News 2024
Congress launches a curriculum on human rights and anti-discrimination for local authorities in Georgia
The curriculum on human rights and anti-discrimination was launched in Georgia to equip local authorities with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives that are essential for advancing a human-rights based local democracy. Meeting in Tbilisi on 26 April 2024, the Forum of Exchange on Human Rights...
Congress 30th Anniversary Round Table: “The local level is ideal for reinventing democracy”
Founded in 1994 – following a decision taken at the 1st Council of Europe Summit in Vienna the previous year – the Congress, which took over from the Conference of Local Authorities of Europe established in 1957, has pioneered European-level co-operation for local and regional authorities in...
Call for tenders for the provision of local consultancy services in the Republic of Moldova
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is implementing two projects, on Reinforcing the culture of dialogue and ethical open local governance in the Republic of Moldova and on “Promoting civil participation in political decision making in the Republic of Moldova”, as part of the Council...
Local democracy and the rule of law: Congress Secretary General at Cambridge University
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Congress Mathieu Mori presented the recent Congress work on the link between local democracy and the rule of law at the 2024 European Future Talks series held at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, on 18 April 2024. The Talks were the occasion to...
Deliberative democracy: Congress launches new project in South-East Europe
A Regional project on “Promoting deliberative democracy and innovative approaches to citizen participation in South-East Europe” was launched on 18 April 2024 in Bar, Montenegro. It brought together local elected representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North...
Congress Secretary General urged Bulgaria to advance fiscal decentralisation
“Fiscal decentralisation is not about administrative restructuring; it is about political empowerment and citizen trust”, stated the Secretary General of the Congress Local and Regional Authorities, Mathieu Mori, at closing the final conference of the EU/CoE project “Developing fiscal...
New municipalities join the Open Government Partnership local programme
The Congress congratulates all new OGP Local members, and in particular Modriča and Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Causeni and Leova (Republic of Moldova), and Kyiv and Orzhytsia – Zviahel (Ukraine). Congress remains committed to support local authorities who are championing the principles of...
Congress President meets Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova
On 16 April 2024, Congress President Marc Cools met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova Mihail Popșoi. Discussions focused on the decentralisation process in the country in the light of the Congress monitoring recommendations for improved application of the...
Congress supports multi-level coordination and dialogue on migration in Romania
Representatives from Romanian local and central authorities, as well as civil society and international organisations gathered in Bucharest on 11 April 2024 for a roundtable to discuss “The current and future role of local public authorities in the context of a multilevel governance on migration...
Council of Europe Congress examined the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Finland
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe composed of rapporteurs Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, EPP/CCE) and Rachel Bailey (United Kingdom, ECR), carried out a monitoring visit to Finland from 16 to 18 April 2024 to assess the application of the...
Armenia: Grants to local authorities for better intermunicipal co-operation and help with welcoming refugees
“What we cannot do alone, we can achieve together.” Local leaders and economic development officers from 42 Armenian local authorities expressed optimism about the potential for intermunicipal cooperation to help deliver better services to citizens, during a series of workshops organised by the...
Strengthening a youth perspective within the Council of Europe: Congress Secretary General meets youth representatives
“Many young people are still not able to contribute meaningfully to political debates or can only do so under agendas that they have not shaped themselves”, stressed Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori, praising in this regard the important work done by the Joint Council on Youth to overcome...
Inter-municipal co-operation under martial law in Ukraine: taking stock of existing practices and ways forward
The Law on Inter-municipal Co-operation (IMC) was one of the first steps in Ukraine’s journey of decentralisation reform. After nearly 10 years of its implementation, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance is revisiting this topic with its Ukrainian partners, based on a survey and analysis...
Local authorities in Armenia recommend revisions to the Law on Local Duties and Fees
Local authorities in Armenia need adequate financial resources of their own, part of which should be derived from the collection of local duties and fees, in line with Article 9 of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In preparation for a revision of the Law on Local Duties and Fees,...
International Roma Day: Congress Rapporteur Calls for Support of Roma Rights
As the world marks International Roma Day on 8 April 2024, Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, R, SOC/G/PD), Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights for the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, reaffirms the Congress’ commitment to protecting the rights of Roma...
Minister Behrens: Emergency services’ local roots make them more effective
Earthquakes, floods, fires and droughts: while natural disasters are becoming more frequent in Europe and worldwide, local and regional elected representatives highlight the crucial need to “move from crisis management to a real risk culture” embraced by all stakeholders. In a recommendation and...
Local authorities and the environmental crisis
The thematic debate held at the Chamber of Local Authorities session on 27 March showed the need for better coordination between the different levels of governance and support for local elected representatives to respond more quickly and effectively to the triple environmental crisis of...
Congress supports democratic forces and civil society of Belarus
The Congress has joined the initiative of the Council of Europe, which has already set up a contact group with the democratic forces and civil society of Belarus. As guest speaker at the plenary session on 27 March, Belarus democratic opposition representative Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called for...
Exodus of services of general interest from peripheral and rural areas
Radim Srsen: “people should be encouraged to stay in rural areas or return to them” The problem is a familiar one: public services in peripheral and rural areas with declining populations deteriorate or disappear, prompting still more inhabitants to leave in turn. This vicious circle can only be...