At the close of the two-day conference in Strasbourg, the Congress of the Council of Europe and national associations of local and regional authorities from the 46 member states reiterated their shared commitment to upholding democracy, the rule of law, and human rights at the grassroots.
In their Joint Declaration, the Congress and the national associations highlighted the essential role of local and regional authorities as guardians of these core democratic values at the level closest to the citizens, in establishing democratic, peaceful, human-rights based, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient societies. The Joint Declaration stressed the vital importance of a strong partnership between the Congress and the national associations in protecting and promoting local democracy, and highlighted their critical role in supporting the work of grassroots authorities across Europe and in enhancing local self-government as a landmark feature of the European democratic model, based on the principles set forth in the European Charter of Local Self-Government and its Additional protocol on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority.
The Congress and the national associations also highlighted the crucial importance of multilevel governance in addressing the problems and challenges faced by European societies today, such as the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, democratic backsliding, political and social polarisation, climate and environmental crises, social injustice, the reception of migrants and refugees, and other current and future challenges that often exceed national boundaries. They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, its people, and its local and regional authorities, which continue to face the unprovoked war of aggression unleashed by the Russian Federation, in their courageous fight for democratic values, human rights and a just and sustainable peace in Europe. They also expressed their support to other Council of Europe member States facing ongoing violations of their territorial integrity and grave human rights violations.
The Congress and the national associations committed to further strengthening their co-operation to implement the Reykjavik Declaration adopted by the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in May 2023, notably on supporting Ukrainian local and regional authorities in close collaboration with the Ukrainian national associations; securing and strengthening local democracy and good governance; enhancing the shared responsibility of all levels of government to implement human rights and uphold the rule of law; and taking coordinated action in the protection of the environment.
