Meeting in Strasbourg on 25 February 2025, the Congress’ Monitoring Committee adopted a report on foreign interference in electoral processes at local and regional levels, which points out that local and regional elections are not immune to the threat of foreign interference to influence the results of an election through disinformation, opportunistic cyber-attacks and illicit funding, and that recent geopolitical changes and new technological developments have increased the scale and the number of involved actors as well as their reach. The report puts forward recommendations to counter this phenomenon, stressing that public awareness and voter education remain one of the best protections against foreign election interference at all levels of government.
In addition, the Committee adopted reports on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Liechtenstein and in San Marino, and on local elections in Podgorica (Montenegro) and in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as on fact-finding on local elections in Bucharest (Romania).
These reports will be presented at the 48th Congress Session (Strasbourg, 25-27 March 2025), which will adopt the relevant resolutions and recommendations.
The Committee discussed recent developments in Georgia related to local and regional self-government as well as the situation regarding local and regional democracy in Türkiye, following the dismissal of the Mayor of Van, a Congress member, and his subsequent replacement by a government-appointed trustee. It also adopted a strategy on the rule of law at local and regional levels; and held an exchange of views on the current situation in municipalities and regions in Ukraine.
Soeren Schumacher (Germany, SOC/G/PD) was elected First Vice-Chair of the Committee.
