Marc Cools, President of the Congress


Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) was elected President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on 24 October 2023 for a mandate of two years and a half. He is currently the Communal Councillor of Uccle (Belgium) and Honorary Vice-President of the Brussels Parliament  and was previously the chair of the Independent and Liberal Democrat Group in the Congress.

The President's role is to direct the political activities of the Congress and its Chambers, to carry out Congress policy and to represent the Congress vis-à-vis other international organisations, within the context of the Council of Europe's general policy on external relations.

The President of the Congress ensures that decisions taken by the Congress are implemented and reacts on behalf of the Congress to current developments. He or she also presents the activities of the Congress and the texts that it has adopted to the Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.  

Indietro Gunn Marit HELGESEN: Minimising corruption to attract investment and foster economic development at local level

Gunn Marit HELGESEN: Minimising corruption to attract investment and foster economic development at local level

During the 8th Annual Meeting of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP) on 24 September 2018 in Kyiv, Gunn Marit HELGESEN (Norway, EPP/CCE), Congress Vice President and President of the Chamber of Regions, stressed the need to advocate for good governance and local democracy throughout Europe, promote ethics and transparency at local and regional levels, and work towards building safe and inclusive societies that respect diversity.

 

“Local authorities in Europe have made a tremendous progress during the last 30 years of implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, although there are still challenges ahead that we must overcome”, stressed Ms HELGESEN. She also highlighted the importance of the Congress’ “continuous support on the Eastern Partnership region in strengthening the dialogue and establishing sustainable consultation mechanisms between different levels of government, and implementing ethical, innovative and inclusive policies and practices at the local level.”

 

Moreover, the Congress Vice President reaffirmed that enhanced quality of local democracy requires the involvement of all relevant stakeholders at central, regional and local levels. In this regard, she emphasised that the “associations of local and regional authorities play a key role” in ensuring the sustainability of the local self-government system, since they are placed at the core of the dialogue between local and national authorities.

 

The Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, Hugues MINGARELLI, stressed the importance of good local governance and underlined that “local communities are the place where consensus-based policies are a must”, reaffirming the message of Ms HELGESEN, who highlighted that “participatory approaches in local decision-making processes are a pillar of our democracies which will increase trust on local authorities.”

 

Recalling the good synergies between the Congress and CORLEAP, on the Congress Vice President pointed to the “need to advance and deepen decentralisation so as to bolster the local self-government system and pave the way for sustainable municipal development”.

 

Kyiv, Ukraine 24 September 2018
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Tunc Soyer, President of the Chamber of Regions

Tunc Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.

Bernd Vöhringer, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities

Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.