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The “European Local Democracy Week” (ELDW) is an annual
European event with simultaneous national and local events
organised by participating local authorities in all Council
of Europe member States. The purpose is to foster the knowledge
of local democracy and promote the idea of democratic participation
at a local level.
The week including 15 October has been chosen as the European
Charter of Local Self-Government was opened for signature
on that date in 1985.
The ELDW is a Council of Europe initiative. Its role is
to co-ordinate the European dimension of the project, whereas
the national and local implementation of the ELDW is being
supported in each participating country by the correspondents
designated by the national associations of local authorities,
listed on the website.
 Congress and EU-Committee of the Regions join their forces for Local Democracy Week
Congress President a.i. Ian Micallef welcomed the decision of the European Union's Committee of the Regions to join the European Local Democracy Week (ELDW), the Council's programme of events to raise awareness for grassroots policies in Europe. 'This agreement is an important step for the further strengthening of the ELDW. The committment of the Committee of the Regions, our partner organisation in the EU, will contribute to make this concept one of the major events on the calendar of the 47 Council of Europe member states', concluded the political co-ordinator of the Local Democracy Week, Keith Whitmore, on the fringes of discussions about the ELDW during the Utrecht Ministerial Conference.
 Ank Bijleveld-Schouten : ''The European Local Democracy Week calls for innovative methods to increase citizen participation''
Ank Bijleveld-Schouten, State Secretary for the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Dutch Ministry for the Interior and Kingdom Relations, participated in the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 16 and 17 November 2009. In an interview, she speaks of the importance of citizens’ participation and co-operation between governments and territorial structures.
Interview
 Vice-President Anders Knape encourages towns and municipalities to join European Local Democracy Week network
''The European Local Democracy Week is becoming a consistent event on the European landscape. These kinds of initiatives, if they are to succeed, require constant involvement over considerably long periods'', stated Congress Vice-President Anders Knape introducing a debate on grassroots work in the framework of Congress celebrations of the Council of Europe 60th anniversary, on 13 October. ''During three years, we had the chance to witness the significant advancement of this new event, with over a thousand activities organised in numerous municipalities of the 47 Council of Europe member states'', he stressed inviting Congress members, who have not yet joined, to become ambassadors of the “Week” in their towns and municipalities.
Speech
 Video
 The Congress highlighted the 2009 edition of the European Local Democracy Week
During the Congress plenary session, which was held from 13 to 15 October 2009, a series of events were organised to promote the 2009 European Local Democracy Week (ELDW). Keith Whitmore (United Kingdom, ILDG), political co-ordinator of the ELDW and Chair of the Congress’s Institutional Committee, officially launched the Week on Monday 12 October and inaugurated the information stand on the ELDW. On Tuesday 13 October, debates in the framework of the Council’s 60th anniversary programme focused on the ELDW and, more specifically, on the role of young people in local democracy. Congress also took part in a round table on foreign residents and local democracy organised by the City of Strasbourg with different stakeholders on 14 October.
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