"At the Congress, we are convinced that improving local self-government is a shared responsibility, not only between the national, regional and local levels of governance, but also between authorities and citizens," stressed Anders KNAPE, President of the Congress at the opening of the round table held in Minsk, Belarus, on 29 April 2019. "An open dialogue between these different stakeholders is essential to consolidate local autonomy, both in law and in practice," he added. He also stressed the importance of creating an environment of trust and dialogue with citizens, to strengthen the proper functioning of local governance.

The President of the Congress recalled that the requirement of consultation between local authorities and higher levels of government is a key principle of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, extended to consultations with citizens through the Charter's additional protocol on citizen participation.

"Today's round table is a form of consultation on the prospects for the development of local self-government and local self-government legislation in Belarus," he added.

Anders KNAPE also presented some key provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, in particular the principle of subsidiarity. He underlined the role of the Congress in monitoring its implementation in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe and the importance of national associations of local and regional authorities.

"These discussions on improving Belarus' legislative framework represent a new step in the process of cooperation between the Congress and the Belarusian authorities, in particular with the Council of the Republic," he said.

• Speech by Anders KNAPE
• See also: Anders KNAPE meets President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander LUKASHENKO
• Meeting of the Council on Cooperation of local self-government authorities - Speech by Anders KNAPE