The ELoGE Accreditation Platform of the Congress, co-chaired by Vice-Presidents Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, EPP/CCE) and Cecilia Dalman Eck (Sweden, SOC/G/PD), met online on 26 August 2026 to consider requests to implement the European Label of Governance Excellence in 6 member states and Kosovo*.
EloGE is proving to be an important tool in helping take the pulse of good democratic governance at the local level. Throughout three cycles of the award in Italy, more than 23 000 residents have shared their view of democratic governance in their local authority. The Associazione Italiana per il Consiglio dei Comuni e delle Regioni d’Europa (AICCRE) will launch a 4th cycle in 2027.
In recognition of the determination of local authorities in Türkiye to promote good democratic governance, the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye (TBB) has been accredited to launch a 5th national cycle of ELoGE in cooperation with the Argüden Governance Academy.
The Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ), the Union of Cypus Municipalities and EUDEL (the Association of Basque Municipalities) also plan to continue to promote good democratic governance through ELoGE.
The European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA) has also been granted renewed accreditation to promote ELoGE in North Macedonia and Kosovo in cooperation with national associations there.
ELoGE is a benchmarking process based on the 12 Principles of good democratic governance; it is awarded to municipalities which can demonstrate that they have achieved a high level of performance against those standards. To date, it has been awarded 489 times to some 400 distinct local authorities in 21 member States of the Council of Europe (and Kosovo*).
* All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations' Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
