Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, will pay an official visit to Finland on 19 and 20 May 2025.

On 19 May in Tampere, he will present highlights of the Congress´ work during the third edition of Council of Europe Human Rights Day : “Participation, influence, responsibility – civil society as part of democracy”. This visibility event will tackle the Council of Europe's role in promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law, especially from the perspective of the state of civil society. It will also mark the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the European Convention on Human Rights and the 35th anniversary of Finland's ratification of the Convention. The event will take place at the University of Tampere from 13:00 to 16:30 EET, and is open to media. Media can register to the event here or follow the live stream.

In the sidelines of the event, Secretary General Mori will meet representatives of Tampere City Council, have an exchange with students, and hear presentations on the model for developing inhabitant inclusion in Kaukajärvi and Annala districts.

On 20 May in Helsinki, the Congress Secretary General will have meetings with Mayor Juhana Vartiainen, representatives of the Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats.

The visit will be an occasion to strengthen co-operation with Finland and discuss the current geopolitical situation, such as the elaboration of contingency plans at local level in times of crises and the reconstruction of Ukraine. Discussions will also include the state of democracy in Georgia and Türkiye, among others

Contact: Congress Communication Unit, tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 38 90