In his communication to the Committee of Ministers on 2 April 2025, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori presented the highlights of the Congress’ 48th session, focusing on support to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, action to strengthen local and regional democracy as well as fighting violence against women in politics, protecting the environment, combating human trafficking and addressing homelessness in European cities.
The Secretary General pointed out that the Declaration on the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, adopted by the Congress, was welcomed by Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development Oleksii Riabykin who participated in the debate, and endorsed by Davide La Cecilia, Italy’s special envoy for the reconstruction of Ukraine in charge of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, who announced that it would become a deliverable of the Conference – where the new decentralisation concept, developed with the Congress support, was to be presented.
Secretary General Mori further presented the session’s focus on violence against women, including sexual violence in conflict zones – a topic presented by H.R.H. the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg – and a debate on violence against women in politics, a scourge experienced by 1 out of 3 locally elected female politicians that poses a severe threat to democracy. Other theme debates addressed foreign interference in local and regional elections, water resources management, combating human trafficking and fights against homelessness in cities. The session adopted recommendations on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Liechtenstein and in San Marino, and on the elections’ observation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Podgorica (Montenegro).
Speaking about the state of local democracy, the Secretary General referred in particular to the session debate on the situation of local democracy in Georgia and an urgent debate on the dismissals of mayors in Türkiye. The Congress called for restoring the conditions of a democratic environment in Georgia ahead of the 2025 local elections, in accordance with the Venice Commission’s code of good practice in electoral matters and previous recommendations.
The Congress also called on the Turkish authorities to release currently detained mayors and abolish the practice of dismissing mayors and replacing them by appointed trustees. Given the magnitude of current concerns, the Congress will organize a fact-finding visit to Türkiye as soon as possible, seeking face-to-face meetings with mayors who have been detained and engage in a dialogue with the government.
