The (Standing Committee) Euro Mediterranean Partnership of Local and Regional Authorities (COPPEM), was created in 2000 to promote dialogue and development between local and regional authorities in the Euro-Mediterranean area.
It was set up on the initiative of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the Arab Towns Organization (ATO). Its members represent local authorities, provinces and regions in 35 states of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Membership is not restricted to the Mediterranean Basin and currently includes Danish and Austrian bodies.
The administrative structure consists of a Bureau, also known as the Presidency Council, and four commissions:
I. – Political and institutional (chair = Ian Micallef)
II. – Cooperation between cities and regions (chair = Jan Mans)
III. – Economic and financial cooperation (chair = Abdelkarim Mosbah)
IV. – Culture, technology, tourism and environment (chair = Falah Al Omoush and manager Natale Giordano)
The organisation’s headquarters, with a small secretariat, are in Palermo, Italy. The current president, since April 2008, is Raffaele Lombardo, President of the Sicilian Region. He took over from the former President of the Sicilian Region Salvatore Cuffaro. The founding President was Fabio Pellegrini.
The acronym derives from its Italian title, the Comitato Permanente per il Partenariato Euromediterraneo dei Poteri Locali e Regionali.
COPPEM held its 13th General Assembly in Palermo from 20 to 21 December 2008. It issues a regular newsletter, available as a PDF download from its website, edited by Fabio Pellegrini.