The General Assembly of NALAS in Belgrade gathered over 70 mayors from all over South-East Europe. The new leadership of the Network was elected and Goran Cvetanović from Serbia was elected president at NALAS after the mandate of Tatiana Badan from Moldova, while Mehmet Ergün Turan from Turkey and Dušan Raičević from Montenegro were elected to the position of two vice presidents.

During the two-day assembly, the participants discussed how to improve local service, with digitalisation, the fight against the crisis and fiscal decentralization being highlighted as key preconditions. On the agenda of the two-day assembly was a conference on the role of municipalities in providing quality water and sanitation services.

NALAS brings together 14 associations representing about 9,000 local authorities, directly elected by more than 80 million citizens of this region. The network promotes the process of decentralization in cooperation with central governments and international organizations, considering local self-government crucial in the processes of transition and European integration of the whole of South-East Europe. The network initiates and implements regional initiatives for its members and helps associations to become sustainable representatives of local authorities in relation to the central government. The aim of the Network is to develop as a knowledge centre for the development of local self-government in South-East Europe, recognized among all relevant stakeholders for the benefit of citizens in the region.

In accordance with the action plan, the NALAS Secretariat organises working groups on specific topics important for local self-government in South-East Europe. The focus is on local finance, urban planning, waste management, institutional development and energy efficiency.

NALAS was established in 2001, after the first Forum of South-East European Cities and Regions held in Skopje in 2000, organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The network was established under the auspices of the Stability Pact for South East Europe and the Council of Europe. Since July 2005, it has become an officially registered association based in Strasbourg. The NALAS Secretariat was established in March 2007.