On 7 March 2025 in Gorizia (Italy), Congress Vice-President Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, EPP/CCE) presented the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) Award to 58 Italian municipalities, at a ceremony attended by nearly 200 local and regional authorities from Italy and Slovenia.

Organised by the Italian Association for the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AICCRE) with support from the Congress, the ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate the commitment of Italian municipalities to measure their performance against standards of good democratic governance. It was also an occasion for the mayors of Gorizia and Nova Gorica (Slovenia) to reaffirm the strong cross-border cooperation between the two municipalities, fostered by the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 initiative.

ELoGE  is a self-assessment tool composed of 12 Principles of good democratic governance,  36 targets and 72 indicators; it is awarded to municipalities which can demonstrate that they have achieved a high level of performance against those standards.

More than 150 municipalities across Italy took part in the programme, with 68 advancing to the final evaluation phase. The assessment process gathered extensive feedback, engaging 11,275 citizens, 3,098 municipal staff members, and 877 elected representatives, providing a comprehensive view of governance performance. In this regard, Vice-President Koukas stressed the importance of a national association leading this process: “It confirms the Congress as the ideal home for ELoGE, ensuring municipal recognition under a European body representing local authorities."

The Centre of Expertise at the Congress has launched a call to national associations to seek accreditation to deliver ELoGE and will organise a workshop in Strasbourg on 25 April 2025.  See the link for more information on ELoGE.