On 14 November 2024 in Tirana (Albania), the Congress established a Community of Practice on deliberative democracy, made up of 18 local authorities and 7 associations of local authorities from Western Balkans, to further promote citizen deliberations and innovative participatory approaches.

Addressing the launch event, Congress Director Claudia Luciani emphasised the role of deliberative processes as an effective approach to strengthen representative democracy and deliver better policies. The Congress guide for local authorities on “How to organise a deliberative process at local level?” was published at this first meeting (available in English and Bosnian).

Coordinated by the Network of National Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), the Community will serve as a platform of exchange and peer learning for its members from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

In bilateral meetings with Albania’s Minister of State for Public Administration and Anti-Corruption Adea Pirdeni, Deputy Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Megi Fino and Deputy Mayor of Tirana Frida Pashako, the Congress Director discussed co-operation priorities to strengthen local self-government in the country. She reaffirmed the Congress support to the public administration reform in Albania in its path towards EU membership.

During an exchange of views at the Albanian School of Political Studies, the Director debated with 20 young political leaders, activists and municipal councillors on how Council of Europe initiatives to fight democratic backsliding can be applied at the local level in Albania.

The projects “Promoting deliberative democracy and innovative approaches to citizen participation in South-East Europe” and “Supporting Public Administration Reform at Local Level in Albania”   are implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, with the financial support of Germany. The projects aim to strengthen democratic processes in the South-East of Europe, enhance the skills and capacities of local authorities and their associations, strengthen institutional framework for the training of local officials and elected representatives and effective management of human resources, and foster meaningful participation of citizens. The project on deliberative democracy promotes innovative forms of citizen participation as complements to representative democracy in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

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*All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

“The participation of young people is an essential element of democratic debates and decision-making, in particular in a context where most political decision-makers belong to the older generations, and where the future of the planet is at stake due to climate change and environmental pollution that will affect today’s young generations,” underlined Sören Schumacher (SOC/G/PD), Head of the German delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in Berlin on 14 November 2024.

Speaking at the Youth Space Berlin Conference organised by the German delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, he presented the Congress’ role as a pioneer with its “Rejuvenating Politics” initiative allowing more than 400 young people from across Europe to participate in the Congress work since 2014.

He also outlined the current Congress priorities in engaging with young people, in particular the new revision of the European Charter on youth participation at local and regional level, reminding that youth participation was also a key principle in the European Urban Charter III recently adopted by the Congress. “Implementing European human rights and democracy standards cannot be done without the participation of young people who are indeed a ‘compass’ for democracy and human rights,” concluded Mr Schumacher. The conference also featured the participation of Afia Mansoor Ahmed, 2024 Congress youth delegate from Germany.

A seminar on ‘Advanced Practices in Local Governance’ in Bilbao (Spain) on 13 November 2024 offered an opportunity for Basque local authorities to share innovative practices to promote public ethics and leadership in small municipalities;  strengthen civic engagement in defining municipal priorities; and introduce gender-sensitive procurement and budgeting in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Emphasising the essential role local governments play in fostering democracy and public trust, Esther Apraiz, President of the Basque Association of Municipalities (EUDEL), underlined that: ‘Collaboration is crucial as we work to protect democratic values and reinforce citizens’ confidence in local institutions.’

The seminar was co-organised by EUDEL and the Basque Regional Government in Spain, with support from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in the context of the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) programme.  The municipalities of Azkoitia, Basauri, Ermua, Errenteria, Irun, Legazpi, and Laudio who shared good practices are among the 23 Basque municipalities who have received ELoGE since the award was first launched in Spain in 2017.

On 13 November 2024, a Congress delegation led by President Marc Cools took part in an international forum entitled “Bridges of Solidarity: Humanitarian and Social Initiatives from Cities to Cities” in Strassen, Luxembourg. Organised in the framework of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, the Forum focused on the implementation of social and humanitarian projects to support Ukrainian cities in the country’s recovery and reconstruction. The event sought to promote interaction, inter-municipal co-operation, experience sharing and increase the effectiveness of bilateral co-operation by encouraging new partnerships and projects between all actors.

“By developing partnerships with Ukrainian towns and regions, our own regions and municipalities are not only fulfilling a duty to help people in distress in a fellow European country – they are also creating lasting bonds of friendship with the Ukrainian local authorities involved in these partnerships,” stressed the Congress President addressing the Forum.

“Promoting and protecting human rights in times of crisis is not only possible: it is a must. Human rights promotion and protection is an obligation which does not accept derogations, and it is in cities and regions that human rights become a tangible reality of our daily lives,” underlined Congress Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC/G/PD), referring to the tremendous impact of the war of aggression on the basic needs for human rights enjoyment.

“The Congress is the biggest network of local and regional authorities in Europe, and hence also a platform for connecting cities and citizens across the continent and for fostering solidarity and co-operation. This is precisely the aim of the Congress’ initiative Cities4Cities, which connects European and Ukrainian municipalities not only to provide humanitarian aid but also to build long-lasting partnerships,” pointed out Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Congress’ Chamber of Local Authorities.

Speaking at the Forum, Luxembourg Minister for Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together and Reception of Refugees Max Hahn emphasised that Ukrainian people taught us the importance of resilience and the need of standing united before the tragic consequences of a war. The Forum was also an occasion for Ukrainian children and young people who found refuge in Luxembourg to tell their stories and share what the war meant for their lives.

“Even under unimaginable hardship, the captives did not surrender or lose their courage, which is a testament of the resilience of the Ukrainian people and our determination for victory against the aggressor,” concurred Olena Shvydka and Inesa Antonenko, two of the survivors of the Russian occupation in Yahidne, a village in northern Ukraine. On 3 March 2022, Russian military took control of the village and forcibly confined more than 300 residents (including 77 children) in a school basement lacking adequate ventilation for 26 days. The captives were overcrowded and enduring unsanitary conditions, limited food, and scarce water.

Congress member and Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg Véronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD) underlined that survivors have become an inspiration for their strength in adversity as well as an example of joint efforts at local level in the reconstruction process. She conveyed to the two Ukrainian guests that their “resilience against those harrowing conditions spurs our work at the political level with European local and regional authorities as well as international partners to support Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction and hold those responsible for these atrocities accountable.”

In this vein, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori noted that Congress is raising the awareness of Ukrainian local and regional authorities and community leaders about the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine so that Ukrainian citizens such as the residents in Yahidne can seek justice and compensation.

The meeting was co-organised by the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the Council of Europe, the City of Strasbourg as part of the concluding events of the Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Under the auspices of the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC), mayors and local officials of 60 communities, as well as representatives of the Parliament and the Government, gathered in Kyiv on 8 November 2024 to address pressing issues faced by the country’s de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities, such as housing, access to employment, and education.

“Local authorities will be at forefront to ensure the sustainable future of de-occupied and temporarily occupied territories. They will have a key role in securing the restauration of democracy, human rights and rule of law while ensuring social cohesion and delivering services,” stressed Amelie Tarschys–Ingre (Sweden, L, ILDG), Co-Rapporteur on Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. She further noted that partnerships with European municipalities will also greatly contribute to the recovery process.

Vadym Boichenko, mayor of Mariupol and chairperson of the AUC’s Committee for the development of de-occupied and temporarily occupied communities, noted that “We need to grant access to justice and protect the rights of our citizens. This includes documenting the damages caused by the war, but also ensuring access to education and housing."

Congress Director Claudia Luciani highlighted the important role played by local and regional authorities in the promotion and use of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. She also welcomed the AUC’s initiative to establish a Community Recovery Academy to enhance the skills and capacities of local authorities in the recovery process, and reaffirmed the Congress’ support in this endeavour.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities works closely with local authorities all over Ukraine and with the Association of Ukrainian Cities as part of the project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. The project aims to strengthen the dialogue, partnership and consultation between different levels of government; enhance collaborative governance and citizen participation in line with the principles of local democracy and open government; and promote and guarantee the right to equality and non-discrimination at local level, for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

Kyiv in Ukraine, Cascais in Portugal, and Heraklion in Greece: these three cities have recently created structures aimed at promoting the participation of their inhabitants in local political life, while opening up to groups often underrepresented in elected assemblies. Organised on November 7 with the support of the Congress, a "Lab" of the World Forum for Democracy, moderated by Véronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD), Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg, presented these initiatives while advocating for their development across Europe.

The "Vcentri Hub" or Decentralization Hub of Kyiv is open to all NGOs in the Ukrainian capital, which can not only meet and express themselves there, but also learn to work together and develop and promote concrete projects. In Cascais, the "Local Participatory System" is aimed at all citizens, who are encouraged to participate both in person and online in the development of local policies. While broadly inclusive, it focuses on young people, migrants, the elderly, and people with disabilities, and allows citizens to express themselves on very concrete subjects, including the beautification of gardens or school surroundings. For the municipality, this structure is all the more necessary as citizens are increasingly distancing themselves from political life: "after the 1974 Revolution, there was 8.5% abstention in local elections, and now it's 62%, because people don't feel concerned, so we need to stimulate their interest and allow them to express themselves," emphasize José Dalmeida and Isabel Xavier Canning, who lead this organization.

Heraklion's "Local Digital Democracy Accelerator" has already presented 235 concrete proposals developed by citizens, and also helps groups not represented in assemblies, as they are deprived of the right to vote, to make their voices heard, particularly foreign residents and migrants. The files prepared in this context are then transmitted to elected officials and decision-makers.

Participatory structures complement local political representation

For Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), Ipswich City Councillor, these innovative structures "re-imagine the municipal space" and should serve as an example. Congress youth delegate from Lithuania Sandra Slusnyté finds it "wonderful" that Kyiv, despite the current situation in the country, has managed to create a space open to the expectations of young people, and welcomes, like Ms Rudkin, the establishment of "bottom-up" and circular democracy structures, not just vertical ones. Ulysse Pavard, a young French delegate of the Forum, believes that this type of initiative "can attract citizens who are little interested or little concerned by local political life". He also sees in these achievements "a first step towards political life for many citizens feeling too distant from it". As Isabel Xavier Canning summarized, representative democracy, resulting from elections, is no longer sufficient on its own to reflect all the diversity of society: alongside it, participatory democracy and collaborative democracy must also be developed.

 LAB 4: How can diversity be promoted at local level? - world-forum-democracy

 Congress youth delegate from Lithuania Sandra Slušnytė 

The Council of Europe is looking for a maximum of 42 providers of local consultancy services with expertise in one or more of the following fields:

• Democratic innovations and deliberative processes;

• Strengthening capacities of local authorities and of associations of municipalities and cities in open, transparent, accountable and citizen-oriented decision-making;

• Human rights and non-discrimination at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

• Social and behaviour change.

The tender is launched in the framework of the project “Strengthening democratic innovations and promoting human rights at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025 and, upon availability of fund, future co-operation activities within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2026-2029.

The current project “Strengthening democratic innovations and promoting human rights at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina” aims to enhance the quality of democracy at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a strong focus on the contextualisation of human rights and promotion of innovative approaches in citizen participation and open, transparent and inclusive local policymaking.

The deadline for submission of tenders is Friday, 29 November 2024 23h59 CET.

The instructions, criteria and documents can be downloaded from the following MyCloud: https://mycloud.coe.int/s/XgcRzgtqxM4PcfS

As Armenia prepares to celebrate the 28th Local Self-Government Day on 11 November 2024, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori visited the country and participated in a public discussion on social policy in the context of decentralisation. 

In bilateral meetings with Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sarosyan and Minister of Labour and Social Issues Narek Mkrchtyan, the authorities confirmed their commitment to further decentralisation as a means of strengthening local government and delivering quality public services accessible to citizens.  

In a visit to Aparan municipality, Mr Mori witnessed first-hand how local initiatives are advancing social rights and empowering young people.  Youth leaders and civil society activists from the vibrant local community have been nurturing youth engagement and fostering active citizenship in cooperation with counterparts from neighbouring Nairi municipality.  Aparan has also developed a social services centre to serve as a pilot in delivering these crucial services to citizens.

The visit also served as an opportunity to inform Armenian authorities of the planned monitoring mission of the Congress to Armenia in 2025. Mayor of Yerevan Tigran Avinyan highlighted the importance of pursuing financial decentralisation in order to strengthen local autonomy. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Paruyr Hovhannisyan underlined the value Armenia places on cooperation with the Council of Europe. Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan informed of ongoing preparations for unified codes of conduct at central, regional and local levels, and expressed hope that the Congress could help in building capacities of anti-corruption enforcement officers.

 Message from the Congress Secretary General on the occasion of Local Self-Government Day

Addressing the Cross-Border Event on respectful leadership, in Dundalk (Ireland) on 7 November 2024, Carla Dejonghe (ILDG), Head of the Belgian delegation to the Congress and member of the Brussels-Capital Regional Parliament, underlined that civility in politics was an essential element of a thriving and functioning democracy.

Speaking in the panel discussion on the importance of civility and respectful politics in public life, she underlined that “politicians must recommit themselves to fostering a culture of respect and setting a tone that encourages healthy debate and discourages personal attacks”. Ms Dejonghe called on political leaders to commit to active and genuine listening and seek to understand differing perspectives while maintaining respect for one another’s opinions. Citizens can contribute by holding their leaders accountable and demanding that political discussions remain grounded in respect and above partisanship, she stated, adding that local initiatives which foster dialogue across divides could help to create a more inclusive political landscape.

The event was organised by the Association of Irish Local Governments (AILG) and the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) as part of a cross-border project financed by the “Shared Island Civic Society Fund” under the Good Friday Agreement, with the support of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the EU. The Fund is aimed at supporting dialogue and cooperation between local authorities on an all-island basis, both North and South.

The key achievements of a project to improve the financing of local services and their effective delivery in Hungary were presented at a meeting of the Project Advisory Group and the Local Finance Working Group in Budapest on 28 October 2024. The joint EU/CoE project ‘Local Government Public Finance Development and Municipal Capacity Building In Hungary’,  implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, started in September 2022 and will close at the end of 2024. During the meeting, representatives of local government associations, municipalities and central authorities discussed the project’s findings and highlighted the importance of their follow-up.

Key project outputs include:

• A  Policy Advice Report on the Local Business Tax and the Solidarity Contribution offering recommendations and good practice examples to enhance equalisation measures;
• A  Report on the piloting of the Standard Expenditure Needs (SEN) approach, providing insights into financing requirements and outputs of essential social services across all Hungarian municipalities, with a focus on elderly care;
• An innovative data platform to support evidence-based planning and policy making which will be hosted by the Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ).

These and other project outputs are framed by the European Charter of Local Self-Government and dedicated standards on financial equalisation and the financing of local services as well as their efficient and effective implementation, such as Recommendation  Rec(2005)1 of the Committee of Ministers to the Council of Europe member states.

This activity was organised by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance with the Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities. The project is co-financed by the European Commission (DG REFORM) under the Technical Support Instrument.

Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has made the following statement:

"I express my grave concern about the recent decisions of the Turkish authorities to dismiss the elected mayors of four municipalities (Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and Esenyurt), and to replace them with governors appointed by the Ministry of Interior.

Following the case of the mayor of Hakkari in June 2024, these dismissals constitute the most recent application of the long-standing practice of appointing trustees, considered by the Congress and the Venice Commission as undermining the very nature of local democracy. Indeed, these mayors were elected by Turkish voters during the local elections held on 31 March 2024, which were observed by the Congress. 

Only last month, the Congress pointed out, in Recommendation 519(2024), the need to abolish this practice and called on the authorities to ensure that ineligibility of candidates is assessed prior to the elections and based on a final criminal conviction. In the event of a mayor’s dismissal, municipal councils should be able to choose a replacement mayor. The Congress looks forward to pursuing its political dialogue with the Turkish authorities to ensure the implementation of this recommendation.”

On 29 and 30 October 2024, the Congress held two webinars to help young peoplecontribute to the recovery process.

Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori emphasised that “the active participation of all our citizens, including young people, is crucial to guaranteeing the legitimacy, credibility and functioning of our democracies.” Congress Deputy Spokesperson on Youth Ádám Karácsony (Hungary, ECR) put the focus on the ongoing revision of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Municipal and Regional Life to reflect “the many societal changes that have taken place over the last two decades, which are transforming our democracies and the way in which young people participate in them.” He also referred to the recent Congress resolution on the integration of youth perspectives in local and regional democratic life as a political statement and a framework document setting out the Congress’ political viewpoint and key principles on youth participation.

Highlighting the importance of youth employment, Oleksandr Yarema, State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, pointed out that “building the capacities of young people through employment and training courses is of great importance not only for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction, but also for its European aspirations and Euro-Atlantic integration.”

Congress youth delegates provided practical recommendations from their experiences in boosting youth participation at local level, emphasising the need for civic education to fuel youth engagement, as equipping young people with the necessary skills will lead them to contribute to decision making and making their voices heard.

The webinars were implemented as part of the Congress’ project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023–2026. The project aims to strengthen dialogue, partnership, and consultation between different levels of government; enhance collaborative governance and citizen participation in line with the principles of local democracy and open government; and promote and guarantee the right to equality and non-discrimination at local level, for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine.

On 30 October 2024, the Congress held the first in a series of online workshops for Belarusian democratic forces, focused on the development of a local self-government system in a future democratic Belarus and its alignment with the European Charter of Local Self-Government and other European standards of local democracy.

“Defining a decentralisation strategy with efficient local self-government policies is a long and complex process which needs to be built upon common understanding. In this endeavour, the Congress will continue supporting the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society with their capacity development on local democracy and governance,” stated Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori at the opening of the workshop.

Through an interactive programme which combines learning experiences and peer exchanges, the participants reflected on the concepts of local self-government, its scope and the need to develop democratic governance. Next workshops will delve into various aspects of decentralisation and transition stages.

The event is organised by the Congress as part of the project “Leading the change for democracy and human rights at local level with Belarusian democratic forces” (2024–2025) within the Council of Europe Contact Group on Co-operation with Belarusian Democratic Forces and Civil Society.

The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement:

“On behalf of the Congress, I express my solidarity with the people and authorities of Spain hit by devastating floods, and my condolences to the families and loved ones of the numerous victims.

“We follow the situation with the Spanish delegation to the Congress, and will pursue our established co-operation with the Spanish authorities at all levels to strengthen the resilience and preparedness of municipalities and regions in disaster management, in line with the approach promoted by the Congress in its Resolution 500(2024) and  Recommendation 510(2024) on local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards”.

“From climate action to more sustainable circular economies, young people are taking the lead in our towns and cities for local initiatives to improve the urban environment and quality of life,” underlined Congress Spokesperson on Youth Veronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD) in her statement on the occasion of World Cities Day (31 October).

She called on authorities at all levels to give their full support to local youth action, and welcomed in this regard the recent recommendation by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers addressing the challenges arising from the climate crisis that young people face. The recommendation calls on governments to protect the civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights of all young people, particularly environmental defenders, whose efforts to advocate for a sustainable environment often face significant barriers. It also emphasises the need to ensure meaningful youth participation in climate-related decision-making processes.

“The Congress is supporting this call by undertaking a new revision of the European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life, which will also strengthen young people’s participation rights in climate action and other policy areas,” stated the Congress Spokesperson. She also emphasised that among the young generation, many already fully endorse the new economic model of circular economy based on sustainable production and consumption practices as called for in the recent Congress Recommendation 512 (2024) on fostering a circular economy at local and regional levels. “Through local action, young people regularly call for and promote healthier environments and inclusive participation, and should be further encouraged and supported in this area,” concluded the Spokesperson.

“Where there is a lack of local media, democracy and human rights suffer. The decline of local media directly affects the exercise of free expression, access to information and media pluralism”, stressed Mélanie Lepoultier (France, ILDG), Deputy Permanent Rapporteur of the Congress on Human Rights, on 29 October 2024 in Strasbourg.

Speaking at the Conference on the Protection of Journalists, she recalled the key role of local and regional media as guardians of democracy. The Congress highlighted this role in its Recommendation 498 (2023) on ‘Local and regional media: watchdogs of democracy, guardians of community cohesion’. “These media follow political events on a more precise scale, close to the citizens they inform; they also hold local and regional elected representatives to account and enable ‘informed’ citizens to feel more involved in local political life,” underlined the Congress Rapporteur.

She also recalled that even small towns and cities were not immune to the effects of major political events, such as the conflict in the Middle East, hence the importance of protecting journalists throughout Europe.

Reacting to the statement by the PACE/OSCE/NATO/European Parliament international observation mission, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has shared his concerns regarding deepening political divisions in Georgia, and the fact that the country’s parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024 were marred by an uneven playing field, pressure and tension, even if they were organised efficiently.

In its Declaration on 17 October, the Congress already expressed its deep concern over clear signs of democratic backsliding and the weakening of human rights in Georgia. The country is marked by increased polarisation of society and the enactment of legislation that runs counter to Council of Europe standards.

At the same time, the Congress underlined its commitment to pursuing constructive political dialogue with the Georgian authorities - notably in the framework of a high-level visit to Georgia.

At this occasion, the members of this high-level delegation shall meet with the government, the opposition forces and the civil society, to express their continued support in helping them safeguard human rights, uphold the rule of law, and promote democracy.

As stressed by the President of the Congress: “Following the elections, we call on the Georgian authorities at all levels to pursue the path of democratic consolidation and commitment to democratic principles, in particular with a view to the next local elections in 2025”. 

The continent is facing multiple security challenges (such as the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine, consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and environmental disasters) and security concerns are often used by central governments to justify limitations to cross-border cooperation. However, excessive centralisation can prove counterproductive in the event of a crisis, while regional transfrontier cooperation strengthens the resilience of societies and regional security, stressed Chair of the Congress Governance Committee Jelena Drenjanin (Sweden, EPP/CCE) in Trysil, Norway, on 25 October 2024 at the Annual Conference of the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR).

The Committee Chair underlined that promoting multilevel governance, especially dialogue between central and regional authorities as well as horizontal decentralised cross-border cooperation, was key to addressing current and future security challenges. To this end, appropriate legal frameworks for transfrontier cooperation must be developed, and inter-institutional synergies had to be strengthened. Furthermore, it was vital to promote cross-border coordination and cooperation in the field of crisis management and to enhance capacity building for relevant stakeholders, she added.

In his communication to the Committee of Ministers on 23 October 2024, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori presented the highlights of the Congress’ 47^th session, focusing on support to Ukraine, action to strengthen local and regional democracy and human rights protection, as well as recommendations in the fields of social rights, the environment and youth engagement.

The Secretary General pointed out that the Declaration adopted by the Congress at the session stressed the systematic character of destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage as a policy of erasing that country’s historical and cultural identity, and highlighted the importance of using the Council of Europe’s Faro and Nicosia conventions on the protection of cultural heritage as well as the Register of Damage for Ukraine to deal with claims linked to historic, cultural and religious heritage. In this regard, the Congress had also contributed to the Conference of Participants of the register, with its commitment to help prepare Ukrainian local and regional authorities for the submission of claims; the work on decentralisation in Ukraine was also pursued following the high-level dialogue on good democratic governance in July 2024.

Secretary General Mori took stock of the Congress monitoring, post-monitoring and election observation activities, aimed at strengthening local self-government and promoting multi-level governance and democratic participation, as well as co-operation programmes to assist member States in those areas. He referred in particular to discussions with Ireland and Türkiye of possible roadmaps to help implement Congress recommendations, and to ongoing projects in Armenia, Hungary, Finland and Serbia to address some findings of monitoring reports. He also pointed to the projects to promote citizens participation and participatory democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and all Balkan countries as well as in Georgia, where close dialogue was pursued with the authorities, civil society and the opposition.

The key findings from Congress monitoring and election observation over the past five years were also debated at the session as part of the early warning mechanism to detect threats to democracy – such as the rise in hate speech and disinformation, foreign influence in electoral processes, as well as physical and verbal aggression targeting local leaders. At the same time, the Secretary General underlined that Congress action to strengthen human rights protection at local level and ensure implementation of the Human Rights Court’s judgments by local authorities was gaining momentum, referring to a pilot activity in Bulgaria.   

The Secretary General concluded by drawing attention to the Congress recommendations on long-term care for the elderly in local communities and on fostering circular economy at local level, celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the participation of youth delegates in the Congress work, and a debate on the importance of promoting the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government beyond Europe. 

 Secretary General's speech

The newly established association “Lviv Agglomeration” convened the “First International Forum of Agglomerations in Ukraine“, in Lviv on 17-18 October 2024, to discuss the  development of metropolitan governance in Ukraine and the importance of municipalities’ collaboration on spatial, strategic and mobility development planning within metropolitan areas as well as their role in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

Supported by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance (CEMG) at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the Forum brought together more than 100 in-person and 170 online participants from Ukraine, Czechia, Germany, Poland, Spain and Switzerland, who shared their good practices and discussed prospects for establishing a legal framework for metropolitan governance in Ukraine. The case of the Lviv metropolitan area was presented to peers from other parts of Ukraine encouraging them to innovate and enhance their inter-municipal co-operation.

“We are convinced that metropolitan areas in general will play an important role in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction maximising opportunities for multilevel dialogue”, underlined Congress Director Claudia Luciani opening the Forum.

This event was funded by the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening Good Democratic Governance and Resilience in Ukraine”, implemented by the CEMG under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” 2023-2026.

Addressing the 8^th meeting of the Working Group on Ukraine, organised by the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels on 21 October 2024, Congress President Marc Cools underlined that the Council of Europe and its Congress remained one of Ukraine’s strategic advisers on multilevel governance reforms, with their assistance serving towards Ukraine’s successful EU accession.

Speaking in a panel on Ukraine's EU accession from the perspective of cities and regions, the President highlighted the Congress’ work on decentralisation and local self-government in Ukraine to support its transition from martial law to civilian rule, and the Congress’ collaboration with the Register of Damage for Ukraine in strengthening the capacities of Ukrainian local and regional authorities and their associations to ensure submission of claims. The President also referred to the Declaration adopted by the Congress during its session on 15 October 2024, which called for inter-municipal and inter-regional co-operation partnerships to preserve and restore Ukrainian cultural heritage targeted by the Russian Federation as a systematic policy to erase Ukraine’s historical and cultural identity.

“We are confident that all Congress actions and activities contribute to meeting the requirements of the EU’s Ukraine Facility and will help the country in its efforts for recovery, reconstruction and modernisation, in the context of the war and also in the process of accession to the EU,” concluded President Cools.

The Working Group’s meeting also discussed the involvement of Ukrainian national associations of local and regional authorities in the EU accession process, as well as the provision of training and internship opportunities for Ukrainian municipalities.

  Flickr gallery    

Mykola Tochytskyi: “Destroying Ukrainian culture means destroying the Ukrainian nation”.

From the start of its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has systematically targeted its artistic and cultural heritage, seeking also to “rewrite history” to better justify its aggression. During the debate that preceded the adoption of a declaration on the destruction of Ukraine's cultural heritage on 15 October 2024, the Congress not only called for Russia to comply with international rules on the protection of cultural property in times of war, but also emphasised the genocidal dimension of the attacks on cultural heritage, which are designed to undermine the very foundations of Ukrainian identity. It hopes that saving objects and property that have been destroyed or have disappeared will be one of the priorities in rebuilding the country.

The Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Mykola Tochytskyi, drew up the horrific list of the destruction caused by Russia, with almost 1 200 sites destroyed, including 117 of national importance, as well as over 2 000 cultural institutions damaged, of which 368 have been totally destroyed.  “History and culture are paying a heavy toll for the war and it is no coincidence that they are being attacked because it is Ukraine’s very identity and nature that are being attacked through them,” he said.  In his view, the Congress declaration would be a clear reminder to the aggressors that their actions would not go unpunished.  Mykola Lukashuk, Chair of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, noted that in his region, Russia was destroying everything which Ukraine had preserved or built: since February 2022, over 400 sites and buildings, including Odessa cathedral, had been hit by Russian shells; many museums had been hit or were under threat, along with their collections and, of course, their staff.

The destruction of heritage as a form of genocide

When presenting the Congress declaration, Martine Dieschburg-Nickels (Luxembourg, L, ILDG) cited the symbolic example of the destruction of Mariupol theatre and said that, apart from the destruction of monuments, the war also involved the looting of libraries and museums, as well as illegal archaeological digs.  Gunn-Marit Helgesen (Norway, R, EPP/CCE) referred to the “genocidal will” of the Russian aggressor – as did several other subsequent speakers in the debate – before presenting initiatives that could be taken by European local and regional authorities.  Above all, it would be necessary to develop and expand partnerships with Ukraine’s devastated towns, cities and regions, while also helping them to record their losses in the Register of Damage.  Other initiatives could help Ukrainian heritage, in particular documentation and inventory work and the establishment of cultural routes in the regions concerned once peace had been restored.  Moreover, the Council of Europe had adopted several conventions on heritage protection, including the Faro and Nicosia conventions, which needed to be publicised, signed and ratified more widely.

Ukraine’s cultural heritage is also Europe’s cultural heritage

During the debate, Günther Bergmann (Germany, R, EPP/CCE) said that North-Rhine Westphalia had been taking part in the restoration of Ukraine’s historic architectural heritage for several years and would “do so even more after the war.”  Thibaud Guignard (France, L, EPP/CCE) said he had works by Ukrainian painters hanging in his office and called on all mayors also to develop exchanges and partnerships with Ukrainian artists.  Above all, he said, it should not be forgotten that attacking Ukrainian heritage meant attacking European heritage as a whole.

Several Ukrainian members gave moving descriptions of the destruction waged on their cities, while Ukrainian youth delegate Sofiia Bohdanova also referred to the millions of books burnt and the school textbooks replaced by ones glorifying the Russian “special military operation.”  She also highlighted the devastation of the Crimean Tatars’ cultural heritage, with at least 150 000 objects destroyed.  “If we lose our identity, our nation will disappear,” she said in conclusion.  For his part, Estonian youth delegate Henrik Harjus referred to the theft of Ukrainian archaeological artefacts by Russia, in particular that exposed recently following the interception at a customs post of a lorry full of thousands of them.  Apart from cultural property alone, Mélanie Lepoultier (France, L, ILDG) called for journalists working on the spot to be better supported and protected, as they were the ones who informed us about what was happening on the ground.

However, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage was not confined to Ukraine alone, as pointed out by the Armenian, Georgian and Turkish delegates, with the latter condemning, in particular, the impact of such destruction during the conflict in Palestine and Lebanon.  Danish youth delegate Tarik Deljkovic, whose family originally came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, underlined the scale of the losses suffered by that country’s heritage 30 years ago, and the desire expressed thereafter never to see that again.  His question to the participants was: “have we already forgotten that lesson?”

Lastly, Christian Weis (Luxembourg, L, EPP/CCE) presented the twinnings which his town of Esch-sur-Alzette had established with Ukrainian municipalities, helping to strengthen co-operation involving heritage and culture. In their conclusions, all the speakers stressed that such twinnings and partnerships were one of the most effective ways of saving and restoring Ukrainian cultural heritage.

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 News item on the debate

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47th Session
Agenda – Web file – Photos 

On October 16, the Congress passed a resolution and recommendations inviting the Committee of Ministers to call on member states to fully implement the ratified provisions of the Charter of Local and Regional Self-Government. The follow-up report on the application of the Charter in the period 2021-2024 reveals significant failures to comply with its principles, both in terms of the funding and autonomy of municipalities and regions, and in the organization of local elections.

The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian Federation's war of aggression against Ukraine and climate change, along with their economic and social consequences, have intensified the problems of population displacement, cyber-attacks and misinformation. Voter confidence in institutions and representative democracy is in crisis.

Presented in plenary session by co-rapporteur Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, R, GILD), the report of the Commission for Monitoring the Application of the Charter of Local Self-Government, notes that certain recurring problems, identified during the previous period (2017-2020), remain or have worsened. The local financial situation has deteriorated, along with the safety of mayors and local elected officials, who are often the victims of verbal and physical assaults. The difficult conditions in which they carry out their duties have a dissuasive effect on possible future candidates for election, leading to a vicious circle of breach of the democratic contract between citizens and their representatives. A true barometer of democracy, local elections are often discredited by voters due to inaccurate electoral rolls, the misuse of administrative resources during election campaigns, the politicization of electoral administration at all levels, unequal conditions for all candidates, and the rise of foreign interference, particularly in the context of the war in Ukraine.

During the debate, members reflected on solutions to these recurring problems. German member Heiner Klemp (SOC/G/PD) emphasized the need for additional instruments and procedures to counteract breaches of member states' obligations: the naming and shaming method, or the creation of a compliance register with various predefined criteria, which would enable a color-coded assessment of the degree of application of the Charter in member countries. He also raised the possibility of extending the Charter to make the observation of local and regional elections a right of Congress, without the need for an invitation. In response to this proposal, co-rapporteur Stewart Dickson underlined the practical legal and administrative difficulties created by the absence of an invitation. Observers cannot “force their way” into polling stations without accreditation. The rapporteur did, however, welcome the idea of creating a tricolor evaluation system, which would give greater visibility to criteria identified in advance.

As a member of the Congress delegations observing the local elections in Türkiye, Slovenia and Georgia, the head of the Swiss delegation, David Eray (EPP/CCE), drew the attention of Congress members to the disparity of opportunities for candidates, a problem which concerns not only the countries in question, but also his own country of origin.

Andorra's youth delegate Lisa Cruz Lackner drew the Congress' attention to the need to mobilize the energy of the younger generation to improve citizen participation in local and regional politics, while others spoke of the need to guard against the ill-intentioned use of artificial intelligence, whose recent uses create significant risks of interference and disinformation in local elections.

Finally, despite the alarming trends, the members shared the hope that the exchange of good practices listed in the report would stimulate positive advances in the implementation of the Charter, notably in terms of participation and consultation of local and regional government associations, as well as the adoption of measures aimed at strengthening citizen participation in local public affairs.

The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, today deplored foreign influence in the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova during its Presidential elections and referendum held on 20 October 2024. He referred to the findings of serious attempts to undermine their integrity through foreign interference and active disinformation efforts, reported by the joint PACE/OSCE/European Parliament observation mission.

“In its Recommendation 509 (2024), adopted in March, the Congress already expressed its concern about the numerous and credible reports of corruption of voters and candidates, illegal campaign and party financing and interference by foreign or criminal groups, received by the Congress delegation observing local elections in the Republic of Moldova on 5 November 2023. In September 2024, the Congress Bureau decided to prepare a report on foreign interference with local and regional electoral processes in Europe.

“I regret that the electoral process in the Republic of Moldova continues to be marred by allegations of foreign interference. The Congress remains actively engaged in the Republic of Moldova to support the efforts of local and national authorities in establishing a strong and democratic future for this longstanding member of the Council of Europe,” underlined the Congress President.

Link: Council of Europe Congress: local elections in the Republic of Moldova well-administered but the electoral framework needs stability - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (coe.int)

On 15 October 2024, the city of Fastiv, Ukraine, presented key results of a Congress-supported local initiative in this community: a local anti-corruption code and a novel anti-corruption chatbot where users can browse related legislation and practices, and alert authorities about alleged cases of corruption. The anti-corruption code, based on the European Code of Conduct for all Persons Involved in Local and Regional Governance (adopted by the Congress in 2018) will serve as a model to replicate for Ukrainian communities.

The code was presented to members of the Ukrainian Parliament, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, local elected representatives, national associations of local and regional authorities, non-governmental organisations and the State Agency on civil service, meeting in Fastiv for a round-table on democracy, integrity and European integration. Discussions focused on practical steps to enhance democratic participation, mitigate corruption risks and increase public trust, as part of Ukraine’s efforts to strengthen public ethics in governance.

 “Open local government and strong public ethics are key to building confidence in public institutions. In this endeavour, local governments, local elected representatives, and civil servants have a crucial role to play in fostering and sustaining trust building and participatory decision making,” underlined James Moloney (Ireland, L/ ILDG), Deputy Spokesperson on Ethics and Prevention of Corruption, in his video address. He also highlighted the importance of the European Code of Conduct as a tool for local and regional elected representatives and public officials to prevent corruption and bolster public ethics and integrity.

The event was organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities jointly with the City of Fastiv and the Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee on the Organisation of State Power, Local Self-Government, Regional Development and Urban Planning. It is part of the project “Strengthening multi-level governance, democracy and human rights at local level in Ukraine” implemented by the Congress within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” for 2023-2026. The project supports Ukrainian local and regional authorities and their national associations in building dialogue and contributing to the development of relevant legislative frameworks and recovery plans. It is also aimed at boosting democratic innovation, fostering transparency and open governance that put residents, including vulnerable groups, at the centre of local decision making.

Resources:

• News of Ukraine’s Parliamentary Committee (in Ukrainian): Комітет провів засідання круглого столу на тему: «Демократія. Доброчесність. Євроінтеграція (на прикладі Фастівської міської територіальної громади)» (rada.gov.ua)
• Recording of the event (in Ukrainian): https://youtu.be/Ni-eX35pgbA?si=KezayWHwsTR9zNAL

Local Communities aiming at jointly delivering better services to their citizens can make use of  Inter-Municipal Co-operation (IMC) arrangements.

Armenian communities wanting to develop Inter-Municipal Co-operation to strengthen local service delivery and stimulate economic development are invited to apply for a small grant by 15 November 2024 (23:59 Armenian time) at the following link:

Call for Proposals - grants for inter-municipal co-operation projects - Council of Europe Office in Yerevan (coe.int)

Armenian communities have benefitted from capacity-building and support to help them conduct feasibility studies and build an evidence base for IMC and cross-border cooperation initiatives.

This call for Grants proposals is organised in the framework of the project ‘’Democratic Development, Decentralisation and Good Governance in Armenia – Phase II’’, implemented by the Centre of the Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026, with the financial support of the Austrian Development Agency

A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, comprising rapporteurs Anders KNAPE (Sweden, EPP/CCE) and Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR), will make a monitoring visit to Poland from October 22 to 24, 2024, to assess the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in the country since the previous monitoring report adopted by the Congress in 2019. The rapporteurs will be accompanied by Professor Zoltán Szente, member of the group of independent experts on the European Charter of Local Self-Government (Hungary).

During this visit, the Congress delegation will focus on the follow-up given to Congress Recommendation 431 (2019) “Local and regional democracy in Poland”. Particular attention will be paid to the legal recognition of the principle of local self-government, the financial resources of sub-national authorities, the conditions for exercising responsibilities at local level, as well as to the consultation procedures of the different levels of governance in Poland.

The rapporteurs will meet the Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Tomasz Szymański, representatives of the Ministry of Finance as well as those of the Senate and the Sejm and the Supreme Court of Audit. The delegation has also scheduled exchanges of views with representatives of the Mazovia region, the Radom district and the municipalities of Warsaw, Radom, Jedlińsk and Lesznowola. Finally, in addition to a meeting with representatives of the Office of the Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, the Congress delegation will also meet with members of Poland's national delegation to the Congress and representatives of national associations of local, regional and district elected representatives.

Contact: Guillaume Loiseau, Tel: +33 (0) 3 90 21 63 95

Poland ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government in 1993. Countries that have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter requires compliance with a minimum number of rights, which form the European foundation of local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ensures that these principles are respected.

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The protection of human rights by locally elected representatives was at the centre of the thematic debate held during the 47th session of the Chamber of Local Authorities, on 16 October.

The debate focused on the role of   locally elected representatives in safeguarding and implementing human rights in a context of recent attacks on elected officials and weakening of human rights protection. Human rights need to be considered as a concrete and tangible reality for local stakeholders, encompassing essential aspects such as education, housing, and social rights.

A guest speaker in the debate, Mattias Guyomar, Judge at the European Court of Human Rights (France), emphasised that mayors and other locally elected officials are at the front line of protecting human rights. For him, in addition to being the foundation of all democratic regimes, locally elected officials are the guardians against human rights abuses. They should therefore respect, protect, fulfil and promote human rights and act as a network for human rights protection. He also insisted on the need for continuous dialogue between the European Court of Human Rights and local elected representatives to explain the case-law of the Court and to learn about the daily implementation of human rights in municipalities.

Floriane Varieras, Deputy Mayor of Strasbourg in charge of the “Inclusive City: solidarity, support for vulnerable people and anti-discrimination” campaign makes sure that conditions are met for people to live their lives with dignity. She highlighted the importance of implementing human rights at local level – for instance, by guaranteeing access to food, housing, and public services for most vulnerable citizens, especially youth residents. The Deputy Mayor also stressed that “the respect for human rights must be a compass for our day-to-day actions. This means taking action, but also promoting these rights”.

Ella Micallef, Youth delegate from Malta, highlighted the power local authorities have to react in situations potentially dangerous for human rights before they escalate, because of their proximity to   citizens. She also recalled the impact rulings of the European Court of Human Rights have on all European municipalities, and concluded by underlining that “young people rely on local and regional authorities to make the European Court of Human rights accessible for everyone”.

The speakers were followed by Congress members and youth delegates underscoring that local decisions had an essential role to play in consolidating the protection of human rights on the continent, both preventively and curatively.

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In 2014, the Congress became the first European assembly to involve youth delegates in its work and allow them to speak at its sessions. Since then, the youth delegates have not only rejuvenated politics within the Congress but have also helped to “reinvigorate democracy”. This unique and successful example of integrating young people into political life should be replicated in all member states by elected local and regional assemblies, said the Congress in a debate followed by the adoption of a resolution.

Ten years ago, some members of the Congress were sceptical about this outstretched hand to young people, fearing in particular that it would slow down its work. But today, said Véronique Bertholle (France, L, SOC/V/DP), Congress thematic spokesperson on youth, no one questions this participation, which is even seen as a way of strengthening the institution. “Since 2014, you have breathed new life into Congress perspectives”, she stressed, addressing the youth delegates: in ten years, 419 young people from all member states, one from each country, have taken up the mantle as youth delegates. 

Jani Kokko (Finland, L, SOC/V/DP), co-rapporteur on the resolution on The integration of youth perspectives in local and regional democratic life, stressed the need to further increase the role of young people in this area. The ongoing work on the Revised European Charter on the Participation of Young People in Local and Regional Life will take account of developments in recent years, including in communication techniques popular with young people, primarily digital tools, and will offer tools for cooperation between local and regional authorities and young people. In Finland, Jani Kokko emphasised, young people are already very much involved in political life, from the local and regional level right up to the national parliament, where they make a considerable contribution.

A session chaired by a youth delegate to talk about young people's projects

As a symbol of the Congress’ commitment in this field, Congress President Marc Cools (Belgium, L, ILDG) handed over his seat to a youth delegate (Thomas Olsen AARHEIM, Norway) to chair the rest of the debate, during which several youth delegates presented concrete projects that they had carried out in their countries.

Jon Kola (Albania), Jack O'Connor (Ireland), Sandra Slušnytė (Lithuania) and Lisa Cruz Lackner (Andorra) looked at how the cities of Tirana, Limerick, Vilnius and Andorra la Vella are applying the Charter on Youth Participation. Anna Ramkovica (Latvia) wanted to learn about how young people from linguistic minorities - mainly Russian speakers - in the city of Jūrmala perceived their integration in relation to speakers of Latvian, the majority language. In San Marino, Maya Tentoni developed a very popular podcast to inform young people about the elections and the candidates' programmes. Henrik Harjus (Estonia) developed an application and a game enabling young people in Tartu to find out about the activities and missions of local authorities while walking around the city. Panagiotis Moumtsakis (Greece) worked on political and social engagement in cities and regions affected by the terrible fires of summer 2021. For Afia Mansoor Ahmed (Germany), summing up all the projects implemented by the 40 youth delegates in 2024, these “have enabled us to share our experiences, to improve dialogue between young people and local authorities, but also between young people themselves”. She thanked the Congress for “helping us shape our future”.

During the debate, many other youth delegates, as well as several Congress members, welcomed the success of the initiative launched in 2014. Many of the elected representatives noted that the motivation of the youth delegates had increased year on year. This was to be expected, added Hasan Akguün (Türkiye, L, SOC/V/DP), because “in our country too, the more our young people participate in local public life, the more interested they become”.

Involving youth delegates more closely in the work of national delegations

Serbian youth delegate Jovana Milurović (Serbia) believes that young people are still not sufficiently heard by international organisations, even though their opinions are essential for a more inclusive and democratic society. “We don't just want to participate, we also want to shape the future”, she added. Aida Karimli (Sweden, R, ILDG) felt that “now that we have given young people a voice, we need to listen to them”.  

Soeren Schumacher (Germany, R, SOC/V/DP) strongly emphasised this point, while at the same time being critical of certain national delegations to the Congress which, in his view, did not involve young people enough in their activities: “It is not enough to invite young people to the plenary sessions; they must be genuinely involved in our work from the outset”, he said.  What's more, added two other members, “when you really work with young people, you are impressed by the quality of their commitment; they are inspiring and refreshing”.

Concluding the debate, Véronique Bertholle hoped that other international assemblies would one day include young delegates in their composition, as the Congress is still the only one to have done so. She expressed the hope that youth delegates would be more representative of the diversity of young people.  Finally, she pointed out that one in five of the elected representatives in her city, Strasbourg, is under the age of 30, proof that the participation of young people is already a daily reality there.

 Mediabox Interview with Vérionique Bertholle

 Mediabox Interview with Afia Mansoor Ahmed

 Mediabox Interview with Ivan Donev

 Congress Rejuvenating Politics Initiative: 10 years of making democracy younger

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47th Session
Agenda – Web file – Photos

Having always been in favour of increasing regional autonomy, the Congress regularly studies its development and is intending to prepare a new report on the subject, as the previous one dates back to 2013.  On Wednesday 16 October, the Chamber of Regions discussed some particularly successful examples of asymmetrical regional autonomy.  From the Baltic to the Atlantic, they demonstrate all its benefits, both for the regions and for the countries they belong to.

The Speaker of the Parliament of Åland (Finland), Jörgen Pettersson, showed how the special regional autonomy of the islands, with their Swedish culture and language, had enabled them to develop since 1922 in keeping with their special features, while avoiding conflict between Sweden and Finland.  “Everyone benefits from the status, and Åland is a place of balance in the heart of the Baltic,” he said, while listing the powers of the islands, some of which were worthy of a real state, but were always in harmony with those of the Finnish Republic.

The specific features of the Azores (Portugal) stem from their geographical isolation and climate, which create living conditions that are very different from those in mainland Portugal.  “Since 1976, our special status has enabled us to fight under-development while pursuing policies better suited to the constraints of our environment,” said the Vice-President of the Regional Government of the Azores, Artur Lima.  The status had also weakened secessionist movements in relation to central government, while demonstrating perfectly that autonomy was viable under a subsidiarity approach.  In conclusion, he said that the Azores were a fully-fledged European region, and its people were proud to be Azoreans, Portuguese and Europeans, adding that no European citizens should be disadvantaged because of where they lived.

In the Basque Country, special regional autonomy is combined with fiscal and financial autonomy

Mikel Anton Zarragoitia, European Affairs Director of the Basque Government, described the operation and the specific features of his region, including the link between the “historic territory”, the three Basque provinces and the municipalities.  The Basque tax system, which was different from that in Spain, and the financial agreements and relationships between the Basque Country and Spain were unique examples in Europe that made for the effective exercise of particularly extensive autonomy.  However, the Basque government did note that these processes were sometimes threatened by a trend towards recentralisation.  In any case, he said in conclusion, the Basque example showed that a state did not need to be uniform to work well and that multilevel governance proved its effectiveness on a daily basis.  Lastly, Belgian youth delegate Boris Lennaertz pointed out that regional autonomy could also involve a linguistic status, or the status of a capital city – that was the case of Brussels, which was the Belgian capital and a fully-fledged region that was also officially bilingual, with French and Dutch being used without distinction.

Regional autonomy in Europe: progress and setbacks

In commenting on these successful models, Frédéric Bierry (France, L, EPP/CCE) nevertheless pointed out that some other regions in Europe had seen their autonomy decline or disappear.  In particular, that was the case of Alsace (France), which had lost its status as a fully-fledged region in 2015 and become part of the new “Greater East” region, “without any consultation by the French government of Alsatian elected representatives or voters.”  In his view, that was a “flagrant breach” of the European Charter of Local Self-Government.  He added that, according to polls conducted by the current European Community of Alsace (CEA), which he headed, 92% of Alsatians wanted the restoration of a fully-fledged region outside the Greater East region.  While regional autonomy eased tensions, he pointed out that, conversely, “refusing to listen to people encouraged extremes.”  In contrast, he praised the “maturity” of Swiss regional democracy, which had recently enabled the municipality of Moutier to be “transferred” from the canton of Berne to the canton of Jura.

 Video recording 

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47th Session
Agenda – Web file – Photos

On October 16th, during its 47th session, the Congress adopted a resolution and recommendation aimed at ensuring access to quality social assistance for older people in the context of aging communities in Europe.

The demographics of European countries show a worrying trend: in 2024, the number of people over 65 exceeds that of young people under 15. The Congress report on the need to ensure older people's access to quality social assistance is therefore timely. Carla Dejonghe, Belgium (R, GILD), co-rapporteur, emphasized the challenges that local and regional authorities must address to achieve this: the growing demand for long-term care, rising costs of home and institutional care, staff shortages, and maintaining quality standards in a context of budget constraints. According to her, better multi-level cooperation between national, regional and local levels should lead to the adoption of more adequate legislation to finance not only sustainable care systems as such, but also innovative measures to allow older people to remain autonomous and live at home for as long as possible. In addition to its proven economic benefits, this new paradigm of home care is also less alienating, provided that cities follow comprehensive approaches in this area, as recommended by the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Age-Friendly Cities Guide, and by providing an age-friendly living environment based on transportation infrastructure and social and health services adapted to their needs, for example.

Fully guaranteeing human and social rights to older people as full citizens would be, according to co-rapporteur Joanne Laban, United Kingdom (L, CRE), one of the priorities targeted by the Congress recommendations. A comprehensive approach should at the same time aim to improve working conditions, training and well-being of caregivers, as well as the establishment of specific funding by national governments to support local authorities in these areas.

Invited to the plenary session, Rui Moreira, Mayor of Porto, shared with Congress members the very positive experience of his city, which has joined the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities. According to him, the "demographic transition" is one of the great challenges for European local and regional elected officials in the 21st century as it tests the resilience of our societies' humanist values. The labor market and social and health systems will be impacted, hence the need to plan and implement strategies to combat poverty, isolation and discrimination of older people. The 80 projects initiated by the city of Porto, where 25% of the population is over 65, involved the participation of more than 30 local partners: parishes, schools, businesses and associations. About 10,000 older people benefited from these projects, including intergenerational activities, senior universities, taxi systems at bus ticket prices, etc. "Ensuring our populations age with dignity is one of the most important markers of civilization!" insisted the Mayor of Porto.

"Older people should in no way be treated as a burden, but as full human beings," said Sandra Slusnyte, youth delegate from Lithuania. She would like young people to be more involved in policies to help and support older people so that intergenerational transmission is strengthened and seniors can feel able to share the richness of their experience. She drew attention to the situation of rural communes abandoned by young people, but also by public services. Maria Virginia Iliuta, youth delegate from Spain, spoke about the financial exclusion that seniors suffer in rural areas deserted by bank branches, not to mention the digital divide that often represents a subject of despair for those unable to manage online administrative procedures.

Unanimously appreciating the qualities of the report, and the resulting resolution and recommendation, during the debate Congress members emphasized the importance of the financial factor and the need for local authorities to have sufficient autonomy in managing social and medical assistance. They paid particular attention to the burden borne by women who represent the majority of caregivers and especially "informal" caregivers taking care of family members. Faced with the weight borne by women who care for seniors in the family context, Turkish delegates insisted on the well-being of informal caregivers and their social fulfillment. A social worker in France, youth delegate Marie Fritsch sounded the alarm about the distress of poor retirees sometimes forced to choose between a meal and medication, not to mention those who end up living on the street. The particular needs of LGBTIQ+ seniors who suffer more often from isolation and discrimination should be taken into account specifically, pointed out Helen Belcher from the United Kingdom (GILD).

Finally, the debate was also an opportunity for Congress members to share good practices that could inspire their colleagues: cross-border Active Seniors programs or co-housing between young people and older people in Austria, lifelong learning programs in Ukraine, the Dependency Pact in Brandenburg, Germany, Proud to Care in the United Kingdom or day centers in some cities in Turkey.

 Video recording

 Mediabox interview with Carla Dejonghe & Joanne Laban

Meeting on 16 October 2024 during the 47^th session, the Congress Chamber of Regions held debates on regions with a special status; the place of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in regional governance (with an emphasis on the opportunities and risks of integrating them in political decision-making, and their potential impact on democracy and human rights; as well as on the role of regions in international co-operation for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

The latter debate built upon the declaration inviting European cities and regions to explore partnership opportunities with their Ukrainian counterparts, which was adopted during the Congress’ session in March 2024.The debate focused on the humanitarian objectives, infrastructure, reconstruction of public social facilities and economic development of Ukraine, and structural reforms linked to the European integration objectives of Ukraine, henceforth a candidate for accession to the European Union.

”Local and regional authorities in Ukraine play a crucial role in the pursuit of the country’s recovery and reconstruction,” stressed Tetiana Yehorova–Lutsenko, President of the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils and Chair of the Kharkiv Regional Council. She pointed to the crucial importance of European and international partnerships with Ukrainian regions and cities, mostly needed in such core areas as the restoration of critical infrastructure, delivery of social services and the development of the education and healthcare sectors.

For Pavlo Zhurba, Deputy Head of Ternopil Regional State Administration, decentralised cooperation enabled the Ukrainian regions to determine for themselves ‘where their real needs lie’.  He underlined that decentralisation was an integral part of reconstruction, and added  that “international partnerships can act as a catalyst for Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction process since they contribute to mobilising the necessary resources, sharing good practices, and finding innovative solutions.”

Patrick Molinoz, Vice-President of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region in France, and Anita Schneider, President of the Gießen District in Germany, detailed their respective regions’ partnerships with Ukraine’s Vinnytsia oblast and the Chernihiv rayon. Ms Schneider highlighted the importance of solidarity partnerships in the same way as technical assistance, adding that “the choice of themes and cooperation must be as close to the people as possible”.

Mr Molinoz, in his capacity as President of the Commission for Citizenship, Governance, Institutional and External Affairs (CIVEX) of the European Committee of the Regions, referred to the European Alliance of Cities and Regions for the Reconstruction of Ukraine. He explained that the Alliance acted as a platform where local and regional authorities, their associations and civil society in the European Union and Ukraine can share information, create partnerships, and work to ensure that local and regional levels of government are involved in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction process.

Vice-President Molinoz also stressed the need for better coordination between the players involved, especially between all levels of governance, as well as a fair redistribution of resources according to the most urgent needs. In line with Ukraine's objective of European integration, he also focused on capacity-building and called for a “build back better” approach in order to comply as closely as possible with EU standards. Finally, Mr Molinoz announced that on 19 November the French Mayors' Congress would be holding a conference on regional cooperation with Ukraine, with the aim of re-mobilising local authorities on this issue.

During the debate, regional elected representatives encouraged their peers to develop co-operation projects and partnerships with regional and local actors in Ukraine, while youth delegates called on Congress members to involve young people and civil society in decision-making processes linked to Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

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47th Session
Agenda – Web file – Photos

Speaking at the opening of the 23^rd Conference of the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy organised in Valongo on 17-19 October on “How can participatory democracy help us counter populist threats and build democratic resilience”, Konstantinos Koukas, Congress spokesperson on the European Local Democracy Week and local councillor of Mykonos (Greece) highlighted that participatory democracy is a powerful antidote to populism: “When people are actively involved in shaping public policies, they are less likely to feel disconnected or disenfranchised, and more likely to trust democratic institutions”.

Congress vice-president Koukas  stressed that institutionalising mechanisms of participation not only empowers citizens but also builds a more resilient, pluralistic democracy, better able to withstand the threats of disinformation, distrust, and populist trends. “Where populism thrives on division, exclusion, and a growing distrust in democratic institutions, participatory democracy, by contrast, offers a path toward inclusive governance”, he underlined.

He further elaborated on practical approaches to engage citizens in decision-making, such as participatory budgeting, citizens' assemblies, digital e-democracy platforms, collaborative workshops, and youth councils. These initiatives foster greater civic engagement and strengthen democratic processes at the local level.

Presenting the European Local Democracy Week organised by the Congress which aims to promote events organised by cities and regions with and for their citizens, Koukas praised the city of Valongo which has been for many years an active and innovative partner of the European Week of Local Democracy, organising every year, a wide range of such activities.

He encouraged the participants of the Valongo Conference to take the lessons learned about others’ experiences and best practices, successes and challenges back to their communities and continue the essential work of building democratic resilience through active and innovative action to promote citizen participation.

Speaking notes Mr. Koukas IOPD Conference_October 24

On 15 October 2024, during its 47th session, the Congress unanimously adopted a resolution and a series of recommendations on the circular economy.  The presentation of the report was followed by a debate that provided practical examples of the circular economy’s positive impact on the environment and also on employment and the social climate.  Being closest to citizens’ concerns and needs, local and regional authorities are set to play a key part in the process of transforming practices and mentalities in terms of production and consumption.

Drawn up by the Congress Committee on Governance, Civic Engagement and the Environment, the report on the urgent need to transform the linear economy into a circular one takes account of the latest (2023) – very alarming – data from the IPCC concerning the exhaustion of resources and degradation of the environment.  The co-rapporteur, Linda Gillham, United Kingdom (L, ILDG), stressed that it was the “take-make-dispose” economic model of linear production – and the related consumption practices – that were the source of the problem.  Hence the need to tackle it more resolutely than ever, not only to achieve the goal of a sustainable economy but also to bring about greater social and environmental justice, which would ensure better respect for human rights.  Breathing cleaner air, having better quality food and water and living together in greater harmony were the goals that should persuade people to adopt environmentally responsible consumption habits.  According to the co-rapporteur, Kristoffer Tamsons, Sweden (R, EPP/CCE), recycling waste and reusing materials and also technological products whose manufacture required the extraction of precious metals, for instance our mobile phones, could not only have an impact on the environment and solve the problem of the exhaustion of resources but also curb practices such as the exploitation of children and cheap labour.  The circular economy model relied on local producers and entrepreneurs in Europe, with emphasis on short production-consumption circuits.  That was why it was also based on the commitment of local and regional authorities on the ground, working hand in hand with business, civil society, universities and schools.

In his view, persuasion and encouragement were the keys to the success of the expected transformation.  “It is better to use the carrot than the stick,” he said, adding that the report set out a real roadmap for local and regional authorities, which could address the issue of establishing the circular economy by employing both incentive measures and educational strategies, while using the evaluation tools it included.  The recommendations on incorporating the principles of the circular economy in local authorities’ policies emphasised the establishment of public-private partnerships to adopt sustainable manufacturing methods through changes in the supply chain and eco-designing.  Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine – which was a terrible scourge in both human and environmental terms – and the repercussions of the Covid‑19 pandemic had both highlighted the major weaknesses in the global supply chain, encouraging Europe to give priority to local, sustainable and resilient circuits.

The debate highlighted a series of challenges which local and regional authorities faced when it came to introducing policies to promote the circular economy, in particular the lack of adequate funding from national budgets for local authorities.  For that reason, Anthony Buchanan, United Kingdom (ILDG), believed that the polluter-pays principle should always be applied, which would act as a deterrent while also funding circular economy projects.  Several members shared details of best practice in this area from their municipalities and regions, including policies in the agrifood and construction sectors in Fribourg in Switzerland, where the universities trained specialists in the use of recycled materials, public-private partnership projects established in Cheltenham in the UK and the transformation of the chemical and textile industry in Sweden, etc.

The importance of co-ordinating policies at local, regional, national, European and, indeed, global level was emphasised, in particular in terms of regulating the market where all too often environmentally unsustainable products were cheaper and more readily available to consumers, according to Gunes Pehlivan, Türkiye (SOC/G/PD).  In this connection, Eke Fryslan Folkerts, Netherlands (EPP/CCE), commented that innovation had to be central to green policies in order to achieve innovative and less costly solutions.  Lastly, all relevant policies had to converge so as to offer the possibility of responsible and consensual choices to citizens who, as consumers, were the driving force behind transformation of the economic and social model.  The youth delegates from Romania and Albania also took part in the debate, stressing how ready the younger generation was to take up the challenge, as young people were already fully in favour of this economic model.

 Adopted resolution

 Adopted recommendation

 Video recording 

  Mediabox interview with Linda Gillham & Kristoffer Tamsons

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“The active participation of all our citizens in political decision-making , including young people, is crucial  in guaranteeing the legitimacy, credibility and functioning of our democratic systems,” stressed Congress Spokesperson on Youth Véronique Bertholle (France, SOC/G/PD) addressing the 47^th session. Speaking in a special debate to mark the 10^th anniversary of the Congress’ “Rejuvenating Politics” initiative – chaired exceptionally and for the first time by a youth delegate, Thomas Olsen Aarheim from Norway – Ms Bertholle pointed out that the initiative showed the Congress “walks the talk” when it comes to including young people in public life at local and regional levels.

Launched in 2014, the youth delegates programme brings together each year one young person for each member state to take part in Congress work, and to implement projects in their local communities. During the debate, youth delegates recalled that young people were not only shaping the foundation for the future, but also building the present. Young people should not just be invited to the table, they should be equal partners at the local level, stressed youth delegates.

To this date, almost 420 young people have benefited from this programme. Together, they have implemented 268 projects in around 343 municipalities across all of Europe. Among others, a podcast on elections in San Marino, an exploration game in Estonia and research on national integration in Latvia were presented by youth delegates during the special debate.   

The debate concluded with the adoption of a resolution, presented by co-rapporteurs Jani Kokko (Finland, SOC/G/PD) and Randi Mondorf (Denmark, SOC/G/PD). Adopted unanimously, the resolution commended the pioneering role of the Congress in engaging young people at local and regional level and welcomed the renewed commitment of Council of Europe member states to young people’s participation in democratic life. Member states were encouraged to make sure that youth policies were designed at the national level with adequately resourced measures.

The resolution also called on local authorities to implement co-management structures such as youth councils, to use means of communication adapted to young people’s practices and to build partnerships with educational institutions to raise young people’s awareness of the role they can play in public democratic life.

 Mediabox Interview with Vérionique Bertholle

 Mediabox Interview with Afia Mansoor Ahmed

 Mediabox Interview with Ivan Donev

 Congress Rejuvenating Politics Initiative: 10 years of making democracy younger

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Türkiye should revise the restrictions on the right to vote and stand in elections as well as on the freedom of expression, enhance the accuracy of electoral rolls, strengthen the participation of women and youth in elections and pursue efforts to ensure accessibility of polling stations.

These were the key recommendations adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, based on the findings of the report of the Congress mission to observe local elections in Türkiye on 31 March 2024.

Presenting the report, David Eray (Switzerland, R, EPP/CCE) and Vladimir Prebilič (Slovenia, L, SOC/G/PD) pointed out that the elections were conducted in a calm and professional manner, despite deficiencies observed during the pre-election period and against the background of a challenging economic situation and post-earthquake reconstruction. They commended the level of commitment of voters and candidates to local democracy down to the level closest to the citizens and welcomed the wide acceptance of results. They also noted that the electoral campaign was highly competitive and offered voters with substantial alternatives, and welcomed the fact that the post-electoral developments seemed to show a successful democratic transition of power.

At the same time, the Congress delegation found that most 2019 Congress recommendations remained unaddressed – in particular measures to guarantee an equal level playing field for all candidates, which remain a prerequisite for genuine democratic elections at local and regional levels. The campaign also remained excessively focused on national politics and marred by widespread allegations of misuse of public resources and official positions. Finally, the Congress delegation deplored the decision of the Ministry of the Interior to resort to controversial articles of the Municipality Law to appoint a trustee in lieu of an elected mayor.

 Full speech (David Eray)

 Full speech (Vladimir Prebilič)

 Video recording 

 Mediabox interview 

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The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has reiterated its call on the Georgian authorities to reverse the recently adopted anti-human rights legislation and to refrain from taking any action that would further threaten political pluralism, infringe on human rights or undermine the foundations of democracy, all of which would also be detrimental to local self-government in Georgia.

The Congress recalled that the national authorities of Georgia must fulfil the obligations and commitments they renewed in the Reykjavik Declaration in May 2023, and that they can be held accountable by the Council of Europe’s statutory bodies if they fail to do so.

In a Declaration adopted following an urgent debate on the situation in Georgia during its 47^th session, presented by Congress Vice-President Xavier Cadoret (France, L, SOC/G/PD), the Congress expressed deep concern over clear signs of democratic backsliding and the weakening of human rights in Georgia, marked by increased polarisation of society and the enactment of legislation that runs counter to Council of Europe standards.

The Declaration reiterated the need for effective protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including non-discrimination and freedom of assembly; local authorities must not be put in a position when they are required by law to violate human rights and fundamental freedoms or to implement anti-democratic policies to the detriment of inclusivity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence within their communities. The Congress also underlined its commitment to pursuing constructive political dialogue with the Georgian authorities, notably in the framework of a high-level visit to Georgia, and its continued support to the efforts of Georgian authorities at all levels of government, in collaboration with civil society, to safeguard human rights, uphold the rule of law, and promote democracy.

 Video recording 

 Mediabox interview with Xavier Cadoret

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On 16 October 2024, the Congress held a debate on the key challenges faced by local and regional authorities in Europe over the past five years, based on the findings of its monitoring and election observation missions.

Inadequate financial resources for local and regional authorities, a restricted scope of local self-government, and insufficient consultation processes – all factors weakening local democracy and therefore democracy as a whole – have persisted or worsened. Virulent online hate speech and disinformation towards local and regional elected representatives, as well as physical and verbal aggressions against them were on the rise, which created a hostile environment for the execution of their mandates. This pattern, particularly evident during elections, had become more pronounced in recent years, exerting paralysing effects on European democracies and political life at the local and regional levels. In particular, they were detrimental to local democracy as they challenged the conditions of office required for elected representatives to be able to freely exercise their local mandates, and had a chilling effect on future candidates in elections.

These were findings of the third periodic report on recurring issues revealed by Congress monitoring and election observation missions, presented by Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, R, ILDG) and Thibault Guignard (France, L, EPP/CCE). Intended to serve as an early warning mechanism to detect negative developments and reinforce positive ones, in order to prevent and counteract democratic backsliding at local and regional levels, the report raised an alarm about ripple effects that multiple successive crises over 2021-2024 had on grassroots democracy and elections in all member States. The crises challenged voters’ trust in their institutions and in representative democracy at all levels of government; in many cases, they led to recentralisation of competences and temporary suspension of the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Their consequences had to be addressed without delay to stop democratic erosion.

The rapporteurs pointed in particular to the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as climate change and their related consequences – such as internal displacement, inflation, cyberattacks, disinformation and interference, among others.

At the same time, positive steps in the implementation of the Charter were noted, including the strengthening of participatory and consultation rights of associations of local and regional authorities as well as measures aimed at enhancing citizen participation in local public affairs. On electoral matters, the report highlighted progress made on the inclusivity of elections and on more professional and transparent electoral procedures.

   Mediabox interview of Stewart Dickson

 Debate overview

On 15 October 2024, the Congress debated the situation of local and regional democracy around the world and the relevance of the European Charter of Local Self-Government for inspiring decentralisation processes in non-member states.

Addressing the 47^th session, Congress Vice-President Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE) presented the Outcome Statement adopted in September by the UN Forum of Mayors – chaired by Congress member Danela Arsovska, Mayor of Skopje (North Macedonia) – and endorsed by the Congress Bureau the day before the debate. Referring to Congress Recommendation 511 on “The UN Pact for the future: the essential role of local and regional authorities in global sustainable development”, the Outcome Statement called for granting local and regional governments a special status within the United Nations and for formalising their dialogue with the UN political bodies, to foster the decentralisation of power, decision-making and resource management worldwide.

Vice-President Helgesen highlighted the recent Congress co-operation with global partners in promoting multilevel governance and its contribution to the UN High-Level Political Forum in New York, the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development in Geneva and the Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments set up by the UN Secretary-General.

A guest speaker in the debate, Sami Kanaan, former Mayor of Geneva and President of the Global Cities Hub, insisted on the need for local and regional authorities to have a more institutionalised role in global decision-making processes and welcomed the Congress cooperation with the Forum of Mayors,  pointing out that it was the only official and recognised body allowing mayors to sit in their own capacity within the UN.

Noting that Europe was one of the most decentralised world regions where local democracy was accepted as a core value – thanks to the European Charter of Local Self-Government – other guest speakers, from non-European countries, emphasised considerable advantages offered by strong local self-government and the crucial role of decentralisation of power, also for ensuring citizens’ participation in political decisions. Deputy Mayor of Rabat (Morocco) Rahima Ouzzani Taibi and member of the Regional Council of Nouakchott (Mauritania) Ahmed Salem Ahmed Dekle, as well as Deputy Mayor of Athens (Greece) Georgios Giannaros shared their experiences of practicing local self-government in their countries.

 Video recording

 Mediabox Interview with Ahmed Salem Ahmed Dekle & Rahma Ouazzani Taibi

 Mediabox Interview with Georgios Giannaros

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2024 will be the year when Europe will count more people aged over 65 years than those younger than 15 years, and most Council of Europe member states are affected by this trend. These demographic changes are not without consequences, in particular for local and regional authorities, who face a growing need for the creation of more accessible public spaces, for more elaborate social services and for active ageing policies. To ensure older people’s autonomy and quality of life in this context, multidimensional and multilevel responses are needed.

This was the conclusion of a Congress report presented by co-rapporteurs Carla Dejonghe (Belgium, ILDG) and Joanne Laban (United Kingdom, ECR) at a debate on “ageing communities” held during the 47^th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on 16 October 2024.

The report called for investing in older people’s autonomy at the level of local communities, fostering volunteering work and community-based initiatives and improving the working conditions and skills of formal and informal carers, often women. National governments were invited to develop specific support programmes for local and regional authorities, which are often responsible for providing, commissioning or overseeing long-term care services. Governments were also asked to provide sufficient funding for such systems, including through equalisation funds aimed at overcoming territorial gaps, and to foster a favourable national context for working in the care sector.

The co-rapporteurs underlined the importance of engaging older people themselves in improving the design of services for their generation and in making use of innovative measures, such as IT-based solutions, to preserve their independence.

A guest speaker in the debate, Mayor of Porto (Portugal) Rui Moreira presented his city’s commitment for the development of more age-friendly communities and the numerous initiatives taken by Porto in recent years as a member city of the WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities, encouraging Congress members to join this global movement.

 Full speech

 Mediabox Interview with Carla Dejonghe & Joanne Laban

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Addressing the 47^th session, Vice-Minister of the Interior of Lithuania Arnoldas Abramavičius, speaking on behalf of the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, underlined the paramount role of the Congress in protecting the values of the Council of Europe.

He acknowledged the Congress's monitoring work as an ‘early warning system’ to signal potential democratic erosion, noting that its efforts had not only produced stronger local governance but were also helping to give a new boost to democratic practices in Europe. The recent conference on multilevel governance in Vilnius produced concrete recommendations in this respect. The Vice-Minister also praised the Congress support for the reconstruction and recovery of Ukraine.

Recognising the crucial role of youth in shaping the future of democracy, Vice-Minister Abramavičius welcomed the 10th anniversary of the Rejuvenating Politics initiative, as a milestone in integrating young people into political life – the importance of which was affirmed by the Reykjavik principles.

Referring to the high-level Conference on the revised European Social Charter, held in September in Vilnius, the Vice-Minister pointed out that the Vilnius Declaration attached great importance to dialogue with local authorities in promoting policies based on social rights, and welcomed the Congress' focus on guaranteeing the right to adequate housing and addressing the housing crisis as a commitment to stronger social rights.

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Strasbourg, 16 October 2024 – In a recommendation adopted today, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe welcomed the 2019 local government reform in Malta, the lowering of the minimum age for local elections to 16, and Malta's ratification of the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority.

At the same time, the Congress expressed concerns about the limited scope of local self-government, the ineffectiveness of consultations with local authorities, and the excessive supervision of local self-government by the central authorities, particularly through executive secretaries.

These were the main conclusions of the monitoring report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Malta, presented during the 47^th session by Cecilia Feliczitasz Friderics (Hungary, L, ECR) and Matthias Gysin (Switzerland, L, ILDG).

The rapporteurs highlighted financial constraints to which local authorities were subject, including the lack of adequate financial own resources allocated to them and dependence on earmarked grants. Additionally, the regions recently recognised as the level of local self-government under domestic law could not be considered genuine regions within the meaning of the Charter since their members were not directly elected and they lacked financial autonomy.

The Congress recommended that the national authorities of Malta, among other measures, increase local authorities' competences, ensure effective consultation process, limit administrative supervision to supervision of compliance with the law, review the system of financing local authorities, and diversify local funding. It also recommended granting local councils more administrative freedom, enhancing their powers to manage executive secretaries independently, and allowing mayors to choose between full-time or part-time work. Conferring special status on Valletta should also be considered to enable it to meet the specific needs associated with its role as the capital.

Addressing the session, Malta’s Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government Alison Zerafa Civelli stressed that the amendments to the Local Government Act following the 2019 reform were a key step to providing increased autonomy to local and regional authorities. “While there is still work to be done, it reflects the progress made by successive governments that have remained committed to fostering active citizenship,” she said.

 Full speech 

 Video recording 

 Mediabox interview with  Cecilia Feliczitasz Friderics and Matthias Gysin

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The Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities has called on Latvia to increase revenue potential at the local level, align local financial resources with local competences, simplify supervision and clarify the division of competences.

In its recommendation based on a monitoring report by Jorge Sequeira (Portugal, L,SOC/G/PD) and Gobnait Ní Mhuineacháin (Ireland, L, ILDG) on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Congress welcomed the  opportunities for residents to engage in budgetary and decision-making processes and the ongoing digitalisation but raised concerns about the heavy reliance of local authorities on central funding, limited capacity for local resource generation and excessive earmarked grants.

The rapporteurs called for signing and ratifying the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority.

The debate was followed by an exchange of views with Inga Bērziņa, Minister for Smart Administration and Regional Development of Latvia, who stressed that the new Local Government Law in her country provided for more active public participation in decision-making and in the functioning of local government.

 Video recording 

 Mediabox interview with Gobnait Ní Mhuineacháin and Jorge Sequeira

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On the occasion of the 47^th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Chamber of Regions has elected a new President to fill the vacant position.

Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD) has been elected as President during the sitting of the Chamber of Regions on the 16^th of October. She is a member of the regional council of Västra Götaland and was previously serving as 5^th Vice-President of the Chamber of Regions and a member of the Social Inclusion Committee.

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In a recommendation adopted today, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe concluded that Icelandic municipalities lead globally in terms of female voting and representation, and welcomed the high level of fiscal autonomy in the country’s local self-government. However, despite previous Congress recommendations, Iceland did not incorporate local democracy and self-government principles into its law to ensure a clear division of responsibilities between central and local authorities.

These were the main conclusions of the third monitoring report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government since Iceland ratified it in 1991. The report was presented during the 47^th session by Matthias Gysin (Switzerland, L, ILDG) and Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, L, SOC/G/PD).

The rapporteurs welcomed the increase in state grants to municipalities and noted the planned improvements to the consultation procedures on public finances and equalisation systems. However, they drew particular attention to insufficient financial resources for local authorities to effectively perform their tasks, and mostly single-purpose inter-municipal co-operation (IMC). They also noted that Reykjavik had not been granted a special status to address its specific needs as the capital city compared with other municipalities.

The Congress recommended that Iceland clarify the division of responsibilities, adopt legislation to give the Charter legal force, ensure adequate financial resources for local authorities, modernise the equalisation mechanism, further promote municipal mergers, improve IMC and grant Reykjavik a special status as the capital city and enhance consultation on financial matters.

 Video recording 

 MediaBox interview with Matthias Gysin and Gudrun Mosler-Törnström

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The destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage by the Russian Federation was at the heart of the debate of Congress members on Tuesday 15 October.

Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine,  stressed that “the destruction and looting of cultural heritage is a deliberate attempt to destroy Ukraine’s culture and identity.” He called upon local and regional authorities in Europe to help protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage, pointing out that it is a shared responsibility. The Minister further noted that his administration is documenting any type of crime against Ukrainian cultural heritage and that the evidence will be used to demand reparations for the damage inflicted by the Russian Federation to historical, cultural and religious heritage.

“The Russian Federation is trying to wipe out our history and national identity through the destruction of cultural heritage, which is our link with past generations,” underlined Mykola Lukashuk, Chair of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council in Ukraine, while commenting of the ‘weaponisation of culture’ by the Russian Federation. He also pointed out that the Russian Federation’s propaganda war continues, aiming to destroy Ukrainian identity.

The co-rapporteurs of the Declaration adopted by the Congress, Martine Dieschburg-Nickels (Luxembourg, L, ILDG) and Gunn-Marit Helgesen (Norway, R, EPP/CCE), concluded that “it is our common duty to preserve and restore Ukraine’s cultural heritage” and encouraged local and regional authorities to establish cultural heritage partnerships with Ukrainian villages, towns and cities to support them in this quest.

 Video recording

 Mediabox interview

 Papier d'angle

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“Transitioning to a circular economy is no longer a matter of choice; it has become a necessity. A circular economy offers not only a solution to environmental degradation but also a pathway to economic prosperity and job creation,” underlined Congress rapporteurs Linda Gillham (United Kingdom, ILDG) and Kristoffer Tamsons (Sweden, EPP/CCE) presenting their report on fostering a circular economy at local and regional levels, during the 47^th session on 15 October 2024.

In the resolution and recommendation adopted following a debate, the Congress emphasised that local and regional authorities were well placed to minimise the release of toxic substances and reducing waste through circular economy practices whereby resources were conserved, reused and recycled, with a focus shift to the use of local supplies. The report also stressed that by promoting equitable resource distribution, the circular economy fosters inclusive participation in economic opportunities, and supports healthier environments. Such type of economy is already fully endorsed by the young generation, as highlighted by the Congress youth delegates during the debate.

The rapporteurs pointed out that fostering the circular model would help to ensure cleaner air, soil, and water for all and to enhance community well-being, resulting in significant social benefits.

Adopted resolution

Adopted recommendation

 Video recording 

  Mediabox interview with Linda Gillham & Kristoffer Tamsons

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During its 47^th session, the Congress held a debate on 15 October 2024 on local democracy as a pillar of stability in South-East Europe. Dušan Raičević, Mayor of Bar (Montenegro) and President of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS), recalled that the Association was created 20 years ago with the support of the Congress to promote a reconciliation mechanism in the aftermath of the Balkan war, at a time when communities in South-East Europe were torn apart along ethnic lines.

According to him, as the Association was marking its 20^th anniversary, it had become an influential network supporting local democracy, decentralisation and self-government in South-East Europe, helping the region’s applicant countries with their accession to the European Union. “Today, NALAS provides crucial technical assistance to over 7,000 local governments, helping to foster a strong sense of solidarity between its members and strengthen their co-operation in response to current and future challenges,” stressed President Raičević.

 Video recording 

 Mediabox interview with Dušan Raičević

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The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has noted the overall positive application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government principles  in Finland, but expressed concern about the weak constitutional foundation for the new tier of local self-government at regional level and its limited financial autonomy.

These were the main conclusions of the fourth recommendation evaluating the Charter’s implementation in Finland since its ratification in 1991, based on a report by Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, L, EPP/CCE) and Rachel Bailey (United Kingdom,  R, ECR).

The rapporteurs noted as positive the establishment of a second tier of local government (“wellbeing services counties”), the extensive responsibilities of local authorities, and the effective collaboration between central and local governments. However, they recommended that national authorities reinforce the constitutional basis for the wellbeing services counties, enhance their financial autonomy, establish clear consultation procedures for municipalities facing compulsory boundary changes, and grant Helsinki a special status reflecting its role as the capital city.

The recommendation was adopted during the 47^th Session of the Congress, following a debate which included a statement by Kristiina Kokko, State Secretary to the minister of local and regional government.

Contact: Päivi Suhonen, Communications officer, Council of Europe, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89

 Video recording 

 MediaBox interview with  Konstantinos Koukas and Rachel Bailey

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