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Association of Ukrainian Cities receives Benjamin Barber Global Cities Award 2022
The Benjamin Barber Global Cities Award of 2022 was presented to the Association of Ukrainian Cities (AUC) on 25 June in Katowice, Poland, as part of the opening of the annual Global Parliament of Mayors Summit. The award is given to a mayor or organisation for outstanding contributions to the...
Congress President calls for strengthened youth participation at the 10th InterCity Youth Conference in Ljubljana
Leendert Verbeek, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, addressed the participants of the 10th InterCity Youth Conference during his keynote speech on “Youthwork and participation – two words, one meaning”. “Young people deserve a say – a seat at...
Congress President meets H.M. Dutch King
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Leendert Verbeek, met His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, on the occasion of his official visit to the Council of Europe on 23 June 2022. President Verbeek presented the work of the Congress and the role of local...
Congress President meets Greek President
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Leendert Verbeek, met the President of Greece, H.E. Mrs Katerina Sakellaropoulou, on 22 June 2022, during her official visit to the Council of Europe. The two Presidents stressed the importance of the local dimension of the Council...
Congress and PACE continue cooperation to protect the rights of LGBTI people at all levels
Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR), Congress rapporteur on LGBTI issues, participated in the first meeting of the PACE Parliamentary Platform for the rights of LGBTI people in Europe on 20 June 2022 in Strasbourg, France. “As national level representatives, you can vote laws to improve the...
International consultants - Call for tenders
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is looking for international consultants to reinforce its capacity development activities, contribute to the development of policies and/or legal frameworks and other tasks, in the framework of its statutory and co-operation...
“The reconstruction will be grounded on the strength that we are witnessing today from Ukrainian cities and villages” says Congress President
The president of the Congress of Local and Regional authorities spoke at a forum for the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Friday 17 June 2022. “The mayors and local councillors are a vivid example of the courage and resilience of Ukrainian people and local authorities in...
Regional Support for Ukraine
“Today, Ukraine needs coherent and co-ordinated action at all levels of governance, as well as a dialogue between the different levels for rebuilding and revival of the country and its communities”, stressed Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) President of the Congress’ Chamber of Local...
Congress Bureau met in Tralee, Ireland
In the context of Ireland's Presidency of the Committee of Ministers Council of Europe the Bureau of the Congress met on 14 June 2022 in Tralee, Kerry County, Ireland and had an exchange of views with Irish councillors, including members of the Irish delegation to the Congress, on local...
World Refugee Day: Congress Rapporteurs call on European cities and regions to protect women and children on the run
Joint statement by Congress rapporteurs on women and children refugees Mr Bernd Vöhringer, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities (Germany, EPP/CCE) and Ms Annika Vaikla (Estonia, ILDG) on the ocassion of the World Refugee Day – 20 June 2022 “Our cities and regions are the first port of...
Monitoring visit by the Congress to the Republic of Moldova
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe carried out a post-monitoring visit to the Republic of Moldova on 21 June 2022. The delegation examined the situation of local and regional democracy in the light of the provisions of the European Charter of...
Council of Europe Congress provides grant support to the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova (CALM) signed a grant agreement to strengthen the institutional capacity of CALM in evidence-based advocacy, coordination, communication, and monitoring. As a result, CALM...
Local and regional media, diasporas, rural societies, refugees and human rights in social welfare institutions on the agenda of the Current Affairs Committee
At its meeting on 10 June 2022, the Congress Current Affairs Committee discussed the role of local and regional media in grassroots democracy, in the light of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers' recommendation on principles of media and communication governance. The Committee decided to...
Congress spokesperson on Human Rights Harald Bergmann: "Collecting human rights data will enable Georgian local authorities to develop evidence-based policies"
Speaking at the opening of the Spring School on “Human Rights Data and Evidence-Based Policy Making at the Local Level in Georgia” Congress spokesperson on Human Rights Harald Bergmann (Netherlands, ILDG) underlined that good governance is a guiding concept for improving local democracy and it is...
Climate change: "Local authorities must be included in the legislative process and given the necessary competences," says Bernd Vöhringer
The Council of Europe Congress participated in the event "Local and regional authorities in post-crisis Europe: prospects for a sustainable and resilient future", organised by the Central European Initiative (CEI), in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 7-8 June. The president of the Council of Europe Congress...
Georgia: enhancing human rights through dialogue between local authorities and the Public Defender
Georgian local authorities and the Public Defender of Georgia, Nino Lomjaria, held a roundtable discussion on 6 June 2022 on the Public Defender's report on the situation of human rights and freedoms in Georgia for 2021 and on the recommendations addressed to local authorities. While the Public...
Council of Europe Congress President in Ukraine
At the invitation of the Association of Ukrainian Municipalities (AUC), the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, paid a visit to Ukraine from 1 to 4 June 2022, accompanied by the Secretary General of the Congress, Andreas Kiefer....
World Environment Day : “Without involving local authorities combatting climate change is impossible,” stresses Congress Spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change
“Almost 70% of the decisions taken at the European level are implemented by local and regional authorities which means without involving local authorities combatting climate change is impossible,” stated Cemal Bas (Turkey, EPP), Congress Spokesperson on Environment and Climate Change, in an...
Strengthening citizen participation at local level: Congress President calls on member States to ratify the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek has marked the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority by urging States that...
Thibaut Guignard: "The success of intermunicipality depends on greater political consensus and genuine intermunicipal cooperation"
"Consultation with the elected representatives of the member municipalities of an intercommunal body and with the citizens is the key to good governance," said Thibaut Guignard, president of the French delegation to the Congress, at the round table on governance in intercommunal bodies organised...
