European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG)
On 31 December 2023, the CDDG ceased to exist, with the creation of a new Steering Committee on Democracy in 2024.
The European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) is the Council of Europe intergovernmental forum where representatives of member States meet to develop European standards (recommendations, guidelines, reports), to exchange and follow up on the state of democratic governance in Europe, and to work together to strengthen democratic institutions at all levels of government.
On 31 December 2023, the CDDG will cease to exist, with the creation of a new Steering Committee on Democracy becoming operational in 2024.
In 2022-2023, the Committee has been working on:
- a draft Recommendation on the Principles of Good Democratic Governance applicable to all levels of government, building on the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance at local level; this led in September 2023 to the adoption of Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)5 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the principles of good democratic governance, with its explanatory memorandum;
- a draft Recommendation on Deliberative Democracy, which identifies main principles to follow for those member States which decide to implement various deliberative initiatives, such as citizen assemblies; the work was concluded with the adoption, in September 2023, of Recommendation CM/Rec(2023)6 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on deliberative democracy;
- a report on Green Public Administration, with a view to collect good practice in the field of climate and environmentally supportive policies and policy-making (adopted by the CDDG at its 18th meeting in November 2023);
- a report on Multilevel Governance, including in times of emergencies (adopted by the CDDG at its 18th meeting in November 2023).
Earlier in 2023, the Committee published a Report on new forms of deliberative and participatory democracy, to complement the Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)4 on the participation of citizens in local public life and the 2017 Guidelines on civil participation in decision-making and taking into account its work on e-democracy.
The Committee also organised a conference on E-voting and ICT in elections: taking stock and moving forward, to prepare the bi-annual review of the implementation of the Recommendation CM/Rec (2017)5 on standards for e-voting.
In addition, the Committee continued to contribute to the preparation of the Convention and the overall work on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on democracy and governance.
Finally, the Committee has provided direct support to member States through peer reviews and the rapid response system to respond to requests for assistance in the area of democratic governance. It relies on the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance for the implementation of country-specific programmes, overseeing also of the work of the Division of Elections and Participatory Democracy.
Governance
The 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance at local level have been an inspiration for public administration reforms, decentralisation and strengthening democratic institutions at local and regional level. How can they be adapted to be applicable to all levels of governance? (read more...)
Deliberative and participatory democracy
Active participation of citizens is essential for democracy. In recent years, member States have witnessed a trend towards falling voter turnout in general elections. (read more...)
Green public administration
Climate change is increasingly recognised as an area of concern calling for determined action, as more and more member States are starting to feel its various consequences. (read more...)
Democracy and technology
Digital technologies shape all aspects of life, including the activities, functioning and decision-making of public institutions and their relations with citizens and society. The CDDG supports member States, at all levels of government, to harness the opportunities offered by digital transformation whilst reducing possible risks. (read more...)
- 18th meeting, Strasbourg, 23-24 November 2023
- 17th meeting, Strasbourg, 27-28 April 2023
- 16th meeting, Strasbourg, 28-29 November 2022
- 15th meeting, hybrid meeting, 21-22 April 2022
Composition
The Bureau of the CDDG is composed as follows:
Chair:
- Mr Paul Rowsell (United Kingdom)
Vice-Chair:
- Mr Edwin Lefebre (Belgium)
Members:
- Mr Peter Andre (Austria)
- Mr Georgios Chrysafis (Greece)
- Ms Gordana Gapikj-Dimitrovska (North Macedonia)
- Mr Markku Mölläri (Finland)
Meetings
- 26th meeting, Strasbourg, 19-20 October 2023
Meeting report - 25th meeting, Strasbourg, 23-24 March 2023
Meeting report - 24th meeting, Paris, 13-14 October 2022
Meeting report - 23rd meeting, hybrid meeting, 24-25 March 2022
Meeting report - 22nd meeting, hybrid meeting, 14-15 October 2021
Meeting report - 21st meeting, meeting by videoconference, 29-30 March 2021
Meeting report
Working Group on principles of good democratic governance (GT-BG)
- 3rd meeting, Strasbourg, 15-16 September 2022
Meeting report - 2nd meeting, informal meeting by videoconference, 9-10 June 2022
Meeting report - 1st meeting, hybrid meeting, 24-25 February 2022
Meeting report
Working Group on deliberative and participatory democracy (GT-DD)
- 4th meeting, meeting by videoconference, 1 March 2023
Meeting report - 3rd meeting, Strasbourg, 26-27 September 2022
Meeting report - 2nd meeting, informal meeting by videoconference, 1 July and 4 July 2022
Meeting report - 1st meeting, hybrid meeting, 5-6 May 2022
Meeting report
Presentation by Mr Yves Dejaeghere, Representative of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Working group on governance (GT-G)
- 3rd meeting, Strasbourg, 21-22 September 2023
- Meeting report
- Information document from Mr Louis Meuleman, Public Strategy for Sustainable Development
- 2nd meeting, Informal meeting by videoconference, 28 June 2023
- Meeting report
- Presentation by Mr Georgios Chrysafis, Representative of Greece
- Presentation by Mr Louis Meuleman, Public Strategy for Sustainable Development
- 1st meeting, Strasbourg, 2-3 February 2023
Working group on green public administration (GT-A)
- 3rd meeting, Strasbourg, 2-3 October 2023
Meeting report - 2nd meeting, Informal meeting by videoconference, 27 June 2023
- Meeting report
- Presentation by Mr Louis Meuleman, Public Strategy for Sustainable Development
- Presentation by Ms Maija Faehnle, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE
- Presentation by Ms Natalia Kobylarz, Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
- 1st meeting, Strasbourg, 2-3 March 2023
Meeting report
