2025
Rome - 4+5 November 202520th Meeting of the Expert Group on EPSAS on 4-5 November 2025 in Rome |
Online - 20 October 2025Research Network on Public Authorities and Financial Distress (RPAFD) - Virtual Seminar on “Sustainable Public Finances” |
madrid & Barcelona - 16-19 june 2025Technical Study Visit for UNDP Türkiye to Spain (Madrid & Barcelona) |
London - 19+20 May 2025Against the backdrop of the EU AI Act’s impact on local governments, the 10th CSPF meeting dealt with how AI is being utilized by local government and what horizons are opening up in this area. Topics presented and discussed: |
Barcelona - 06 May 2025Master-Class for the Post-graduate course “Gestión Gerencia Local” by Barcelona School of Management – University Pompeu Fabra (BSM-UPF) |
Barcelona - 22 april 2025Opening-Class for the Executive Master “Gestión Publica Avanzada”, by University of Barcelona (UB) |
Bologna - 10-14 march 2025International Week 2025 of the Executive Master Public Management and Innovation (PMI) by the Bologna Business School (BBS) |
milan - 15 february 2025Key-note on “Shaping the future of Sustainable Cities” in Executive Master of PA by POLIMI Graduate School of Management, Milan |
Barcelona - 20-21 January 2025Digital Metropolis Expert Group Meeting (EGM), Barcelona, UN-Habitat & Metropolitan Authority Barcelona (AMB) |
2024
Bologna - 13 December 2024International Workshop on Driving Sustainable Development in Local Governments, within the Executive Master Public Management and Innovation (PMI), by the Bologna Business School (BBS)-University of Bologna |
Online - 19 November 2024The CSPF was featured and highlighted as a best practice at the Metropolis Diploma Course on Internationalization for Local Authorities, by the World Associations of Metropolis |
Dublin - 11-12 November 2024EC EPSAS Expert Group Meeting in Dublin, by Eurostat |
Brussels - 10 october 2024Building strong local and regional capacity with EU technical support, TSI Sustainability in Local Public Finances project presentation at the European Week for Cities and Regions, Brussels, by the EC and CoR |
Barcelona - 9 July 2024EUROLOC Summer School Local Government & Politics 2024, by the European Urban Research Association (EURA) & University of Barcelona (UB) |
Barcelona - 21 May 2024A Master’s on Local Management - organized by the Association of Catalan Municipalities together with the Barcelona School of Management and the Pompeu Fabra University - included a class on municipal international relations, wherein the CSPF was cited as a best practice. |
Barcelona - 16 April 2024The role of the CSPF was featured in the opening lecture for he Executive Master’s in “Advanced Public Management” at the University of Barcelona, which addressed issues such as quality, innovation and transformation in the public sector, plus city management best practices and relevant networks. |
Brussels - 19-20 March 2024In the context of the City Science Initiative’s ESG/CSRD for Cities event in Brussels, Alexander Heichlinger presented the CSPF’s unique work. |
Bologna - 12-14 March 2024The CSPF was highlighted as a successful case of knowledge sharing at the 2024 International Week of the Executive Master Public Management and Innovation (PMI) by the Bologna Business School (BBS), during the “public service delivery in a local multi-level governance setting: a European perspective” module. |
2023
bologna - 30 november 2023Contribution to the PSAAG 23 Annual Workshop on “From Risk to Deep Uncertainty in Public Administration and Services”, by the University of Bologna |
Amsterdam - 21+22 November 20237th CSPF-Meeting Topics presented and discussed: |
Publication - October 2023Publication of final report CMC 22 on Financing safe, affordable, and sustainable metropolitan transports, by Metropolis Association |
City of hamburg - 26 september 2023CSPF assistance at the seminar and book presentation “Hamburger Steuerungsmodell – Hamburg richtig steuern”, by the City of Hamburg |
Online - 05+07 June 20236th CSPF-Meeting Topics presented and discussed: |
training - 29 Mai 2023The CSPF was featured in a Training Course on Leadership in Public-sector Organizations, by the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) |
Barcelona - 11 April 2023The CSPF was featured at the opening lecture of the University of Barcelona´s Advanced Public Management Master programme |
Barcelona - 7-9 March 2023International Week in Barcelona in the framework of the Executive Master of PMI, by the Bologna Business School for Emilia-Romagna |
Online Meeting - 21 February 2023CSPF members and KDZ team met to discuss future activities. |
Best practice - 18 January 2023The CSPF has been used as best-practice in the study visit btw. Türkiye and the EU in the presentation “Network and community building: Some key success factors and examples” |
2022
Bologna - 16 December 2022"City Debate" within the Executive Master of PMI of the Bologna Business School (BBS) |
BARCELONA - 21/22 NOVEMBER 2022 The CSPF is holding with all its members and the European Commission its 5th meeting in the dynamic City of Barcelona, addressing the thematic challenges of SDG 10 (reducing inequality) and KPIs monitoring tools and performance evaluation. Topics presented and discussed: |
TORONTO - 3/4 OCTOBER 2022 Alexander Heichlinger, CSPF Chair, is invited as a key note speaker to the-this year Urban Economy Forum (#UEF) in celebration of the UN’s World Habitat Day, to be held in Toronto (CA). www.ueforum.org |
Barcelona - 17 July 2022Presentation of "Oportunidades de financiacion para el despliegue de proyectos urbanos," in the 1st Foro de las Agendas Urbanas Locales (Catalonia, Spain) |
BLOGS - July - August 2022A series of short blog articles on the outcome of the 4th CSPF meeting in Vienna
|
Barcelona - 23+26 May 2022Barcelona will host its International Week within the framework of the Bologna Business School’s Executive Master of Public Management and Innovation for representatives from Emilia-Romagna. |
ESPAS Task Force Working Group in Luxembourg - 17/18 May 2022CSPF Co-Chair Domroes Torsten will present developments in the group’s work at the European Commission’s ESPAS Task Force Working Group in Luxembourg. |
ArticLe in ÖGZ (AUT) - 31 March 2022The ÖGZ (Österreichische Gemeindezeitung) published an article on sustainable municipal financing in the CSPF framework co-authored by our own Dalilah Pichler and Alexander Heichlinger. |
City of Nuremberg (GER) - 18 February 2022The CSPF’s working methods and objectives were discussed during a meeting between senior city management from the German City of Nuremberg, PwC representatives and the Chair of the CSPF. |
University of Barcelona 08 February 2022The CSPF was referenced during the opening lecture of the University of Barcelona Advanced Public Management Master programme. |
2021
Bologna Business School (BBS) - 17 December 2021Covid-19 has brought about significant changes in the financial management of local institutions. Financial autonomy has been put to the test and we are increasingly aware of the urgency to improve and stabilize local finances. Current funding schemes of the EU include a significant share of financial flows destinated to infrastructure projects and development of services that see local authorities as protagonists. In this context, local authorities are called to balance financial sustainability with environmental objectives, social well-being and other priorities of sustainable development of the UN 2030 Agenda. It is a great pleasure and with a prominent line-up of high-level speakers from our city members to contribute with the CSPF group to the international Work-shop organized by the Bologna Business School (BBS) – University of Bologna under the coordination of Professor Emanuele Padovani and Alexander Heichlinger. |
CSPF meeting to the ongoing consequences of Covid19 - 09 December 2021On the 2nd and 3rd of this month, the European CSPF was proud to hold its third meeting virtually in Vienna. We are faced with the ongoing consequences of Covid19 quarantines having impacted regional and local governments unevenly, as highlighted by the Committee of Regions' Barometer 2021, which was presented to the group on the morning of the first day, setting us off. The conversation ranged from the decline of local government investment in recent years and how best to secure revenue, drawing on presentations of innovative practices from Barcelona and Bourdeaux, to how best to balance financial needs with their Sustainable Development Goals, in which context we were lucky to count on the input of the city of Mannheim. The overriding importance of innovation was highlighted by the city of Vienna's experience with its own Innovation Lab. Innovation, however, also involves how CFOs work and what tools they have access to, as highlighted by Amsterdam and the City of London. These tools must include effective visualization and communication, highlighting what works, what doesn't, and mobilizing support. Major takeaways included the need to combine local with global understandings, especially as concerns SDGs, such that not all elements of Agenda 2030 can be competently addressed by local governments, who must prioritize appropriately. Efficient financial management must be combined with spending resources where they are likeliest to yield real effects. This might also contribute to producing a European city-adapted version of the UN SDG wheel and providing a strong case to defend city autonomy over local revenue as conducive to delivering clear results. The sincerest thanks to our members who have agreed to a new roadmap presented and discussed for 2022-2023. |
The CSPF is featured in a recent publication on "Local Public Finance" by Springer - 10 September 2021It presents a wide range of authors under the leadership of René Geissler, Gerhard Hammerschmid and Christian Raffer, providing analysis of local fiscal regulation across 21 European countries. The various book chapters provide a broad picture of local public finance regulation in theory and in practice, using different theoretical and national lenses for the analysis and addressed from an international comparative perspective. It is targeted both at practitioners in cities/municipalities as well as scholars. Three members of the CSPF, Alexander Heichlinger, Emanuele Padovani and Julia Bosse, have contributed with a chapter on “Insights from City Financial Realities: Comparing and Learning across the Borders” based on the work carried out within the group. Find the book here. |
Municipal derivatives of the European Green Deal - 13 July 2021Alexander Heichlinger, Co-Founder and Chair of CSPF delivered a talk at the Ernest Lluch Foundation on the 13th of July, sponsored by the Diputacion of Barcelona. He spoke on the place of local government in transitioning towards environmental sustainability, also introducing the work of the CSPF. |
The Cities - Our Future? - 02 June 2021In a recent virtual learning journey of the University of Applied Sciences of the City of Linz (FHH Oberösterreich) within their Master of Public Management programme to Barcelona, Alexander Heichlinger presented in his speech on The Cities - Our Future? the CSPF group as an exemplary model of cities networking and exchanging good practices with the aim to contribute to capacity building in public finances at local level. - The students, young public and private talents from across Austria, had an interesting discussion on how the CSPF addresses initiatives related to economic development and promotion, smart city deployment among others. |
Local Public Finance – An International Comparative Regulatory Perspective now available - 22 May 2021We are proud to announce that the e-book version of Local Public Finance – An International Comparative Regulatory Perspective is finally available, courtesy of Springer Nature Group publishing. With contributions from the CSPF’s own Emanuele Padovani and Alex Heichlinger, alongside many other experts in the field, this volume delves into one of the most challenging areas facing European public administrations today – balancing budgets, delivering on citizen demands, and adapting regulations to present needs, all with a view to crisis prevention and dealing with the constraints on local government. The research project behind this undertaking was initiated by the Hertie School of Governance and the Bertelsmann Foundation, owing itself to the collective efforts of researchers from all over the EU. Available here. |
CSPF Co-Chair Domroes Torsten at the European Commission’s ESPAS Task Force Working Group - 29 April 2021We are proud to inform you that CSPF co-chair Domroes Torsten from Hamburg has been invited to report on the group’s activity before representatives from all EU Member States at the European Commission’s EPSAS Task Force Working Group, which took place on the 28th and 29th of April, hosted by Eurostat and the German government. This event usually also includes stakeholders such as the World Bank, IPSAS Europe Accountancy and/or the OECD. |
The CSPF featured at the opening of the University of Barcelona Advanced Public Management Master programme - 13 April 2021Earlier this month, our very own Alex Heichlinger spoke at the inauguration of the University of Barcelona’s Master programme in Advanced Public Management. This covered a variety of pressing topics, including post-Covid19 recovery, the role of municipalities in managing similar crises in the future, and the need to draw on existing best practice cases. In this context, Alex introduced the CSPF. |
2020
Online - 10/11 December 2020
The 1st CSPF-Meeting was held. Topics presented and discussed:
|
Presentation of the European CSPF Group to KDZ’s Scientific Advisory Group - 23 November 2020Robert Blöschl, Local Financial Management Expert at KDZ, presented the mission, objectives and approach of CSPF and its Financial Health Template with its 10 KPIs to KDZ’s Advisory Group. |
CSPF’s financial health teamplate and KPIs presented at the smart, interactive talk of the PULSAR programme - 11 November 2020Alexander Heichlinger, Co-founder and Chair of CSPF, and Emanuele Padovani, External Key Expert and Associate Professor of Public Management and Accounting at the University of Bologna, presented the European CSPF Group at a webinar on “Interpretation of financial information and the use of performance indicators in the public sector” given by the Public Sector Accounting and Reporting (PULSAR) program organised by Worldbank. (For more information, please see the announcement of the event.) |
Closing address/lecture in the Master of Public Management and Innovation (PMI) of the Bologna Business School - 18 July 2020Alexander Heichlinger, Co-founder and Chair of CSPF, presented the CSPF network during a lecture of the Master of Public Management and Innovation (PMI), which targets leaders of the regional and local administrations of the Italian Region Emilia Romagna. |
