The members of the Congress of local and regional authorities of the Council of Europe met from 2 to 4 April 2019 in Strasbourg, France, at their 36th session, with "Mayors safeguarding democracy" as this year's theme. A debate was held on this topic, with the participants including Ignacio SANCHEZ AMOR, Spanish Secretary of State of Territorial Policy.
The Minister of Transport and Communications of Finland, Anne BERNER, addressed the members of the Congress on behalf of the Finnish chairmanship of the Committee of ministers, on 3 April, as well as the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn JAGLAND and the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Liliane MAURY PASQUIER, on 4 April.
Given the difficulties faced by local and regional authorities and their elected representatives, the Congress members held a series of debates focusing on "Mayors under pressure". The questions of addressing the urban-rural divide and the financial compensation of local and regional elected representatives in the exercise of their office were also the focus of specific debates and, building on the efforts of the Congress to promote ethics in public service, the members held debates on fighting nepotism within local and regional authorities, protecting whistle-blowers and open governments at regional level.
Within the framework of its monitoring activities, the Congress adopted two reports on local and regional democracy in Poland and the Republic of Moldova. Members also discussed three reports on the elections: those of the cantonal assemblies in Bosnia and Herzegovina (7 October 2018), local authorities in Poland (21 October 2018) and the Republic of Slovenia (18 November 2018).
The granting of Partner for Local Democracy status to the Kingdom of Morocco was examined. This status forms part of the Council of Europe's neighbourhood policy and offers the countries concerned a special framework for institutional dialogue with their European counterparts.
Also on the agenda were the contribution of the Congress to the Helsinki process on the future of the Council of Europe, initiated by the Finnish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, and a debate on the budget and resources of the Congress for the next biennium (2020-2021).
Young delegates from the 47 member States participated in the debates, as they have done since October 2014 as part of the "rejuvenating politics" operation run by the Congress in its drive to promote the participation of young people at local and regional level. A report on the role of local and regional authorities in safeguarding young people’s social rights was presented for adoption.
