News 2018
Statement by the President of the Congress, Anders KNAPE: “All European Democrats are in mourning after the death of the Mayor of Gdańsk.”
"I have been shaken and deeply shocked by the assassination of Paweł ADAMOWICZ, the mayor of the city of Gdańsk, who was stabbed on Sunday night in front of thousands at a charity concert and who has just succumbed to his injuries. On behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and...
Leen VERBEEK : «The crucial role of Local and regional authorities in the integration of migrants »
Chair of the Monitoring Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Leen VERBEERK, participated in the conference "International Migrants Day: Promoting Diversity in the Regions" organised by the Assembly of European Regions (AER), on 18 December 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. On this...
Reform of local self-government in Ukraine: towards a common position on the status of local councillors
The Congress and the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) organised a round table on "Prospects for the status of local councillors in Ukraine" on 13 December 2018 in Kiev (Ukraine). The round table brought together local councillors and mayors from 25 Ukrainian local authorities in order to...
International Migrants Day: Congress President underlines the crucial role of local and regional authorities
On the occasion of International Migrants Day and following the adoption of the United Nations Global Migration Pact, better known as the Marrakech Pact, Congress President Anders KNAPE said: "The issue of migration is more than ever at the heart of public policies, particularly at local and...
Best wishes from the Congress
This year's Congress greeting card highlights respect for human rights as a key element of good local and regional governance. Convinced that local authorities have an essential role to play in this field, the Congress has produced the Congress Human Rights Handbook, the first volume of which,...
Xavier CADORET participates in the General Assembly of the Federation of Tunisian Cities
"It is important that the recently elected mayors in Tunisia speak with one voice so that the central state can rely on them," stressed Xavier CADORET, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress, during his speech at the General Assembly of the National Federation of Tunisian...
Statement by the President of the Congress following the Strasbourg attack
“I am terribly shocked by the shooting that occurred yesterday in the centre of Strasbourg at the Christmas Market. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. On behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, I would like to express our deepest condolences and support to all...
"Peace light" ceremony at the Council of Europe
The Secretary General of the Congress, Andreas KIEFER, participated in the "Peace light" ceremony at the Council of Europe on 10 December 2018 in Strasbourg, France. The flame, brought from Bethlehem, is a symbol of peace and fraternity. It is passed by hand throughout Europe and has been handed...
Harald BERGMANN: "Human rights, a requirement at all levels of governance"
"Good local and regional governance cannot exist without full respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights" said Harald BERGMANN (Netherlands, ILGD), thematic spokesperson for the Congress on human rights, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights....
President of Greece welcomes Congress’s work on strengthening democratic resilience
The President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis PAVLOPOULOS, encouraged Congress President Anders KNAPE to continue the work to strengthen local and regional democracy across Europe. The Congress President had an opportunity to update President PAVLOPOULOS about the priorities of his mandate and...
KEDE General Assembly: Anders KNAPE calls for greater decentralisation in Greece
"Local and regional democracy is an essential dimension of democracy," stated Congress President Anders KNAPE at the annual conference of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) on 3 December 2018 in Athens, Greece. “It is the work of the national delegations of local and regional...
Local governance reforms in Armenia: achievements and results
During the closing conference organised in Yerevan on 4 December 2018, the results of the Local Governance Programme implemented in Armenia in co-operation with international agencies were presented jointly by donors, implementing partners and beneficiaries. The presentation of achievements of...
Congress Secretary General addresses the CDDG plenary session
“Synergy between the Council of Europe’s bodies is vital to promote democratic governance”, stated Mr. KIEFER – speaking at the annual meeting of the Council of Europe’s European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) on 30 November 2018, in Strasbourg. Referring to the 30th Anniversary of...
Congress Secretary General meets Croatian Minister of Public Administration
Progress in decentralisation and local government reform in Croatia was discussed during a visit by the Minister of Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia, Lovro KUSCEVIC, to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, on 30 November 2018. In his...
Congress President Anders KNAPE addresses the Committee of Ministers: “We must regain the trust of the citizens”
“Corruption continues to pose a major threat to local and regional governance and democracy in Europe, and governments and parliaments at all levels urgently need to address it effectively. The Congress will continue to focus its action on prevention - promoting higher ethical standards and...
Innovative mechanisms, legal frameworks, quotas and training: ways forward for gender equality at local level in Ukraine and Georgia
“We need innovative gender parity mechanisms, a legal framework to protect women against machismo in politics, legitimized quotas, awareness raising for children from primary school and gender mainstreaming in education programmes from nursery school onwards”. These were the proposals of the...
Andreas KIEFER: Congress welcomes “Year of local self government reform 2019” in Cyprus and proposes a political dialogue
“The Congress welcomes the strong commitment of President Nikos Anastasiadis and of Konstantinos Petridis, Minister of the Interior, to make 2019 the year of local self-government reform in Cyprus,” Andreas KIEFER, Congress Secretary General, said in his speech at the Annual General Meeting of...
Ukrainian municipalities engage further for gender equality
“Equal opportunities for women and men are of utmost importance at the local level and an essential component of democratic societies” voiced Ukrainian elected representatives from Irpin, Kharkiv, Lviv, Mariupol, Slavuta, Zhytomyr, and other regions of Ukraine unanimously during the World Forum...
Towards a European framework for national strategies for Roma inclusion after 2020
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities participated in the conference against anti-Gypsyism held on 27 November in Vienna, Austria, as part of the Austrian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The objective of this conference was to develop recommendations for a possible...
Anders KNAPE: “Violence against women concerns us all”
"We are all concerned about violence against women and each of us can take action against this scourge," said Anders KNAPE, President of the Congress on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, on 25 November 2018. "As citizens, we must dare to talk...
