A conference on “The role of the Council of Europe Congress in the promotion of local democracy in Georgia” was held in Tbilisi on 24 September 2019. “This event marks an important milestone in relations between the Council of Europe and Georgia, which joined the organisation 20 years ago and will take over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers in November 2019. This date also coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 25th anniversary of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities", underlined Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer.
“70 years ago, the founding fathers dreamed of a Europe of peace based on the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law”, he recalled, referring to the many achievements of the Council of Europe, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights and all the international conventions that have made it possible to create a genuine legal area common to all 47 member States.
“Local and regional democracy is the "other pillar" of democracy on our continent and has been developed to counterbalance excessive concentration of power at the national level and to bring democracy to the level closest to citizens”, stated Mr. Kiefer. “Since its creation, the Congress has been one of the key actors in the establishment of a democracy of proximity in the 47 member States of the Council of Europe. Its unique approach, based on the European Charter of Local Self-Government, combines political dialogue, standard-setting, monitoring and co-operation”, he explained.
In the face of the crisis of confidence in European countries, all levels of governance – European, national, local and regional – must be involved to restore the link between citizens and democratic institutions. “The answers are also to be found in cities and regions”, stressed the Secretary General. “The community level contributes precisely to restoring this link, and the Congress, as a European assembly of local and regional elected representatives, participates in this revitalisation of European democracy”, he added.
“Complex challenges require complex responses: the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) are the tools to address them – in a spirit of multi-level governance. The convention system of the Council of Europe and the Congress as a political body play an indispensable role in this process, supporting member states in achieving their goals and honouring their commitments”, concluded Mr. Kiefer, recalling that the Congress’ activities focus on 12 of the 17 goals of the Agenda 2030.
Webpage of the event: Conference in Tbilisi, Georgia - 24 September 2019
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