"The Priorities of the Congress" is a publication presenting the main areas of work of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

The COVID-19 pandemic which radically changed the political agenda of governments, institutions, local and regional authorities and all actors within democratic societies, illustrates well the need to adapt to a new situation and new sanitary, social, economic and political challenges.

Many of the lessons learned from the pandemic remain relevant also under different circumstances or situations of crisis. These experiences are integrated in the five thematic areas identified by the priorities for the mandate 2021-2026 along with the quality of representative democracy, reducing inequalities in the field, environmental issues and climate action and digitalisation and artificial intelligence.