News 2021

Back Application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government: Developments and Recurring Issues from 2017 to 2020

On 11 February 2021, the Congress Monitoring Committee adopted a report on the “Recurring Issues Based on Assessments Resulting from Congress Monitoring and Election Observation Missions (Reference Period 2017-2020)” together with a resolution and recommendation.

The report was presented by co-rapporteurs Leendert Verbeek (Netherlands, SOC/G/PD) and Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, ILDG) and show that the major compliance issues with the Charter pointed out in the first report of 2017 remain relevant.

“Regretfully, financial resources, division of competences, consultation, and applicability of the Charter – are still the same ‘pain’ points that need to be closely followed in further monitoring activities,” stated rapporteur Laeender Verbeek.

The Committee found systematic shortcomings in meeting the requirements of Article 7 on the conditions of office of local elected representatives and that member states are increasingly facing difficulties in ensuring a safe political and legal environment for the exercise of local elected mandates.

The co-rapporteurs stressed that public distrust in institutions at all levels adversely effects the level of citizens’ participation in local decision-making and that there is a rise of polarisation during electoral campaigns and a tendency towards recentralisation.

“I also believe that future observation missions should pay particular attention to online hate campaigns during elections,” added Mr. Dickson

However, unlike the previous report this report shows the positive developments of the Charter’s application in Council of Europe member States Including a strengthened role of local associations in promoting local interests, a greater variety of legally available instruments of citizens’ participation in local public affairs, the introduction of direct election of mayors and the ratification of the Additional Protocol to the Charter.

The Committee welcomed the implementation of voting rights for internally displaced persons in Ukraine and the reinstatement of local elections in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after twelve years of the absence of local elections there.

The resolution encourages other Congress bodies to develop special tools and policies with a view of assisting member States in responding to recurring issues and to promote relevant good practices. The recommendation reiterates that the member States must apply the Charter also in the situation of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

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