43rd Session - 25 to 27 October 2022
The war against Ukraine; local and regional democracy in Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic and Sweden; human rights and the environment; women and children refugees among the themes of the 43rd Congress session
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe held its 43rd Session from 25 to 27 October 2022, in Strasbourg, France. The Minister for Communities and Territories Development, Oleksiy Chernyshov, and the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, addressed members of Congress in...
Council of Europe Congress adopts recommendations to develop smart cities and regions and to fight hate speech and fake news
The evolution of digital technologies over the past twenty years has had a considerable impact on local and regional authorities, whether in terms of the "smart" transformation of cities and regions or the spread of hate speech and fake news. During its 43rd Session on 25 October 2022, in...
Karl-Heinz Lambertz: "Successful regions are those that value their specificities while being open to others”
While the highly sensitive issue of regional identities sometimes gives rise to passionate or even conflicting polemics, the enhancement of these identities can, on the contrary, become an asset for the regions, as long as it is done in a spirit of respect for dialogue and diversity. This is the...
Towards a new Urban Charter of the Congress: How to build participative, inclusive and sustainable cities and towns
In recent years, urban life has undergone a series of rapid transformations linked to the accelerated climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic, the worsening of social divide and the introduction of new technologies. In addition, democracy issues and citizen involvement came into focus and new...
Refugee women and children: Council of Europe Congress calls for more coordination for a reception respecting human rights in towns and regions
The number of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons throughout the world has never been so high as in 2022, and women and children face heightened vulnerabilities and violence in the course of migration. That is the finding of the report on the reception of women and child refugees in...
Rejuvenating politics: youth delegates' projects praised by Congress members
With 1,300 participants in various European countries and more than 10,000 people indirectly involved, the youth delegates' projects made an impression due to the maturity and seriousness of their approaches, but also by the enthusiasm and spirit of innovation that contaminated their elders. Marc...
Partial local elections in Serbia: An orderly ballot despite polarisation and elections overshadowed by simultaneous parliamentary and presidential votes
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe today adopted a report following a mission carried out by a 15-member delegation to observe the partial local elections held on 3 April 2022 in Belgrade and several other municipalities in Serbia. On the Election Day, seven...
Environment : The Congress calls for the drafting of an Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government
Given worsening climate change, environmental challenges are increasingly being viewed from the angle of human rights – the right to life, health or private and family life – and international law. In a report adopted today, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe...
Partial local elections in Albania: Congress welcomes uncontested results and encourages all parties to participate in next years’ general local vote
At its 43rd Plenary Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe today discussed an information report on partial local elections in Albania held on 6 March 2022 following a hybrid election observation mission carried out on 24 and 25 February and 8 March. The...
First day of the session: Ukraine, hate speech, smart cities and regions, women and children refugees, and local democracy in Denmark
On the first day of the 43rd Session, on 25 October 2022, the Congress held a debate on the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine, with the (online) participation of the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and the Ukrainian Minister for Community and Territorial Development, Oleksiy Chernyshov....
Mathieu Mori elected Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Mathieu Mori (France) was elected today as Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe for a five-year term of office, on the occasion of the 43rd Session of the Congress in Strasbourg. Addressing the Congress members, Mr Mori highlighted the...
Sweden: efficient system of local self-government, but consultation with subnational authorities still to be formalised
A report by the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities notes with satisfaction that local and regional self-governments in Sweden manage the highest shares of public affairs in Europe and have a high degree of financial autonomy. It also welcomes the comparatively high...
Belgium: Council of Europe Congress welcomes the functioning of local self-government, but calls for progress on the issue of the appointment of burgomasters in Flanders
In a monitoring report on the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government adopted today, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities welcomes the functioning of the Belgian system, which generally respects the provisions of the Charter. However, the rapporteurs raise...
The Charter effectively applied in the Czech Republic but local and regional financing needs further improvement
In a Recommendation adopted during its 25-27 October plenary session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe welcomes the effective application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government by the Czech Republic. It underscores however the need to reduce the...
43rd Session, Day 2: Human rights and the environment, local democracy in Serbia, Albania, Sweden and the Czech Republic, regional identities and finances, and the Urban Charter III
On the second day of the 43rd session, the presidents of the Chamber of Local Authorities, Bernd Vöhringer, and the Chamber of Regions, Harald Sonderegger, opened the Chambers by expressing their support and solidarity with the people of Ukraine and highlighted the unique challenges the Congress...
"We are defending not only Ukraine, but also European democratic values," Kyiv Mayor Klitschko and Minister Chernyshov tell Council of Europe Congress
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe held a debate today on the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine, with the (online) participation of the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and the Ukrainian Minister for Community and Territorial Development, Oleksiy...
Co-operation: concrete programmes to promote local democracy across Europe
Strengthening local authorities and their associations, implementing the European Charter of Local Self-Government, political dialogue, exchanges between local and regional elected officials and awareness raising of young people: the Congress has been involved since 2011 in bilateral and...
States should boost regions’ financial capacity to deal with crises
Having been hard-hit by the Covid 19 crisis and then by the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine, do European regions have the financial capacity to prepare to take off again once the situation improves, when other threats, foreseeable or otherwise, are looming ahead? If they have the...
Denmark: Good implementation of European Charter of Local Self-Government, but need better coordination between municipalities and regions
The Danish’ government system being one of the most decentralised in Europe, the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities notes in a report, with satisfaction the positive, and in some ways exemplary, implementation of the principles enshrined in the European Charter of...
“The international crisis has had strong local effects and local solutions must be found,” says Irish Minister Peter Burke
“Today we enter the eighth month of war in Ukraine, of war in Europe, war on our shared continent. This international crisis has strong local repercussions. Local solutions must be found” said the Irish Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Peter Burke, addressing the 43rd Congress...
Member's guide to the Congress (coming soon)
Helping Ukraine - Cities4Cities
- Agenda
- Documents
EN - FR - IT - DE - Adopted texts: EN - FR
- Schedule of meetings
- Amendment form
- Vice-President of the Chamber of Regions:
Candidate: Mr Teuvo HATVA (Finland, ILDG) - Secretary General of the Congress:
Candidates