The role of the Committee of Advisers has evolved over the years towards encouraging the establishment and consolidation of effective forms of transfrontier co-operation and permanent co-operation bodies (such as Euroregions), spreading knowledge of the Council of Europe’s legal instruments and promoting the signing and ratification of the European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation between Territorial Communities or Authorities and its two protocols.

Membership and meetings

At their 887th meeting, on 9 June 2004, the Ministers’ Deputies:

1. approved and appointed the following members of the Committee of Advisers for a new three-year term beginning on 1 July 2004:

Mr Jan OLBRYCHT and Mr Jan MANS as full members, and Mr Imre KERN and Mr Hans-Martin TSCHUDI as their substitutes, following their nomination by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE);

Mrs Judith Rosemary BATT and Mr Mijat DAMJANOVIC, following their nomination by the Secretary General;

2. declared the following two persons appointed as members of the Committee of Advisers, on behalf of the Committee of Ministers, for the same period:

Mr Sergey ARTOBOLEVSKIY (Russian Federation) and Mrs Doina Mihaela BUBULETE (Romania).

Role, functions and working methods of the Committee

The Committee of Ministers gave the Committee of Advisers the following terms of reference: “to provide the Secretariat with independent advice on the planning, implementation and monitoring of activities relating to transfrontier co-operation between local and regional authorities and communities in the member states in order to promote dialogue and co-operation between local and regional authorities, thereby contributing to the consolidation of democratic stability in Europe.”

The Committee discussed the scope for its “independent advice” to the Secretariat. It came to the conclusion that it included both the identification of the geographical areas where activities should be conducted and the type of activities.

As regards the geographical scope of the activities, the Committee acknowledged that it depended to a large extent on the current political situation and on the priorities the Council of Europe had set itself with a view to strengthening the democratic stability of the continent, respect for human right and fundamental freedoms and the establishment of the rule of law.

However, the members felt that one of the main contributions they could make to the Council of Europe’s transfrontier co-operation activities was precisely the identification of geographical areas where action was needed, on the basis of their personal knowledge and assessment of the situation prevailing in the European countries or regions of which they had direct experience. In addition, they also considered that it was for them to bring to the attention of the Committee and therefore of the Secretariat the needs, wishes and requests of the various circles with which they were in contact and which were both substantiated by objective data and consistent with the priorities of the Council of Europe.

As regards the types of activities it could envisage, the Committee, having regard to the work of its predecessors and taking into account the situation prevailing in the Council of Europe member countries, came to the conclusion that the choice of the activities depended on the aims to be pursued, which it identified as follows:

promoting awareness of the Outline Convention and its protocols, with a view to encouraging their signing and ratification. This goal could be pursued through assistance and expert advice to states on the legal measures to be taken with a view - or subsequent - to the ratification of the Convention and its protocols; national or bi-lateral information seminars and conferences on the implications of ratification; missions aimed at assessing the effectiveness of measures taken to give effect to the Convention and its protocols;

helping to establish the appropriate legal framework and institutional setting for permanent co-operation between territorial authorities or communities. This would involve providing guidance and assistance to local authorities wishing to set up co-operation bodies such as standing committees or “Euroregions”, making available to them the experience of similar agreements and co-operation bodies, establishing the right connections and support networks of similar institutions, etc;

helping to bring together the representatives of territorial communities and authorities and the respective state authorities from two or more neighbouring countries in cases where transfrontier co-operation could contribute significantly to the easing of tensions, the establishment or reintroduction of peaceful and constructive dialogue and the development of fruitful economic, cultural and administrative links. This co-operation could take the form of bi- or multilateral meetings bringing together local elected representatives, representatives of the business community, educational and cultural institutions, youth movements, NGOs, etc. with or without the participation of central state representatives, as appropriate;

promoting the exchange of experience by facilitating access by local elected representatives and local administrative staff to significant exemples of transfrontier co-operation. These exchanges of experience could consist of study visits to foreign countries by individuals or groups, the placement of staff at the disposal of Euroregions, etc.