Walter Schwimmer expects the Congress to play a key role in a future Council of Europe - EU partnership

21.05.2004 - The Secretary General, addressing the Congress today, expressed the hope that, one day soon, there would be a commitment by member states to regional self-government, the principle of which would be enshrined in the draft Constitution of the European Union. Also referring to the role of the Council of Europe, and particularly that of the Congress, following EU enlargement, Mr Schwimmer welcomed the Congress' excellent relations with the EU Committee of the Regions. He urged it to continue to support the idea that the European Union, as a body, accede to such instruments as the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and he affirmed his belief that the Congress would continue to play a key role in a future partnership with the EU.

Speech