“The role and responsibilities of local authorities in tackling terrorism” – CLRAE conference in Luxembourg - 20 to 21 September 2002

		CLRAE conference in Luxembourg: towards an optimum anti-terrorist planning at local level Local authorities have a clear responsibility to protect citizens against terrorist attacks and threats to a democratic way of life, the conference agreed. Protection, prevention and planning came out as key themes during the conference on ''the role and responsibilities of local authorities in tackling terrorism'' held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 September. Final Declaration
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Themes of the conference Local authorities, organised crime and terrorism Protection of industrial plants and public places The role of local authorities in promoting dialogue between cultures, ethnic groups and religions Civil defence and crisis management __________________________________________________________________________
The conference in pictures Programme . List of participants Press releases “Combating terrorism” -special file Useful links CLRAE website Council of Europe Publishing Guidelines on human rights and the fight against terrorism (2002)				Lydie Polfer: ''Co-operation between national and local levels is essential' Full Speech ____________________________'
					Walter Schwimmer : ''The protection of human rights is no obstacle to the struggle against terrorism'' Full Speech _____________________________
				Herwig van Staa: ''We can beat back terrorism by enhancing security and people’s inclusion in civil society'' Full Speech _____________________________
					Opening speech of Michel Wolter, Minister of the Interior, Luxembourg Full Speech _____________________________
				Statement by Paul Helminger, Mayor of the City of Luxembourg Full Speech _____________________________
	Joe Lhota: “When there is a terrorist attack public authorities are always on the front line and they should always be prepared for the worst” For the former Deputy Mayor of New York, “it’s just like playing football on a Sunday – if you want to play well, you have to train all week”. Only such preparation can help a city to deal with a major disaster, even if the nature of that disaster remains unforeseeable. _____________________________
Interview with Jean-Marie Bockel : Combating crime is part of preventing terrorism Jean-Marie Bockel, who is the mayor of Mulhouse and president of the Association of Mayors of French Cities, argues that terrorism prevention starts at the local level, with the war on organised crime, on societal fragmentation and on tensions between cultures. _____________________________
	Interview with Günter Hefner: “Close co-operation with towns to cope with all forms of crime” Chief Superintendent of Police responsible for the Offenbach area near Frankfurt (Germany), Günter Hefner points out that while the region’s emergency and disaster contingency plans involve all the region’s public services, co-operation between the police and municipalities covers a very much wider range. _____________________________
Interview with Giuseppe Battaglia, Chair of Rome's Committee on Urban Security: "Dispelling fear, the terrorists' greatest ally" _____________________________
	Interview - Human rights, terrorism and the media: the Luxembourg Chair's priorities “The conference will look at the multicultural dimension and measures to combat exclusion, which is often a contributory cause of terrorism. The Council has launched a number of important initiatives in these areas and we also want to draw attention to the valuable, but insufficiently publicised, activities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.” said Gérard Philipps, who currently chairs the Ministers' Deputies..
Luxembourg: Preventing and combating terrorism at local level “We have responded appropriately to violence and delinquency in our everday lives but are we prepared to rise to the dangerous and unforseeable challenges posed by terrorism?” European local elected representatives were called upon to anwser this question by discussing ways to respond to this new threat at the conference on “the role and responsibilities of local authorities in tackling terrorism”, which the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe held in Luxembourg on 20 and 21 September.
___________________________________________________________________________ Biographies H.R.H. Grand Duke Henri of Luxembourg Walter Schwimmer, Council of Europe Secretary General Peter Schieder, Parliamentary Assembly President Herwig Van Staa, CLRAE President Halvdan Skard, President of the CLRAE Chamber of Local Authorities