The European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE)
The European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) is awarded to municipalities which can demonstrate that they have achieved a high level of good democratic governance.
ELoGE celebrates and helps local and regional authorities improve their governance, through a self-assessment tool in the form of a comprehensive European Good Democratic Governance Benchmark and a series of questionnaires aimed at citizens, elected representatives, and local officials. The present guide outlines the assessment methodology developed to ensure an objective evaluation of the results.
The European Good Democratic Governance Benchmark has been developed from the CM/Rec(2023)5[1] and its explanatory memorandum.
Following the Reykjavik Summit, responsibility for ELoGE has been transferred to Congress and the first meeting of the new ELoGE Accreditation Platform established under the aegis of the Congress Bureau took place on 11 September 2024.
[1] CM/Rec(2023)5 - Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the principles of good democratic governance and its explanatory memorandum
ELoGE works on the principle of subsidiarity.
A reputable national, regional, or transnational entity which has demonstrable capacity and competence to oversee implementation of ELoGE, such as a national association of local and regional authorities, can apply to the ELoGE Accreditation Platform.
The procedure is set out in the regulations, and an application form can be found here.
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The ELoGE Accreditation Platform is the Council of Europe body responsible for granting accreditation to deliver ELoGE and overseeing implementation by the accredited entities.
ELoGE relies on a partnership between the Congress and an existing reputable regional, national or transnational entity or an ad hoc platform with a substantive know-how, expertise or experience in the field of good democratic governance at the local level.
The ELoGE Accreditation Platform meets twice a year en marge of meetings of the Congress Bureau to assess accreditation requests and take stock of implementation in member states.
Entities or platforms composed of organisations such as National Associations of Local and Regional authorities can request accreditation to implement ELoGE. If the ELoGE Accreditation Platform of the Congress agrees that they meet accreditation criteria, the entities concerned are given the responsibility to implement ELoGE with municipalities of a given region or member state.
1st ELoGE Accreditation Platform meeting – 11 September 2024
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The Good Democratic Governance Benchmark is a self-assessment tool based on 72 targets, designed to help measure the performance of a local authority with respect to principles of good democratic governance. It is a self-assessment exercise that enables local authorities to assess their performance against established principles and criteria, contributing to transparency, accountability, and effective governance.
The requesting entity should translate and make the necessary adaptations to the Benchmark so that it is applicable to the national context.
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The accredited entity commits to raising awareness of the ELoGE process to eligible local or regional authorities and to mobilising a meaningful number of municipalities to participate by a given deadline.
The Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress can support implementation of ELoGE by providing guidance, advice and training. In some circumstances, it can also provide financial support.
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The accredited entity awards ELoGE to deserving municipalities that have successfully completed ELoGE. This label, which is valid for one year, is a recognition that a municipality has achieved a high level of good governance according to Council of Europe standards. Far from being the end of a process, ELoGE is also an instrument for municipalities to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to initiate action with a view to addressing the latter.
The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance stands ready to follow up the results of ELoGE, making available its tools aimed at strengthening governance and proposing targeted cooperation activities.
