is that the M4EG membership status, as well as respective benefits and commitments are automatically taken over by the larger territorial unit and respective administration. In case the new administration does not support staying an M4EG Member, it can withdraw by submitting a written request to the corresponding M4EG Country Coordinator.
  • How long will it take for the M4EG Secretariat and the World Bank to provide feedback on our Local Economic Development Plan?
    The tentatively foreseen timeline for reviewing the Plan and providing feedback is around 2 months. Once the Plan is submitted for review by the Signatory, the corresponding acknowledgement will be officially issued by the Secretariat to mark the start of the review phase.
  • We don’t see how preparing a Local Economic Development Plan can help without the adequate financial resources for its implementation, which is always a challenge.
    The Secretariat recognizes the importance of ensuring financial resources to support the Local Economic Development Plan implementation. Therefore, a comprehensive study on existing financing tools and opportunities open to the local administrations in each of the participating countries has been commissioned. The results will be publicly available at the end of 2017.