Addressing the 131st Session of the Committee of Ministers, held on 21 May 2021 in Hamburg (Germany), Congress President Leendert Verbeek stressed the importance of strengthening grassroots democracy in Europe to restore citizens' confidence in democratic processes, which has been weakened by the COVID-19 crisis.
"The crisis has amplified the social, economic and political challenges as well as the divisions within our societies and has confirmed the need for a strong and credible government at all levels", said President Verbeek, recalling the pivotal role of local and regional elected representatives, who are the closest to the citizens, in responding effectively to the crisis, and underlined the need to place them at the heart of the post-crisis recovery.
As a means of achieving these objectives, the Congress President Verbeek referred to the new priorities of the Congress for 2021-2026 which focus on contributing to building more resilient, more democratic, and more sustainable societies.
