The European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) was launched for the first time in the Spanish Region of Murcian on 3 March at the premises of the University of Murcia, the accredited entity to implement ELoGE through its Chair on Good Governance and Public Integrity.

During the event, representatives of the Region of Murcia, the Federation of Murcian Municipalities, the University of Murcia and the Council of Europe pointed out that the process could be very useful for the municipalities, as it would help them assess their compliance with the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance.

In addition, Ms Koldobike Olabide, Mayor of Legazpi, and Ms Amaia Mujika, Head of the Transparency and Citizen’s Care Unit of the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz, intervened via videoconference to share their experiences as participants of the fourth round of ELoGE in the Basque Country. They both highlighted the important lessons learned during the implementation of the tool, in particular with regards to the internal procedures and mechanisms that could be improved as a result.

ELoGE is awarded to municipalities which have demonstrated compliance with the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance, measured against a Council of Europe benchmark. Currently, ELoGE is being implemented in over 20 of the Council of Europe member states. The Centre of Expertise for Good Governance has been supporting its implementation in the Spanish region of the Basque Country since 2017.