News 2021
Ukrainian local and national authorities discuss a new Roadmap on open government in Ukraine
Secretary General of the Congress Andreas Kiefer, addressed in Kyiv, Ukrainian members of the “Platform for national-local dialogue on open government” during its second meeting, organised jointly by the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers and the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) on 16...
Closing event of the Congress project with the Association of Kosovo Municipalities: Taking stock of the local self-government framework
“Congress co-operation established the basis for the next necessary steps; after local elections and the commitment expressed by authorities the moment for the concrete follow-up is now.” stressed Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer at the Closing Conference of the project on “Promoting...
Sparking dialogue towards a platform for consultation and exchange on human rights at local level in Georgia
Speaking at the workshop on “Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights at local level in Georgia" which took place on 9 December 2021 in Tbilisi to mark the International Human Rights Day, Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress, underlined the relevance of the topic and timely...
“Decentralisation reforms underway in many CORLEAP countries must be brought to completion in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government,” says Congress President
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek addressed the 10th Annual Meeting of the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP), held on 14 December 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. Speaking in the debate on "The renewed Eastern...
Supporting newly elected Moroccan women to better participate in political life
"Gender equality and women's participation are essential conditions for any democratic, just and peaceful society," stated Xavier Cadoret, Vice-President of the Congress and Rapporteur of the South-Med Partnership, at the opening of the online seminar on supporting newly elected women in Moroccan...
Congress President addresses the Council of Europe intergovernmental Committee on democratic governance
Congress President Leendert Verbeek intervened at the plenary of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG), on 29 November 2021, highlighting the importance of regular dialogue to further develop mutual cooperation, based on complementarity between the Congress’ and CDDG’s...
Thomas Andersson: “There is no place in democracy for disinformation as it facilitates prejudice, hate and corruption”
“Misinformation and prejudice can easily spread online through unreliable content which circulates too much and too fast; this can cause polarisation of our communities and feed into mistrust between citizens at an incredible speed – all it takes is one tweet,” stressed Chair of the Congress...
Local and regional leaders are key actors in the fight against misinformation through peer-to-peer practice exchanges and cooperation at all levels
"Over the past two decades, we have seen increasing mistrust and polarisation in our societies," stated Bernd Vöhringer, Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in a video message to the International Mayors' Summit on "Living Together", held in Izmir on 10 December...
Andrew Boff: "Cooperation between allies is crucial to counter discrimination against LGBTI people and advance their rights"
"The rights of LGBTI people are increasingly under threat today: they are four times more likely than non-LGBTI people to be victims of violent crime," lamented Congress Rapporteur on LGBTI issues Andrew Boff (UK, ECR) at the "Building Bridges" conference. The event, organized by the Council of...
"Rebuilding citizens’ confidence in the political system is the only way to reverse the spread of disinformation”, says Congress President
“Local and regional elected representatives throughout Europe are constantly confronted with the rise of fake news and hate speech that have powerful repercussions on their work and on the functioning of democracy,” stressed Congress President Leendert addressing the 147th session of the European...
Application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Turkey
A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is making a follow-up visit to Turkey on 1 December to update its 2019 report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in that country. The delegation led by co-rapporteurs Vladimir...
Harald Sonderegger: "The Congress and the CALRE share the objective of strengthening regional democracy and the role of the regions in Europe”
The President of the Congress Chamber of Regions, Harald Sonderegger (Austria, EPP/CCE), underlined the areas of common interest shared between the Congress and the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE) while speaking at the Plenary Assembly of the CALRE in the Parliament...
Congress organised remote electoral assessment mission to Armenia
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, led by Mr Stewart Dickson (United-Kingdom, ILDG), Rapporteur and representative of the Congress on the Venice Commission’s Council for Democratic Elections, carried out a remote electoral assessment mission...
Strengthening youth work in cities and regions
The Congress has just published a leaflet aimed at strengthening youth work in cities and regions. It is based on a Congress report, adopted in February 2021. The leaflet is addressed to stakeholders in youth work and presents the main Congress’ recommendations, best practices and concrete tools...
Jelena Drenjanin: “The time to stop violence against women is now”
“Every day, 137 women are killed by a member of their family. And less than 40% of the women experiencing violence seek help, according to UN Women. This is not normal. It has to end” said Congress Rapporteur Jelena Drenjanin, on 24 November 2021, on the eve of the International Day for the...
Thomas Andersson: “The stand-off on the Poland-Belarus border puts the lives of migrants in danger”
“The stand-off on the Poland-Belarus border puts the lives of migrants in danger and the local populations and their local governments in a hot spot, with hundreds of people stranded in miserable and life-threatening conditions," alarmed Thomas Andersson (Sweden, ILDG), Chair of the Congress...
Congress updated the report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Ukraine
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe carried out a monitoring visit in Ukraine on 23 November 2021 in order to update the report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The delegation led by Ms Gunn Marit Helgesen...
Deliberative methods, combating hate speech, smart cities and regions and regional identities on the agenda of the Governance Committee
Chaired by Jelena Drenjanin, the Congress Governance Committee met on 19 November 2021 in a hybrid format, at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg and online via Kudo. The Committee members considered and adopted the report "Beyond elections: the use of deliberative methods in European...
First meeting of the European Committee of the Regions Working Group on Ukraine
Addressing the first meeting of European Committee of the Regions Working Group on Ukraine on 18 November 2021, Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer reaffirmed “the continuous support of the Congress to Ukrainian mayors and councillors and to national authorities in making the democratic...
Youth, Sustainable Development Goals, environment and human rights, civil participation on the agenda of the Current Affairs Committee
Chaired by Thomas Andersson, the Congress Current Affairs Committee met on 18 November 2021 in a hybrid format, at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg and online. The Committee members adopted a report on "The future of youth in rural areas: responsibilities of local and regional authorities",...
