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Conventions and Congress
reference texts
Since it was set up, the Congress has drawn up a number
of international treaties, including the European Charter of
Local Self-Government, which has become the international
benchmark in this field, laying down common European
standards to protect local authorities' rights. Among other Congress juridical instruments and reference texts are also:
The Convention is intended to encourage and facilitate the conclusion of cross-border agreements between local and regional authorities within the scope of their respective powers. Such agreements may cover regional development, environmental protection, the improvement of public services, etc., and may include the setting up of transfrontier associations or consortia of local authorities.
Documents  The Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level (1992)
The Convention aims to improve integration of foreign residents into the life of the community. It applies to all persons who are not nationals of the Party and who are lawfully resident on its territory.
Documents
The Charter is a convention designed on the one hand to protect and promote regional and minority languages as a threatened aspect of Europe’s cultural heritage and on the other hand to enable speakers of a regional or minority language to use it in private and public life. Its overriding purpose is cultural.
Documents Website
The purpose of this code (1999) is to consolidate the relationship between citizens and local and regional policy-makers by setting out, at European level, ethical principles approved by the delegates of Europe’s local and regional elected representatives. The Congress invites national governments and national associations of local and regional authorities of the member states to detail the standards and principles established by the code in their national legislation and in ethical codes.
Text of the Code European Landscape Convention (2000)
The Convention aims to encourage public authorities to adopt policies and measures at local, regional, national and international level for protecting, managing and planning landscapes throughout Europe. It covers all landscapes, both outstanding and ordinary, that determine the quality of people’s living environment.
The Convention proposes legal and financial measures at the national and international levels, aimed at shaping "landscape policies" and promoting interaction between local and central authorities as well as transfrontier cooperation in protecting landscapes.
Documents Website
The Charter is a tool to support young people, youth
workers, youth organisations and local authorities in promoting
and enhan¬cing meaningful youth participation at local and
regional level across Europe.
Text
Recommendation
The Urban Charter, adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in 1992, was a ground breaking step for Europe and marked a key stage in the necessary recognition of the urban phenomenon in the development of our societies.
The European Urban Charter II - Manifesto for a new urbanity, adopted in May 2008, complements and updates the original Congress contribution and offers a new approach to urban living, urging European countries to build sustainable towns and cities. Documents Special File
This text is a veritable code of rights and duties of regional entities, aimed at intermediate authorities between central government and the basic (local authority) tier, and has two principal functions:
The European Charter for Local Self-Government
The Charter requires compliance with a minimum number of principles that form a European foundation of local democracy.File
Document database
All Congress texts are available online in the Document database. You can access this database and search for a text by clicking on the link below.
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