On 12 September 2024, Congress President Marc Cools met Ekrem Imamoglu, President of the Union of Turkish Municipalities and Mayor of Istanbul, on the occasion of the Conference of associations of local and regional authorities. The President welcomed the ongoing co-operation with the Union and drew attention to a number of Congress recommendations for better application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government that still needed implementing. The Mayor informed the President of the roadmap for strengthening local democracy in his country, prepared by the Union, aimed at increasing municipal financial capacities and improving service delivery through digitalisation.

The President concluded by stressing the constructive character of the dialogue with the national and local authorities of Türkiye in the context of the ongoing post-monitoring and post-electoral dialogue with Türkiye.