Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu has been selected to take part in a leadership training programme organised by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) in London.

The mayor joined fellow mayors from 17 countries for a four-day programme aimed at modernising local administrations, the Bucharest City Hall said.

'The programme is well designed. In addition to the intensive professional training courses, I will receive assistance over a period of nine months to develop policies for our city. I chose mobility, with a focus on the Bucharest public transport operator STB. What is interesting is that these top-level programmes, dedicated to mayors from around the world, were created at the initiative and with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, a foundation established by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg to support mayors and cities. It is a highly regarded training programme. The mayor of Madrid took part last year,' Ciprian Ciucu said, according to a statement issued by the Bucharest City Hall on Wednesday.

In December, two City Hall officials selected by the mayor will attend an immersive training course in Berlin. Together with Ciprian Ciucu, they will coordinate a ten-member team tasked with finding innovative solutions to Bucharest's mobility challenges, the statement said.

'I joined other mayors from major European cities. The problems we face are generally similar. We spoke extensively over the course of four days. Each of us feels that we have too little power [legal authority, budgets, etc.] compared with the responsibilities entrusted to us. From what I have seen, mayors across Europe, regardless of their country, are generally ordinary people who won elections in their communities and who would not wish to do anything else in life other than dedicate themselves to their cities,' Ciucu said.

The Bloomberg LSE European City Leadership Initiative is designed and coordinated by Bloomberg Philanthropies together with the London School of Economics and Political Science. Launched in 2025, it is implemented by LSE Cities in collaboration with the Hertie School in Berlin, according to the Bucharest City Hall. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Irinela Visan; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)

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