"The Covid-19 pandemic is much more than a health crisis. It affects societies and economies around the world in a profound way," said the President of the Chamber of Regions of the Council of Europe Congress, Gunn-Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE), at the Online Mayors' Conference: Local Governments in South East Europe in Post-Covid-19 Socio-Economic Recovery, organised by the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS).
“We share with NALAS the concern that local and regional authorities have to face significant revenue shortfalls that could lead to drastic budget cuts and the reduction of public services," highlighted the President of the Chamber of Regions, based on the survey carried out by NALAS. She warned about strong recentralisation trends and the impact of the crisis on the functioning of democratic institutions. She also recalled that multi-level governance systems do not hinder responses to the pandemic. “On the contrary, they increase the quality of decisions and allow greater flexibility in coping with emergency situations,” Helgesen stated.
"European cities and regions are key partners of national governments and must be involved in setting up mechanisms for future emergencies," the President stressed. This partnership must be based on respect for the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, in particular consultation and financial autonomy. In addition, the measures imposed by some governments on local authorities must be temporary and the situation must return to normal once the crisis is over.
The President praised the support provided by NALAS, in particular to national associations, and called for solidarity and sharing of experiences to deal with the crisis. This is the objective of the Congress Hub launched to relay the actions of partners - including those of NALAS - as well as the initiatives of cities and regions. Furthermore, challenges and responses to the Covid-19 crisis are on the agenda of the meetings of the three Congress Commissions on governance, current issues and monitoring, which are being held from 15 to 17 September 2020. The Congress will continue to examine these issues in the future, particularly during the next monitoring visits, which are expected to resume in 2021, as well as in the framework of its priorities for 2021-2025.
"The Covid-19 crisis illustrates the common objective shared by NALAS and the Congress: to strengthen local autonomy and defend the interests of local and regional authorities," concluded the President of the Congress Chamber of Regions.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has created an online hub "COVID-19: response at local and regional levels". This hub presents a set of resources deployed by local and regional authorities, by partner networks and by other organisations. An interactive module allows cities and regions to contribute directly and share their initiatives.
