The 32nd Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will take place in Strasbourg from 28 to 30 March and will include several debates focusing on the role of local authorities facing migration, the reception of unaccompanied child migrants and border regions facing migration flows.
The Congress will also examine the state of local and regional democracy in Finland, the state of local democracy in Malta, Estonia and Iceland, as well as a report on the observation of local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (October 2016). In addition, following a fact-finding mission to Turkey in October and December 2016, members of the Congress will adopt a report on the situation in that country and, in particular, regarding the detention of elected mayors and their replacement by persons appointed by the Government.
Also on the agenda are the adoption of a checklist for preventing the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes at local and regional level, as well as thematic debates on citizen participation, youth autonomy and access to employment, open data, human rights at local and regional level, and on the fight against anti-Gypsyism. Within the framework of the Southern Mediterranean Partnership, the Congress will host two delegations from Morocco and Tunisia. The 32nd Session will also mark the 10th anniversary of European Local Democracy Week (ELDW).
