The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has decided to devote a large part of its two annual sessions in 2013 (March and October) to the theme "Europe in crisis – the challenges for local and regional democracy". The aim is to generate exchanges between European local and regional elected representatives on ways of addressing not only the financial crisis but also the crisis of confidence in the political process.
This will give rise to a number of targeted debates during the 24th session of the Congress, from 19 to 21 March 2013, in Strasbourg (France), on 19 March, on fostering active citizenship, on 20 March, on combating social exclusion, and on 21 March, on how ethical conduct can be promoted and corruption combated at local and regional level. The second debate will provide an opportunity to launch the "European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion" which aims at providing local and regional authorities with support in implementing inclusive policies for Roma. In addition, on 20 March, a round table will be devoted to "Regionalisation and devolution in Europe in a context of economic crisis" and a debate on "Smart cities: new technologies serving democracy". (more…)
