The initiative to reward best local practices for the regeneration of coastal towns was launched by the Council of Europe in January 2012, in the framework of the Chairmanship by the United Kingdom of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.

The Programme has been carried out by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, in partnership with the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Local Government Association of the United Kingdom. Its objective is to identify and award local authorities with innovative practices aimed at reversing the downward economic and social trends faced by many coastal communities, and consequently make that knowledge and experience available for sharing with other local authorities.

Based on the evaluation of the 48 applications received, the First Prize was awarded to Yevpatoria (Ukraine), the Joint Second Prize to Bournemouth and Canterbury (both United Kingdom), and the Joint Third Prize to Heroy (Norway) and Zadar (Croatia).

The jury also decided to acknowledge the innovative projects selected for the final round of the competition and nominated for the Best Practice Award. These are:

Southampton (United Kingdom)
Great Yarmouth (United Kingdom) (2 nominations)
East Riding (United Kingdom)
Heraklion (Greece)
Murter Kornati (Croatia)
Aviles (Spain)
Le Havre (France)
Odessa (Ukraine)
Bibinje (Croatia)

In addition, several non-European applications were admitted and evaluated on the same criteria as everyone else. Among those, the project from Ashkelon (Israel) has received as high a score as other nominees in the general competition.

Finally, a Special Certificate is to be given to the only province which submitted an application, the Province of Barcelona in Spain, to encourage innovative practices in support of coastal towns at the provincial and regional level.

These winners and nominees are invited to the Award Ceremony which will take place in Blackpool (United Kingdom) on 9 May 2012.

Contact : Council of Europe, Center of Expertise for Local Government Reform, Daniel POPESCU, Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 36 08, daniel.popescu@coe.int

Turkey: Women local politicians at the Leadership Academy Programme [24/04/12]The first stage of Leadership Academy Programme was held in Ankara on 18-20 April, as a part of the cooperation between the Center of Expertise for Local Government Reform and the Union of Municipalities of Turkey. 23 women local politicians from all over Turkey participated in the first 3 day session on which modern ideas of leadership were presented. Participants were engaged to examine the challenges faced by local authorities, and focused on using the Leadership Benchmark.

There were opportunities for participants to assess their own leadership techniques and to bring up their own challenges for peer review. At the end of the third day participants were given personal assignments to carry out a leadership initiative in their own municipality and to present results during the Stage 2 of the programme. The second stage of the programme will be held in Diyarbakır in May 2012, and municipality of Luleburgaz will host the last 3 day session on 9-11 July 2012.

Serbia: Awareness Raising Workshop On The Challenges Of Modern And Effective Human Resources Management At Local Level, Belgrade, Tuesday 24 April 2012 [23/04/12]  As part of the Joint Programme with the European Commission on “Strengthening local self-government in Serbia” (Phase II) and more particularly its component on “increased media awareness of the importance of local democracy”, the Council of Europe will organise in Belgrade on Tuesday 24 April 2012, an awareness raising workshop for Serbian national and regional media focusing on the challenges of modern and effective human resources management at local level.

The Key speakers are Council of Europe’s local and international experts. Present an assessment of existing HRM practices of Serbian local authorities, they will identify areas for improvement, as well as look at the lessons to be learnt from other European countries’ experiences in this field, particularly in France, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The Joint Programme’s HRM activities will continue until late 2012. Possible follow-up activities until 2016 are currently being discussed. Their main objective would be to promote the development and use of new HRM models and functions (job profiles, selection and recruitment procedures, mechanisms of local government officials’ performance appraisal and training plans) in Serbian local authorities, as well as to support the necessary revision of Serbian legislation dealing with local government staff status and salaries to make those practices fully applicable.

For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

Final Conference of the programme to strengthen local capacity in Albania, Tirana, 26 March  [26/03/12] The final conference of the programme to strengthen local capacity in Albania in Tirana will be held on 26 March. The programme has been funded by the Swiss Cooperation Agency. Alfonso Zardi, Head of Democracy, Institution-building and Governance Department at the Council of Europe said that the experience gained through the programme would be an important aid in strengthening local authority capacity in Albania. He emphasised that local authorities were at the forefront of service delivery to citizens, and needed funds, human resources and management capacity. The programme has enabled local authorities in Albania to experiment with intermunicipal cooperation, to think and act beyond their administrative borders, to develop synergies and rationalise their resources. Discussion will focus on the lessons learned. These will enable all stakeholders including the government to prepare draft legislation aimed at facilitating and sustaining intermunicipal cooperation.

Alfonso Zardi expressed his gratitude to the Swiss government for funding the programme. He was confident that, given the very positive welcome the programme had received among local authorities and the wish to move from small-scale experimentation to full-scale implementation, Switzerland and possibly other states would continue to support this work. He said that the Council of Europe was proud to see such concrete and effective solidarity between its member states.

Serbia: National Conference on Human Resources Management at Local Level, Belgrade, Tuesday, 13 March 2012 As part of the Joint Programme with the European Commission on “Strengthening local self-government in Serbia” (Phase II), the Council of Europe (DG-II Democracy) will organise on Tuesday 13 March 2013 in Belgrade, a National Conference dealing with the management of human resources at municipal level (HRM), in cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Public Administration and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM).
 
The aim of the Conference is to raise the awareness of national and local stakeholders of the importance of effective and modern human resources management in building a citizen-oriented local public administration that provides better quality of services. In addition to the experience of the Serbian local authorities gained throughout the programme, HRM practices and know-how from other European countries and local authorities, notably Germany, France, United Kingdom and Ukraine, will be presented and discussed. On that occasion, the Manual “Modern and effective HRM for the performance of Serbian local authorities” will be presented, with a view to its dissemination throughout Serbia.

The promotion of modern and effective Human Resource Management is at the very heart of the “good governance at local level”, a key aspect of local government, which focuses on the relationship between citizens and local authorities. Good governance at local level is affected by the size of local authorities, by the ways and means of citizens and civil society for participating in public life, but more specifcally by the readiness of local elected representatives and officials to improve continually the quality of their services to citizens. These HR activities complement the Council of Europe’s assistance in the revision of the Serbian law on the status and salaries of local government officials.

For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

Toolkit on Strategic Municipal Planning and Performance Management at local level now available [17/02/12] The Toolkit IV of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform on Strategic Municipal Planning and Performance Management at local level outlines the steps and actions involved in developing a municipal vision and strategic plan (setting ambitions and medium-term aims and objectives of the local authority). It also presents the related performance mechanisms and indicators to be developed and used to ensure that such a plan is successfully implemented and objectives are met.

The Toolkit is based on the conclusions and data collected from the Council of Europe Strategic Municipal Planning and Performance Management Programmes implemented in Albania, Armenia, Georgia, as well as Serbia in some cases, with the participation of French pilot local authorities. These programmes were supported by the respective National Association of Local Authorities and various international stakeholders, in particular the OSCE Presence in Albania, the Open Society Institute and the Norwegian Association of Municipalities and Regions (KS).

Local authorities throughout Europe are invited to make best possible use of these tools by adapting them to their situation and needs, with or without the technical assistance of the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Directorate General of Democracy), according to its available resources. For further information, please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Administrator (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

Toolkit on Strategic Municipal Planning and Performance Management

Toolkit on Intermunicipal Cooperation now available [07/02/12]
The IMC Toolkit was jointly prepared by the Council of Europe (CoE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Local Government Initiative (LGI) of the Open Society. It was developed with a view to finding solutions to the challenges currently facing many European local authorities.

Small municipalities of insufficient capacity may have difficulty providing quality services on their own or responding effectively to the community’s expectations. Larger municipalities have more opportunities for investment in local services and infrastructure, but investors generally seek larger economies of scale and more integrated development to make their investments more viable.

In such situations, inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) can offer a genuine way forward. It can be complex and it carries risk, but it has the potential to deliver significant advantages to all municipalities, be they large or small.

Toolkit on Intermunicipal cooperation

.Teatime debate on the effects of the financial crisis at local level; Strasbourg, 30 January 2012 [26/01/12] A new initiative – Teatime- will be held in Strasbourg on 30 January. Intended as a time for reflection, exchange and looking ahead, its first topic will focus on the effects of the financial crisis on local authority budgets. Teatime is the idea of the Institut national des études territoriales - INET (national institute for territorial studies), organised within the framework of the Pôle européen d'Administration publique - PEAP (a network of centres of excellence in Strasbourg), in collaboration with the Directorate of European Affairs at the Ecole nationale d’administration (ENA).

Special speakers at this the first event will be Alfonso Zardi, Head of the Democracy, Institution-Building and Governance Department at the Council of Europe, Gabriela Matei, Senior Programme Manager of the same department, and Vladimir Dolique, Director of Finance, Bas Rhin General Council.

For further information please contact Ms Gabriela Matei (Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 54 73, e-mail: gabriela.matei@coe.int).

Regeneration of European coastal towns through the Council of Europe Best Practice Programme [16/01/12] At the initiative of the Local Government Association (UK), the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mr. Keith Whitmore, invited the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform to support the launch of a Best Practice Programme for European coastal towns. The programme is one of the activities being implemented under the UK chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (November 2011-May 2012). The programme was officially launched on 15 January 2012 at the first meeting of the programme Steering Committee responsible for the overseeing the programme.

The Best Practice Programme is a scheme developed to recognise, award and disseminate best practices in improvement and development at the local and regional level that bring real benefits to citizens. The scheme works to raise standards through peer learning and knowledge transfer. This scheme was designed using methodologies developed by the UK Local Government Association (IDeA) and the Centre for Expertise of the Council of Europe.

The 2012 Best Practice programme is targeting coastal areas for the opportunities they provide for economic renaissance. While coastal communities may be among a country’s most affluent, they may equally be among its most deprived. Common problems often arise from a combination of physical isolation, high levels of deprivation and poor housing. The programme is specifically interested in local authorities having already competently tackled these and other coastal area challenges. Through peer learning and knowledge transfer of their practices, its aims include the development of better public services, higher standards of service delivery, improved local government management and sharing of ideas among central government institutions about how they might encourage good management practices in local government.

Once the award-winning local authorities have been identified, the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform will assist them in acting as centres of excellence from which other authorities can learn. In addition, a database of good practice will be created to register best practice initiatives. This database will be made available to all councils and municipalities across Europe.

Ukraine Officials visit Strasbourg to exchange experience and analyse the Local Government programme's results to date [13/12/2011]Ukrainian officials, including members of parliament, mayors, local representatives and senior officials, participated in a study visit to the Council of Europe from 13 to 18 December. The visit was one of a number of activities organised as part of the Council of Europe programme to strengthen local democracy in Ukraine. The aim was to provide the officials with an opportunity for sharing their experience of fiscal decentralisation, regional development policy, local government reform and intermunicipal co-operaton, as well as for learning from the experience of other Council of Europe member States in these matters, notably France, Poland, Germany and Sweden.The officials heard indepth presentations by Council of Europe experts currently working for the programme. The presentations focused in particular on local government reform, fiscal decentralisation and intermunicipal co-operation.

The Ukrainian officials also had an opportunity to meet with their counterparts at the ministries of Finance and Interior of France. In addition, the visit was an occasion for taking stock of the programme’s results and achievements during the period 2010-2011. Recommendations were then made for the next steps and activities to be carried out in 2012 and future periods.

For further information please contact Ms Alina Tatarenko (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 28 47, e-mail: alina.tatarenko@coe.int).

[08/12/2011] KYIV, 7 December – A two-day regional seminar on promoting local government reform, good economic governance and sound financial management at the local level, co-organised by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Kyiv and the Government of Ukraine, got underway in Kyiv today. The event gathered more than 30 participants, including senior local government and municipal officials dealing with financial management, fiscal decentralisation, public procurement, budget and integrity issues, representatives from Ministries responsible for Local and Regional Government from a number of EU, Eastern European and South Caucasus countries, as well as international experts including from OSCE field operations in the Balkans.

The event gathered more than 30 participants, including senior local government and municipal officials dealing with financial management, fiscal decentralization, public procurement, budget and integrity issues, representatives from Ministries responsible for Local and Regional Government from a number of EU, Eastern European and South Caucasus countries as well as international experts including from OSCE field operations in the Balkans.

The meeting presented an excellent opportunity for the sharing of best practices and expertise in this field and is expected to lead to an improved institutional capacity in promoting an open, responsive and responsible Government at all levels. Participants discussed ways and means to further improve already existing regulatory frameworks at the local/municipal level sorely needed particularly in the wake of the ongoing financial and economic crisis.

Ambassador L’ubomir Kopaj, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine said: “the necessity of strengthening good governance at the local level - including integrity, transparency and sound financial management - has become a particularly important issue. At a time where many countries in our region - including Ukraine - strive to counterbalance the effects of the economic and financial crisis, local and regional authorities, being the most visible and approachable for citizens, are in the forefront of policy reforms. While the demands formulated by civil society are high, public resources, particularly at the local level tend to be scarce. It is here that the OSCE tries to step in and assist its countries in finding the right responses to the challenges at hand.”

Belgium/Wallonia, 12-13 December: Evaluating municipal policy to help make ends meet [08/12/2011]  Officials from three Belgian pilot municipalities (Andenne, Beauraing and Tournai) will be holding separate talks with Council of Europe experts to discuss how to approach performance management and municipal policy evaluation. Performance management is a series of processes, techniques and methods which makes performance targets easier to identify and assesses progress towards achieving them. In the public sector, performance management is often primarily seen as a way for ensuring benefits have genuine value. However, it can also be used to compare the performance of local authorities, identify good practices and enable users, the general public and governments to have a greater say in how local public services are run. This is a 2nd stage of a programme on performance management at local level implemented with the support of the Union of cities and communes of Wallonia (UVCW) since early 2011,

The bilateral meetings, to take place during field visits, will focus on the evaluation tools and mechanisms (performance tools and tables) developed by the pilot municipalities in their respective priority field of actions, in particular management of staff and support to local economic development, notably tourism, and the necessary improvements to be made.

The CoE experts will be there to respond, where possible, to any questions the municipalities’ may have. They will also ensure that the performance management tables are practicable, in line with the municipalities’ priorities and ready for implementation.

The groundwork for the performance management tables was carried out at a first joint workshop held last May in Namur, when Walloons local authorities’ representatives, including those from the three pilot municipalities, met with CoE experts.

A follow-up joint seminar will be held, with other Walloons municipalities, early 2012 and a Guide to performance management at local level, with case studies, will be published and disseminated throughout Wallonia.

The Programme is being organised by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Directorate General of Democracy). For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

Senior Spanish officials to discuss implementation of The Strategy’s “ELoGE” [25/11/2011]  Council of Europe officials will hold indepth talks with Senior Spanish officials from the Ministry of the Interior, the Spanish Local Authorities Association (FEMP) and several Spanish pilot municipalities, in Malaga, 2 December, to agree on the tools necessary for running the European Label of Governance Excellence in Spain and to discuss the timeline for its implementation. The Label is a learning tool which helps local authorities to understand their strengths and weaknesses in providing public services and exercising public authority, with a view to improving the quality of their governance.

The talks will focus on ways for promoting the label, creating a national stakeholders platform to take over the programme at the national level and identifying possible funding sources and any expertise required. During the meeting, the Spanish local authorities having piloted the label since 2008 will be invited to make proposals with regard to the tools to be used in the Spanish local government context, as well as to make suggestions for funding.

Citizen participation will also be on the agenda. Participants will exchange details of their respective mechanisms for promoting citizen participation at local level, with the aim of drawing up concrete plans for improvement. The Spanish and French (Bordeaux and Strasbourg) local authorities will all be invited to make use of the Council of Europe tool on citizen participation at local level . With citizen participation at an all time low generally in Europe, the tool sets out the main values and principles underpinning citizen participation, and offers a range of mechanisms for supporting participation programmes addressed not only to citizens, but also to any organisation involved at the local level, to lead to stronger partnership between the two.

This meeting is the follow-up meeting to 2 events held in Gerona in October 2010 and Donostia-San Sebastian in March 2011 along the same themes. Representatives of the European Federation of Local Government Chief Excecutives of Europe (UDITE) wil also be taking part in those discussions.

Ticino Award Ceremony for the Swiss Innovative Community (Comune Innovativo) Project  [25/11/2011] Approximately a hundred local councillors, mayors, heads of municipal administrations and members of the Parliament of Ticino (Gran Consiglio) and Federal Chancellor, Ms Corina Casanova attended the award ceremony of the Swiss Innovative Community (Comune Innovativo) Project, organised for the second year running in the Canton of Ticino. The initiative was supported by the Canton’s Departments of Institutions and of Education, Culture and Sport, with the Training Centre for municipal staff (CFEL) in the driving seat. Participation over the two years has been encouraging, with half the Canton’s municipalities having taken part.

The project stems from an original co-operation programme for the sharing of municipality best practice with the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform. Alfonso Zardi, Head of the Department of Democracy, Institution-Building and Governance Department attended the ceremony for the Council of Europe. He applauded the project organisers and participants for the very good work they had achieved. Stressing the values of good governance at local level, he invited the municipalities, with the help of the canton, to endorse the Council of Europe’s Strategy for Innovation and good governance.

The award ceremony was followed by a lively roundtable on citizen motivation for politics at local level and taking part in local public administration. A working report for the discussions, prepared by a team of the Università della Svizzera Italiana (USI), made reference to the work of the Council of Europe’s CDLR on reasons for poor participation in public affairs at local level.

Award ceremony programme
CDLR report on participation levels of certain groups in society

Next step in the Armenian Strategic Municipal Planning Programme, 21-22 November [18/11/2011] Officials from 5 pilot municipalities in Armenia, taking part in the Council of Europe’s Strategic Municipal Planning Programme, will attend bilateral meetings and a joint evaluation workshop from 21-22 November. The programme is aimed at developing the municipal planning of Armenian local authorities and at assisting them in identifying a clear municipal vision, goals, objectives, programmes and projects. The Programme implemented by the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Communities’ Association of Armenia (CAA) and the Armenian Ministry of Public Administration.

Following a first series of visits in April 2011 by Council of Europe local and international experts to the 5 pilot municipalities (Areni, Paraqar, Vanadzor, Dilijan and Goris), recommendations were agreed to ensure effective preparation of the pilots community profiles, the analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) and development of a municipal vision for 2012/2013. At next week’s meetings, organised in coordination with representatives from the CAA, the officials will discuss feedback from the April field visits, the municipalities’ plans and proposals, and the overall action plan of the Strategic Municipal Planning Programme.

For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

Comparing European approaches to Strategic Management [15/11/2011] A seminar on “Strategic Management: comparing European approaches” is being organised jointly by the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform of the Council of Europe and l’Institut National français des Etudes Territoriales (INET) (the French National Institute for Territorial Studies) and the Euro-Institute of Kehl. It will be held at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg, from 15 –16 November (Tues-Wed), and is one of the activities to promote the Council of Europe’s Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance.. The Strategy is aimed at developing good governance, based on respect for the European Charter on Local Self-Government.

These jointly organised seminars have been held on a yearly basis since 2008, and this is the fourth in the series. The first three seminars presented indepth presentations of global management and mid and long-term codes of conduct from local authorities in several European countries (Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Denmark). Over time, it was felt that the seminar should evolve to become an event for reflection, with a wider range of inputs and a wider audience.

In recent decades, it seems that European countries have been closing the gap in their respect for shared values such as the rule of law, human rights and democracy: the 3 pillars of the Council of Europe. There are countless examples demonstrating Public management’s role in this respect. However, the practice of government by numbers, which has their support, sometimes shows otherwise.

In the developed countries in particular, citizens growing mistrust for public action, the institutions, its representatives, its results, is being increasingly questioned… The causes are probably manifold, and straightforward answers should always be welcomed with caution. Could public management as an academic discipline, doctrine and practice contribute to understanding its causes and finding solutions?

This seminar will bring together high level management from French local authorities. It will aim at giving them a better idea of how to divise and implement strategic local level projects in France and other European countries. Analysing and understanding their own practices, opening up to other European fields of reference, these are the messages which Council of Europe experts, an elected official, academics and local authority management from France, United Kingdom and Germany will all try to promote.

For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

In Strasbourg to meet French media - Winners of the joint EU-CoE Competition to increase local newspaper coverage of local self-government issues [15/11/11] A competition aiming to increase coverage of local self-government issues by Serbian media at local and national level, in order to raise citizen awareness on this topic, was organised earlier this year by the Council of Europe and the European Commission, as part of the Council of Europe’s programme to strengthen local self-government in Serbia. Media are crucial to increasing citizen awareness and local authority accountability by disseminating relevant and unbiased information.

The work plan was designed and implemented in close cooperation with the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), and was built on their previous experience and actions.

80 journalists were briefed on local self-government issues and 60 Public relations’ officials were trained in media relations on topics relevant to the programme. A final total of 60 submitted an entry. Their challenge -– an essay on some aspect of local and regional democracy.

A jury of 5 editors in chief has awarded a prize to 7 of the 60 candidates for their work in different media categories, including local and national newpapers, and local and national TV broadcasts. The candidates’ prize is a study trip to Strasbourg (14-17 November), to meet French journalists from papers such as Le Monde and the regional Alsace newspaper, the DNA, as well as from TV companies such as France télévisions (the French public national television broadcaster) and Arte (the Franco-German TV network).

This and other elements of the Programme’s activities have helped to raise citizen awareness of decentralisation, with local media playing a crucial role in disseminating the results and increasing citizens understanding of the key local self-government issues addressed by the Programme, such as local property, staff status, finances, local initiative referenda, communal police, etc.

IMC and leadership development at local level – key factors to good governance, Ankara, Turkey, 10 October [10/10/11] The roadmap for reinforcing implementation of intermunicipal co-operation and leadership development in Turkey is to be debated at a conference being held in Ankara, Turkey on 10 October. Intermunicipal Co-operation (IMC) is a key element in reforming local government since it helps raise the quality of local public services and makes local government more efficient and effective. IMC leads to greater economies of scale and enables small local authorities to build their capacity. IMC means change, however, and change requires new kinds of leadership; the more traditional management methods are no longer appropriate.

The Conference is aimed at promoting these dual aspects of Good Governance, along with use of the Council of Europe-UNDP-LGI IMC Toolkit. A discussion of concrete IMC initiatives at central and local level will enable participants to exchange their views and experiences in these fields, as well as identify any key challenges and possible solutions. The conference will further provide the opportunity to launch the National Leadership Academy.

Conference participants will include Senior officials at central or local level from central government (Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economic Development, Bank of Provinces, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Environment) and elected representatives from local government, representatives of local government associations and regional unions, other relevant national organisations, the CoE and UNDP.

A meeting of local and central government representatives, experts and consultants from the CoE and UNDP will take place afterwards to make recommendations on the next steps to be taken and to advise on their implementation.

For further information please contact: Sylvia Ivanova, Programme manager, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, tel: +33 3 90 21 52 93, e-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int, website : www.coe.int/local ; twitter: @coe_cdlr

Democracy Institution Building and Governance Department to assist implementation of Moldovan Decentralisation Strategy [05/10/11] Discussions on the implementation of the Moldovan Decentralisation Strategy will be held at the Ministerial Conference in Kyiv, 3-5 November 2011, in bilateral meetings with a high level Moldovan Delegation. The Strategy was drafted with the assistance of the Democracy Institution Building and Governance Department at the Council of Europe, who will also assist with its implementation. These joint endeavours to strengthen decentralisation in Moldova were the focal point yesterday of an exchange of views held by the Moldovan President ad interim, Marian Lupu at the Council of Europe in the week of its Parliamentary Assembly. Mr Lupu, presenting the roadmap for adopting Moldova’s National Decentralisation Strategy, described it as “a comprehensive and systemic approach to decentralisation implying transfer of power, duties and resources to local and regional authorities.  

Mitigating the effects of the global crisis at local level [22/09/11] The European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR) met in Strasbourg from 19-21 September to discuss measures to be included in the Declaration of the forthcoming Conference of European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Democracy (Kyiv, Ukraine, 3-4 November). Aimed at providing greater stability for European local governments in the current climate, the measures are likely to focus on advocating non-volatile tax bases, promoting the competence to vary tax rates (particularly of property  tax which has been the most stable revenue throughout the crisis), making the most of limited resources, intermunicipal co-operation and improved advanced warning by central governments of any cuts to central government transfers to the local level. 

In view of the current state of flux, combatting the global crisis at the local level will form the focal point of the 2011 Ministerial Conference. The Council of Europe has been following the effects of the crisis at local level, in co-operation with the Open Society Foundation and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), since September 2008. The work was endorsed by European Ministers at their last conference in Utrecht, Netherlands (November 2009), when it was requested that the work be continued. 

In 2010, it published the report “The impact of the Economic Downturn on Local Government in Europe”, which was based on figures submitted by 37 Council of Europe member states for the period up to the first half of 2010. 

The CDLR is being advised by a team of experts including Professor Kenneth Davey OBE, Professor Paul Bernd Spahn, Jorgen Lotz, Gabor Peteri, Sorin Ionita,

Improving the quality of public services in Ukraine, 6-7 September [13/09/2011]  A training on performance management was organised by the Council of Europe Programme “Strengthening the capacity of local authorities in Ukraine” for representatives from 16 Ukrainian cities. The training was conducted by leading international and local trainers at the Council of Europe: Christopher Vast (expert, KING institute, Netherlands), Vadym Proshko (Council of Europe expert), Valentyna Poltavets (Deputy Mayor of Ukrainka town). The material on performance management was based on complex but result-oriented tools developed by the CoE Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform which have already been successfully implemented in a number of countries. The training focused on how to develop performance indicators for three essential local public services, since this is a goal of the CoE programme as a means for improving municipal service provision. The services selected were: improvement of the city website, tariff policy based on dialogue with citizens and administrative services. The indicators identified during the training will be standardised and disseminated at a later date to all local authorities in Ukraine. Such indicators can be developed under the current Ukrainian legislation in cities with different status, population number, budget, economic specialisation. The results of Ukrainian cities work in performance management will be used for developing toolkits for disseminating best practices across member states. Training Participants have agreed that cities have a strong need not only for strategic documents, but also for practical tools on service provision to citizens. Performance management tools create opportunities for cities to cooperate and implement a sustainable approach to performance improvement.

2011, while challenging, has been very promising for the development of local self-government in Ukraine, owing to its chairmanship of the CoE Committee of Ministers making local and regional democracy one of its key priorities. Earlier this year, the Ukraine President announced the beginning of a large-scale local self-government reform, to comply with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The practical results of the CoE programme “Strengthening the capacity of local authorities in Ukraine” will definitely make a valuable contribution to the development of local self-government in Ukraine. For further information please contact: Natalia Starostenko, Programme manager, Council of Europe office in Ukraine, tel: +38-044-303-99-16, e-mail: natalia.starostenko@coe.int, website : www.coe.int/local

International Colloquy "participative local democracy in Europe: tendencies and evolutions” 15 & 16 September 2011, Kehl, Germany [12/09/2011]  How to promote citizen participation at local level and what for ? What is the impact of local governance in the various fields of public administration as well as the influence of participative governance on transparency and participatory democracy ? Are concepts of participative administration, local governance or participative governance understood and put into practice in the same way throughout Europe ?

These issues will be discussed during the international colloquy “"participative local democracy in Europe: tendencies and evolutions”, that the Euro-Institute is organising, with the support of the Council of Europe, the Kehl School of Public Administration and the Association Europa, on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 September 2011, in Kehl, Germany.

The European Strategy and Label for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level will also be presented and discussed with a view to their being promoted and piloted in several German municipalities.

For further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).

International colloquy "How to improve public ethic standards at local and regional level? 15 September 2011, Ukraine [08/09/2011] The Council of Europe is organising a colloquy on the theme "How to improve public ethic standards at local and regional levels" in partnership with the National Agency of Civil Service and State Foundation for Local Self-Government of Ukraine on 15 September 2011, in Kyiv, Ukraine. The colloquy is part of the public ethics standards promotion implemented under the Council of Europe Programme "Strengthening the capacity of local authorities in Ukraine".

This international event will gather international experts from the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, leading Ukrainian civil servants and politicians, representatives of NGOs, and national associations of local and regional authorities.

The participants will discuss the Council of Europe approach and the experience of European countries in improving the public ethics standards at the local level, Ukraine’s experience of implementing public ethic standards and combating corruption at the local level, best Ukrainian and European practices in public ethics benchmarking and a programme for improvement.

For any further information please contact Ms. Alina Tatarenko, Directorate of Democratic Institutions, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs, Council of Europe, 67075 Strasbourg, France, Tel: +33.3. 88 41 2847, email: alina.tatarenko@coe.int, site web : www.coe.int/local ou www.coe.kiev.ua

Two new ratifications for CoE treaties on local and regional democracy [08/09/2011] Slovenia has become the first country to ratify Protocol No. 3 to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities concerning Euroregional Co-operation Groupings (ECGs) (CETS 206), and the seventh country to ratify Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority (CETS 207). Instruments of ratification were deposited with the CoE Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, on 6 September 2009.

Cyprus to sign four conventions facilitating transfrontier co-operation at local level [08/09/2011] On Thursday 8 September, Cyprus will sign the following conventions:
   European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities (CETS 106) (Madrid Outline Convention),
   Additional Protocol to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities (CETS 159), and
   Protocol No. 2 to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities concerning interterritorial co-operation (CETS 169), and
   Protocol No. 3 to the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities concerning Euroregional Co-operation Groupings (ECGs) (CETS 206). 

Performance management in Europe - can cultural style make a difference? [01/08/2011]
The effect of different European management styles on performance management tools at local level will form the focal point this week for a group of European experts from Belgium, France, Italy and UK meeting in Florence. Attention will focus more particularly on organisation praxis, accounting systems, the budgetary process and human resources.

Council of Europe performance management toolkits and expertise, the UK Compulsory Competitive Tendering System (CCT) and the use of both private and public law accounting by Belgian local authorities will also be of key interest.

The meeting will take place on Friday 5 August at the University of Florence and is the first step of the project which finishes in November with a final conference in Rome.

The project is being organised by the ”Scuola Superiore della Pubblica Amministrazione Locale” (SSPAL - Italian National School of Local Public Administration), with the support of the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Administrative Reform and the Consorzio Interuniveristario per la Metodologia nelle Scienze Sociali (CIMESS).

Project participants will include CEOs for the UK unitary and district councils of Southend-on-Sea and Tendring (Essex), former and deputy mayors from the cities of Strasbourg (France), Liège (Belgium) and Florence (Italy) and representatives from the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise who will supervise the project.

Rob Tinlin, CEO for the unitary council of Southend-on-Sea, attributed the turn-about in his council’s performance to greater emphasis on performance management, aligned with leadership and empowerment. “When I became CEO five years ago, Southend-on-Sea was underperfoming. Today it is known for its excellence. “Working with the Council of Europe is always a joy for the opportunites it offers to share knowledge and learn from others. We have 5 years experience of building performance management systems that clearly work. During the project, we hope to help others draw on our success.”

Dan Popescu of the Council of Europe said that good leadership through performance management is a powerful technique for local authorities confronted with the fall out from the financial crisis.

“Luckily, the wheel does not have to be reinvented, as there are many successful systems across Europe that can be easily replicated elsewhere. This is where the Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform can help. Among our many toolkits is one on performance management, based on European experience, which will be published shortly and distributed to interested partners.”

Massimo Balducci, Professor of Public Management at the University of Florence, said he hoped participants would take home suggestions they could implement in their own local authorities.

For further information please contact: Sylvia Ivanova, Programme manager, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, tel: +33 3 90 21 52 93, e-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int, website : www.coe.int/local or

Siobhan Montgomery, Communications Officer, tel: +33 3 88 41 24 14; email: siobhan.montgomery@coe.int; website: www.coe.int/local,
Department of Local and Regional Democracy and Good Governance, Directorate of Democratic Institutions, Council of Europe, Strasbourg - F-67075

Workshop discussions will look at the following four main themes:

1. Responses in inter-governmental relations 2. Responses in local government management 3. Avoiding impacts on social cohesion 4. Local authorities’ role in economic recovery

The conference will be organised into two working groups: Group A – Challenges and responses in big and developed municipalities Group B – Challenges and responses in small, mountain and rural area municipalitiesf.

"Transparency and public ethics: a challenge to democracy” 30 June -1 July 2011, Strasbourg [27/06/2011] The Council of Europe is organising a colloquy on the theme "Transparency and public ethics: a challenge to democracy/local, national and international aspects, in partnership with the City and Urban Community of Strasbourg (CUS), the University of Pau and the Pays de l’Adour (UPPA) and the French National Centre of Local Public Service (CNFPT), from Thursday 30 June to Friday 1 July 2011, in Strasbourg, France.

This international gathering is being organised as part of the promotion of the European Strategy and Label for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level and as a follow-up to the previous colloquies organised by the Council of Europe, respectively in Pau in June 2009 - “International comparative analysis of performance management tools and models used in the local public sector” and in Bordeaux in June 2010 - “The citizen at the heart of innovation at local level”.

Over the course of the two days, discussions will focus on questions of content and the boundaries of ethics and transparency in democracy, but also on ethics and transparency as a means to fight against public corruption and waste as well as to promote participative democracy. The Strasbourg Colloquy will gather several hundred participants from all over Europe, mostly local and regionally- elected representatives and executives, academics, representatives of other public services, civil society, representatives from the private sector and intellectuals

Should you wish to participate, registration is free-of-charge but obligatory on the website : www.democratie.strasbourg.eu

For any further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int, website: www.coe.int/local).

Leadership Academy Programme – Bulgaria, 27-29 June [23/06/2011] Leadership is increasingly considered the key element to good governance and can make a real difference to how well a local authority performs. The Centre of Expertise, in co-operation with the National Union of Municipal Clerks is piloting the Leadership Academy Programme in Bulgaria. The launch and first session of three will take place from 27 to 29 June in Chernomoretz. Council of Europe’s consultants from the United Kingdom and Russia will join the first session.

The programme is tailored to local government and focuses not only on individual leadership skills of participants, but also on the institutional leadership mechanisms employed by their municipalities. It aims to improve leadership skills by helping participants stimulate their own awareness of leadership; understand its principles, requirements and functions, evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses and the image they convey to others, as well as develop their skills in providing the necessary functions of leadership.

Organised as a series of national and international activities, its target audience is senior officials and elected representatives. Its training tools were developed around local authorities’ main competences.

Norway is officially accredited to award the label [23/06/2011]   Norway becomes the second European country entitled to hand out the ELoGE Label – the European Label of Governance Excellence - to qualifying municipalities. The EloGE Label is part of the Strategy of Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level which comprises 12 principles of Good Democratic Governance at Local Level. Norway intends to award the first Labels in spring 2012. Norway was officially accredited to award the Label during the meeting of the Stakeholders’ Platform of the Strategy of Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level which took place at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 22 June. It is expected that more countries will follow Norway’s example in the near future.

Delegates head for Tendring to tackle coastal issues at first international conference  [17/06/2011] Major challenges and opportunities facing coastal communities will come under the spotlight later this month when delegates from across Europe descend on Tendring.

The District’s first ever international conference has attracted top level officials from Russia, France, Turkey, Malta and the UK.

Representatives will be joining forces to get to grips with the many difficult issues, such as deprivation, that confront seaside towns and ports.

The event will also be an opportunity to highlight Tendring on both a national and international level.

Those attending the conference will explore ways of tapping into European Union funding streams, share experiences and work together to find solutions at the conference in Clacton on June 21 and 22.

They will also be hotly debating coastal town deprivation, lifelong learning and skills, ports and renewable energy.

The conference is being staged at the Princes Theatre and will be hosted by Tendring District Council (TDC), Essex County Council (ECC) and The Council of Europe.

Neil Stock, Leader of TDC, said the conference is a time to get together to address the common issues faced by many coastal communities across the Continent and Tendring has stepped up to take the lead.

“We want the Government to know we are here, that we have real problems and issues and that we are prepared to be innovative and creative to find ways of attracting funding and attention.

“In Tendring, which covers such places as Harwich, Jaywick and Clacton, we have a variety of significant opportunities and challenges which we need to tackle head-on.

“This international conference is a fantastic chance and the ideal platform for us to learn some valuable lessons from home and overseas and help us all boost our coastal economies.”

Bob Neil MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government is lined-up to be the keynote speaker.

Coastal towns in the recently formed Kent, Greater Essex, and East Sussex Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) are already looking at ways to work together, particularly as the Government has expressed support for coastal towns.

Cllr Stock said the conference provides a key opportunity to further that agenda.

There will also be opportunities for networking as well as presentations and workshops. For further information please contact Ms Sylvia Ivanova, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, Department of Democratic Institutions (Tel: +33 3 90 21 52 93, e-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int, website: http://www.coe.int/local).

Second review conference: “Crisis and Recovery: Bringing Solutions in Partnership” [17/06/2011] From 20 to 21 June the Council of Europe, Open Society Foundations and the Council of European Municipalities and Regiona (CEMR) will hold in Strasbourg the conference taking stock of the situation and showcasing innovative practices for tackling economic recovery in Europe’s municipalities and regions. It will provide an important occasion for reviewing the guidelines adopted in the Utrecht Declaration and for proposing more developed guidelines to be considered for adoption at the 17th Session of the Ministerial Conference in Kyiv in November 2011.

In 2009, Ministers responsible for local and regional government, at the 16th session of the Council of Europe conference (Utrecht, Netherlands), addressed the impact of the financial/economic crisis on local government and adopted a statement and a number of policy guidelines in the final “Utrecht Declaration”. They agreed that work on this topic should be continued, notably by monitoring the financial and economic developments for local and regional governments and policy responses adopted. A first review conference was held in Strasbourg in October 2010.

Serbia, 21-22 June, Belgrade: Franco-Serbian Workshop on budget planning and auditing at municipal level [10/06/2011]
How is the proper use and balance of local budgets ensured? Is increased evaluation a guarantee of reliable services - particularly in times of crisis - or the sound management of public funds? And if so, what planning and audit mechanisms should be used and what is the most suitable legal framework for their implementation?

These issues, the pillars of good governance at local level, will be discussed during the Workshop on “budget planning and auditing at municipal level” to be organised by the Council of Europe (DG-DPA), in cooperation with the French Embassy in Belgrade, on Tuesday, 21 and Wednesday, 22 June 2011 in Belgrade as part of the joint programme with the European Commission on “Strengthening local self-government in Serbia” (Phase II).

Representatives from Serbian and French pilot local authorities, as well as from the Serbian Ministries of Finance and Public Administration and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia (SCTM) will participate.

For any further information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int).  

European Label of Governance Excellence awarded to 13 municipalities [09/06/2011] The first European Labels of Governance Excellence (ELoGE), created by the Council of Europe for recognising good governance and innovation in local authorities, have been awarded in Bulgaria to thirteen municipalities. The label is an integral part of the Council of Europe’s Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level which was launched in 2007 in Valencia (Spain) by European Ministers responsible for local and regional government.

The award ceremony took place in the Granite Hall of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers in Sofia on 27 May, in the presence of the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr Rosen Plevneliev, Deputy Minister Ms Ekaterina Zaharieva, Ms Ginka Chavdarova, Executive Director of the National Association of Municipalities of the Republic of Bulgaria and Mr Alfonso Zardi, Head of the Department of Local and Regional Democracy of the Council of Europe, all of whom gave congratulatory speeches.

Bulgaria was one of the original pilot countries to test the Strategy, along with Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Ukraine. In December 2010, Bulgaria subsequently became the first country to be accredited to award the label when the Council of Europe approved the Bulgarian Label Award Committee. The Committee is chaired by Mr Plevneliev and comprises representatives from the National Association of Municipalities in Bulgaria (NAMRB), the Ministry responsible for relations with the European Union, the Council of Ministers, the Regional Government, the Ombudsman, and other key national and local government stakeholders.

The thirteen municipalities to receive the award were: Kirkovo, Pernik, Dobrich, Targovishte, Dimitrovgrad, Svilengrad, Liaskovec, Svishtov, Smolian, Stolichna Obshtina, Karlovo, Dolna Bania and Kneja.

For further information on the European Label, please contact Mrs Sylvia Ivanova, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 3 90 21 52 93, e-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int, website:

http://www.coe.int/t/dgap/localdemocracy/Strategy_Innovation/ELoGE_en.asp

The City of Innsbruck helps launch the 12 principles of the Strategy  [06/06/2011]
The results of the Management Centre in Innsbruck’s (MCI) project to test the ELoGE Label’s benchmark were officially presented on 24 May in the City Hall of Innsbruck. The project was built around a city called Bridge-Inn (a simulation of the city of Innsbruck) which had applied to be awarded the ELoGE label. Bridge-Inn’s performance as a city was accordingly measured against the 12 principles of the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance. Conducted as a real life project, it involved the Mayor of Innsbruck, citizens and representatives from local business and the Chamber of Commerce.

The MCI joined the Council of Europe in its work to promote Good Governance at local level through the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance in 2010. Now that the Bridge-Inn project has come to a close, it will continue to promote the 12 principles through educational programmes at Master’s level. The MCI will also provide the technical assistance necessary for taking the Strategy and the ELoGE label forward in Austria.

The Council of Europe thanked the MCI for their collaboration by awarding them an honorary crystal dodecahedron - the 12-sided figure usually reserved for real-life local authorities which meet the benchmark.

For further information on the European Label, please contact Mrs Sylvia Ivanova, Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform (Tel: +33 3 90 21 52 93, e-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int