ECR Group Members Cllr Gordon Keymer CBE FCA (Leader of Tandridge Council/United Kingdom) and Ilpo Haalisto (Local Councillor of Nousiainen/Finland) travelled to the capital of Cyprus to share their experiences on local government with political leaders from the Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries. Cllr Keymer and Mr Haalisto contributed to debates on migration, the European Neighbourhood Policy and local reforms in Libya, which took place as part of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) meeting of 18-19 January 2016.

ECR Group President Cllr Gordon Keymer spoke on the part that local government can play in increasing local integration and combatting radicalisation. "Local and regional authorities are in the frontline when it comes to managing migration. This issue will be with us for the years to come and that is why we need to focus on sharing best practices in the field of integration of refugees and prevention of radicalisation. Ensuring funding for local and regional authorities is essential in this regard and we need to be clear about that with the national governments. As to ARLEM, the local government family should work together in the countries from where the refugees and migrants come to increase stability, investment and jobs", said Cllr Keymer.

ARLEM was set up on 21 January 2010 in Barcelona with the aim of strengthening the role of local authorities in Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and giving a territorial dimension to the Union for the Mediterranean. It was also set up to enhance cooperation between the three shores of the Mediterranean (south, east and north) and to demonstrate that, despite political and institutional difficulties, local authorities are able to promote the launching and development of new cooperation projects in line with the priorities adopted at the 2008 Paris Summit.