“To help sustain democracies, the rule of law must be respected also at local level,” stressed Congress Rapporteur Stewart Dickson (United Kingdom, R, ILDG) presenting his report on “Local and Regional Authorities as Actors and Guarantors of the Rule of Law” at the Congress session on 26 March.  “Respecting the rule of law means that citizens democratically and freely elect their leaders, that laws are uniformly applied by all state institutions, and that no one is above the law, and no citizen is discriminated against or left behind,” he stressed.

Upholding the rule of law as one of the fundamental pillars of the Council of Europe was of great importance for local and regional elected representatives who can thus contribute to strengthening democracy and human rights, explained the rapporteur, proposing to this end several actions by the Congress – such as contribution to implementing at local level the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and promoting co-operation on the matter, in particular with the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission. Mr Dickson also proposed to pursue political dialogue with national, regional and local authorities of all member States concerned by an erosion of the rule of law in the framework of Congress post-monitoring activities.

Following a particularly lively debate, Congress members supported the rapporteur’s proposal by adopting unanimously a resolution and a recommendation inviting member States to comply with the European Charter of Local Self-Government and implement Congress recommendations in order to guarantee good democratic governance. Congress monitoring reports should serve as early warnings to prevent or address worrying developments with regard to member States' compliance with democratic standards and practices. Member States were also encouraged to include local authorities in promoting the rule of law by enforcing the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights at local level.