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Monaco becomes the 46th member
State to ratify the Charter
[11/01/2013]
The Congress of Local and
Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
welcomes the simultaneous signature and
ratification of the European Charter of Local
Self-Government by the Principality of Monaco on
10 January 2013. This text will come into force
in respect of Monaco on 1 May 2013. Thus the
Principality has joined the 45 Council of Europe
countries which have already signed this treaty.
The President of the Congress, Herwig Van
Staa (Austria, EPP/ECC), pointed out that the
ratification of the Charter by the Principality
of Monaco illustrates the importance of the
principles laid down in that treaty, which
applies irrespective of a State’s size. This
ratification, moreover, comes just a short time
after ratification by the Principality of
Andorra.
“By signing and ratifying the Charter, the
Principality of Monaco is joining the family of
European nations committed to the implementation
of this treaty’s principles”, said the President
of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the
Congress, Jean-Claude Frécon (France, SOC). “We
very much hope that Monaco’s decision to ratify
the Charter will encourage the Republic of San
Marino to follow suit, so that this treaty will
have been ratified by all the Council of
Europe’s member States. Application of the
Charter across ‘100% of European territory’ is
in fact one of the major objectives of the
Congress.”
The European Charter of Local Self-Government
was opened as a Convention for signature by
Council of Europe member states 28 years ago, on
15 October 1985, and came into force on 1
September 1988. The text, which affirms the role
of local authorities as the first tier for the
exercise of democracy, has become a unique
international reference instrument in this
field. The Charter requires compliance with a
minimum set of rights, which thus constitutes
the first European foundation stone of local
self-government.
The Congress of the
Council of Europe ensures that the principles
laid down in the Charter and its Additional
Protocol are complied with, through regular
monitoring of the situation of local democracy
in Europe. It thus promotes at local and
regional levels the fundamental objectives of
the Council of Europe, which are to achieve
progress in democracy and human rights.
Article appearing
on the Congress website
Good
Governance principles to be promoted in
Russia
[08/11/12] The
North-West Institute of Public Administration
starts the first training session of the
international project on "Promotion of Good
Governance principles in North-West Russia” (26
November)
Aimed at civil servants from
North-West Russian regions and municipalities,
the training will focus on principles of
effective management developed by the Council of
Europe, ways of interaction between authorities
and civil society, innovation strategies,
citizen participation in local government, the
principles of project management, and other
aspects of good governance.
In addition,
two more week-long sessions are scheduled for
March and September 2013. Upon completion of the
trainings courses and an exam, civil servants
will receive an official certificate. Students
will also be offered the chance of participating
in one of the study trips to the Nordic
countries. That will be an opportunity to
explore implementation of innovative good
governance practices in Finland, Sweden and
Norway.
The new initiative is devoted to
issues of specific concern for modern Russian
society such as good governance, standardization
and evaluation of public services. Such
standardization instruments and tools are
supported and developed by the Council of Europe
through promotion of the “Strategy for
Innovation & Good Governance at a Local Level“.
During the project life-cycle Russian
civil servants of regional and local authorities
from North-West Russian Federal District will
get an opportunity to familiarize themselves
with the 12 principles of Good Governance,
integral to the Strategy for Innovation and Good
Good Governance, national strategies as well as
particular regional and local authorities’
practical activities in the Nordic countries.
Study of European best practices and
adaptation of key principles of standardization
and public services to the Russian regional and
local context will promote efficiency and
quality of public institutions, increase levels
of cooperation with citizens, political parties,
interest groups and civil society institutions.
The project is implemented by the North-West
Institute of the Russian Presidential Academy of
National Economy and Public Administration, the
Centre for NGOs’ Development and the Institute
of Regional Press. The project is co-financed by
the Nordic Council of Ministers within the
Knowledge-Building and Networking Programme and
the Council of Europe.
Decentralization Reform: From Strategy to
Action
[12/07/2012] The International
Conference „The Decentralization Reform: From
Strategy to Actions” will be held in Chisinau on
13-14 November, 2012. The event is organized by
the Government of the Republic of Moldova with
the support of the Embassy of Sweden, UNDP, UN
Women, UNICEF, Council of Europe and Soros
Foundation-Moldova. The Conference will
be opened by Vlad Filat, the Prime Minister of
the Republic of Moldova. Iurie Tap, the Chair of
the Special Parliamentary Committee for Power
Decentralization and Ensuring Local Autonomy,
H.E. Ingrid Tersman, Ambassador of Sweden to the
Republic of Moldova, Narine Sahakyan, Deputy
Permanent Representative of UNDP Moldova,
Alfonso Zardi, Head of Democracy, Institution
Building and Governance Department of the
Council of Europe, Tatiana Badan, Head of the
Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova, will
also attend the Conference. Members of
the Parity Commission, representatives of local
and central public administration, academia,
civil society, as well as representatives of
development partners, local and international
experts will also take part in this event.
Participants of the Conference will analyze
the European countries’ experience in the field
of local public administration, will assess the
implementation phase of the National
Decentralization Strategy and will debate the
sectoral action plans of decentralization reform
in different areas: finances, property,
education, territorial-administrative
organization and inter-community cooperation,
services of social assistance and utility
services.
A plenary session will be
devoted to human rights and gender equality
based approach applied in the process of
decentralization reform, as well as to the topic
related to the conflict of interests in local
governance of the Republic of Moldova.
During the Conference an exhibition of the
most successful local development projects
implemented with the assistance of the Joint
Integrated Local Development Programme in 70
localities of Moldova will be organized, as well
as the projection of a documentary film on the
benefits of the decentralization reform.
Moreover, the journalist who won the contest
„Decentralization Reform in Mass Media” will be
awarded. The Conference will take place in the
Republican Palace of Chisinau (16, Maria
Cibotari Street).
Study visit for Ukrainian officials on
Performance Management in Norway
[12/07/2012] A group of Ukrainian local
government and ministerial officials working on
the CoE Performance Management Project visited
Norway to learn about the Norwegian approach to
performance management. The project is part of a
larger CoE Programme on Strengthening the
Capacities of Local Authorities in Ukraine,
funded by Switzerland and Denmark. KS, the
Norwegian Association of Local Authorities,
assisted in the organisation of the study trip.
The study trip programme focused on: -
local government in Norway - Performance
management (PM) as a tool for better service
provision - functioning and administration
of KOSTRA - reporting and statistics system, use
of PM indicators - practical examples of
performance management, inter-municipal
cooperation and citizen participation from the
municipalities of Eidsvoll and Lillehammer -
gender equality issues and gender mainstreaming
at local level - measuring quality of
services, practical value of efficiency
networks.
As a result of the visit, the
local authorities of Ukraine will now work on
introducing a performance management network
system based on the CoE toolkit and the
Norwegian model.
[12/06/2012]
Deepen decentralisation
but also
revive the link between public authorities and
citizens were among the
solutions proposed by the speakers and
participants of the session on "Crisis exit
strategies", which took place on 27 September
during the General Assembly of European
Municipalities and Regions. The session was
moderated by the director general of the
Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG),
Ralph Pans and was followed by the presentation
of the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for
Local Government Reform book “Local Government
in Critical Times: Policies for Crisis, Recovery
and a Sustainable Future”. During his
speech, the mayor of Athens Yorgos Kaminis,
presented the economic, social and fiscal
situation in Greece and its capital city.
Unemployment rates are at 23%, one in four shops
has been closed for the past last six months,
poverty has increased and income for social
services has dropped by 60%. The problems have come from the national
and not the local level." He also supported the
statements made by the president of the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council
of Europe, Keith Whitmore, and the mayor of
Jyväskylä, Markku Andersson, stipulating that
decentralisation is one of the keys to exiting
the crisis. The need to strengthen the
trust of citizens vis-à-vis their elected
officials was among one of the alternatives put
forward to help restore social cohesion and to
cope with the crisis. Ólafur Óttarr Proppé,
councillor of the City of Rykjavík, stressed the
importance of giving people the means to express
themselves and especially to relate to their
elected representatives with ‘outside of the
box’ ideas.
Mayors, leaders, elected members
and representatives of European local
governments, cities, intermediate authorities
and regions, have adopted the Cádiz Declaration
entitled “Decentralisation, Development,
Democracy - Innovating for a Europe in 3D”. It
proposes a new approach to development that
relies on European territories being able to
create the conditions for new growth – growth
that is more sustainable and able to create
jobs. "Europe in 3D" means, first, the emergence
of a Europe that believes that collaboration
among political, economic and social actors is
the key to recovery.
ELoGE : 1st Information Meeting with German
local authorities, Kehl, Germany
The Council of Europe is organising on Monday,
15 October, in Kehl, the first Information
Meeting on the European Label for Innovation and
Good Governance (ELoGE) at local level for
German local authorities, particularly those in
Baden-Württemberg. Representatives of French and
Spanish local authorities will also attend. The
Euro-Institute in Kehl which promotes
cross-border cooperation is supporting this
initiative.
ELoGE is one of the pillars
of the European Strategy for Innovation and Good
Governance at local level adopted by the Council
of Europe Committee of Ministers in March 2008.
The label gives recognition to European local
authorities demonstrating competence in relation
to the 12 principles of good democratic
governance at local level. Its overall objective
is to encourage European local authorities to
improve the quality of their governance, to
develop the exchange of good practices and to
learn from each other. The Kehl Meeting
will provide the opportunity to discuss the
introduction of EloGE into Germany, especially
in Baden-Württemberg, focusing on the relevance
of such a tool for German local authorities as a
whole, and the actions that this would entail.
More generally, the meeting is aimed at
discussing ways of promoting, on a national and
European scale, innovation and good governance
at the local level. For any further
information please contact Mr Olivier Terrien,
Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform,
Directorate General of Democracy (Tel: +33 (0)
3 88 41 22 47, e-mail: olivier.terrien@coe.int,
website :
http://www.coe.int/t/dgap/localdemocracy/default_en.asp).
Serbia:
modern and effective human resources
management at local level, Belgrade, Thursday 12
July 2012
[12/06/2012] As
part of phase II of the Joint Programme with the
European Commission to strengthen local
self-government in Serbia, the Council of Europe
is organising a Training Session for Serbian
pilot municipalities officials on promoting
modern and effective human resources management
at municipal level. The session will be held in
Belgrade on Thursday, 12 July.
This event is a follow-up to the Joint
Programme’s HRM activities organised since 2010
with the help of 6 Serbian pilot municipalities.
These activites aim at promoting the development
and use of new HRM models and functions (job
profile definition, selection and recruitment
procedures and local government officials’
performance appraisal coupled with the
identification of training needs), bringing them
in line with the Serbian law on salaries and the
status of local government employees. The law is
currently being revised with assistance from the
Council of Europe.
The session’s discussions will focus on the
preparation of 4 regional workshops to be held
in October 2012, in different venues in and
around Belgrade. The aim of the workshops is to
promote and present modern and effective HRM
models and tools to Serbian local elected
representatives and employees up and down the
country. The tools were developed and tested in
several Serbian pilot cities and towns.
The Toolkit on HRM at local level aimed at
Serbian HRM local managers will also be
presented and discussed at the 4 regional
workshops. The toolkit will be disseminated in
late 2012 to all Serbian local authorities.
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).
“Leadership Academy Programme” – Training of
Trainers 29 May – 1 June, Bellinzona,
Switzerland Centre of Expertise in
co-operation with the Training Centre for Local
Authorities (CFEL) which is a training
institution within the Ticino Cantonal
Government organized a 4 day training of
trainers on “Leadership Academy Programme” (LAP)
for trainers and experts in the field of local
government. Twelve participants from five member
States (Switzerland, Austria, Ukraine, Italy and
Malta) attended the training.
The main objectives of the ToT were (a) to
enhance knowledge and skills of trainers in the
field of leadership in local governments, based
on concepts contained in the Centre’s Manual on
modern leadership; (b) to create a pool of
trainers/experts that potentially would carry on
Leadership Academy programme in their respective
countries/local governments; (c) create a
network of international trainers/experts that
would continue to co-operate in the future with
aim to exchange practices and experiences, and
ultimately would conduct the Leadership Academy
Programme in pairs.
The ToT itself was structured in the
following way: first day, CoE expert John
Jackson presented the structure and the concept
of the three stages of the Leadership Academy
Programme. Then participants were divided into
three groups and each group had task to design
and prepare half day training on one of the
three stages. The next three days each group
delivered training it had prepared, which
followed by peer review sessions. Throughout all
four days, participants demonstrated high level
of interest, efficiency and professionalism in
the process of designing and delivering training
sessions.
The Head of the Ticino training centre, Mr
Carlo Donadini greeted the participants and
expressed his high appreciation to the CoE in
organizing such event. He believed that the ToT
for international participants was an evidence
that his country which was considered as a
traditionally closed country demonstrated
readiness for opening up and learning from
others. He noted that he expect that this event
would be followed by others in the future.
A glass
of wine and a Council of Europe strategic
planning programme?
[08/06/2012] What
has an Armenian glass of wine to do with a
Council of Europe strategic municipality
planning programme, holding its final conference
this month in Yerevan, and in which 5 pilot
municipalities took part?
The programme was set up in 2010 to encourage
municipalities to take responsibility for their
own future growth and prosperity by enabling
them to make the most of their particular
location and natural resources. Strategic plans
were drawn up, providing the pilot
municipalities with a strategic vision for the
next 10 years and an analysis of their Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Concrete
project proposals were also put forward, and
this brings us nearer to the glass of wine: one
of these proposals was to attract
tourism to the wine producing pilot municipality
of Areni in South Armenia by further enhancing
its newly established wine festival. The wine festival is
currently in its implementation phase. Another
pilot municipality contemplated building an
exhibition centre, on account of its proximity
to the capital city Yerevan.
Participants to the conference will include key
international organisations in the field, such
as the European Commission, UNDP and Counterpart,
as well as the Armenian Deputy Minister of
territorial organisation, Vache Terteryan, the
mayors of the 5 pilot municipalities, the
President of the Armenian Association of local
communities and civil society representatives.
The Council of Europe’s Centre of Expertise
which ran the programme will publish the 5
strategic municipal plans drawn up and
disseminate them at the conference. The Centre
will also publish the national guide to
municipal planning which resulted from the
programme. This will be available at the
conference and sent to all local authorities in
Armenia to share the experience of the 5 pilot
municipalities.
Serbia Workshop to pilot human resources
management at municipal level through
performance mechanisms, Belgrade, Friday, 8 June
2012[07/06/2012]As
part of its Joint Programme with the European
Commission on “Strengthening local
self-government in Serbia” (Phase II)”, the
Council of Europe is organising a Joint Workshop
in Serbia for piloting “Performance mechanisms
applied to Human Resources Management (HRM) at
municipal level” in several municipalities. The
workshop will take place on Friday 8 June 2012,
in Belgrade.
The key objectives of this event are to
discuss the application of performance
management mechanisms to the implementation of
modern and effective HRM and review the lessons
to be learnt from other European experience in
this field, particularly from the United Kingdom,
France and Germany. Participants will also
review the draft structure and content of the
future detailed Toolkit on HRM at local level
aimed at Serbian HRM local managers and to be
distributed late 2012 to all Serbian local
authorities
The Joint Programme’s HRM activities will
continue in to late 2012. Possible follow-up
activities till 2016 are currently being
discussed. These would be aimed at promoting the
use of new HRM models and functions (job
profiles, recruitment procedures, performance
appraisal and training plans) in all Serbian
cities and towns, in conformity with the
legislation on the status of local government
officials, so as to develop a professional- and
citizen-oriented public administration.
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).
European
Best Practice Award for Coastal Towns:
Winners announced
[26/04/2012] –
President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly Jean-Claude Mignon and President of the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Keith
Whitmore announced today the results of the Best
Practice Award Programme for European Coastal
Towns, at a ceremony during the Parliamentary
Assembly session in Strasbourg.
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
[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.
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).
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.
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).
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.
A new report updating the situation and based on
figures up to end of 2010, will be published in
time for the 2011 Ministerial Conference. 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.
The Additional
Protocol (CETS 207) only requires one more
ratification before entry into force. Both
treaties were opened for signature at the
Conference of Ministers responsible for Local
and Regional Government in Utrecht in November
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).
Through these
conventions, territorial communities or
authorities can develop crossborder co-operation
with neighbouring authorities and
interterritorial co-operation with non
contiguous authorities. They can take part in
co-operation activities, set up or become
members of transfrontier and interterritorial
co-operation bodies (Euroregional Co-operation
Groupings).
The Madrid Outline Convention and its first two
protocols are already in force. Three more
ratifications are required before Protocol No. 3
can enter into force.
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
Bulgaria,
7-8 July, Impact of the Economic Crisis on
Local Governments
[07/07/2011] At the initiative of the National Association of
Bulgarian Municipalities (NAMRB), the
International Conference : Impact of the
Economic Crisis on Local Governments -
Challenges and Responses will be organised in
Borovets, Hotel Samokov on 7 and 8 July 2011.
Participants will present their views on how
tight budgets are affecting Bulgarian
municipalities, as well as those in Greece,
Romania, Serbia, “the former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia”, Turkey.
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.
The Leadership Academy Programme was developed
by the Centre of Expertise between 2008 and
2010. It includes a training guide and sever
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. al tools.
A Leadership handbook will be published in late
2011.
For further information 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/default_en.asp).
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
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