Author(s)

I. Aguado, J. M. Barrutia & C. Echebarria

Abstract

A consensus exists regarding the idea that Local Agenda 21 (LA21) is a key tool for implementing a set of sustainability policies at a local level. Consequently, in the search of local sustainable development, networking and collaborative approaches to Local Agenda 21 can help local authorities not only to save resources but also to share knowledge and best practices. This is our principal hypothesis and we want to verify it in a real case study: the Basque Country experience. In this sense, the Basque Government has recently launched two innovative projects: Udaltalde (Groups of Municipalities) and Udalsarea (Network of Municipalities). Thanks to them, numerous municipalities have initiated their Local Agenda 21 and are developing, and even introducing their Local Agenda Action Plan. Additionally, we want to test if these two institutional instruments can serve for assessing the progress on Local Agenda 21 in the Basque Autonomous Region. Keywords: local sustainable development, Local Agenda 21, environmental policy, local government, partnerships, Basque Country, Spain, international agreements, network of municipalities. 1 Introduction Increasing environmental awareness coupled with the growing ecological consciousness of many politicians has led in the last decade to the emergence of

Keywords

local sustainable development, Local Agenda 21, environmental policy, local government, partnerships, Basque Country, Spain, international agreements, network of municipalities.