The 5th Statutory Forum of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will meet remotely on 7 December 2020 (9h30 - 12h00 CET). Members of the Statutory Forum will examine for adoption a report on the development of interaction between urban and rural areas, as well as a report on fighting sexist violence against women in politics at local and regional level. In addition, a fact-finding report on territorial reform in Latvia will be submitted for adoption by tacit procedure.

Also on the agenda is a debate on a new "Contemporary commentary on the explanatory report to the European Charter of Local Self-Government" which takes into account the recommendations and resolutions adopted by the Committee of Ministers, the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the opinions of the Venice Commission.

Furthermore, the second volume of the series Human Rights Handbook for local and regional elected representatives, devoted to social rights, will be presented by Harald Bergmann (Netherlands, ILDG), Congress Spokesman on Human Rights. It completes the collection launched by the Congress in 2019 with a first volume devoted to the fight against discrimination.

On the same day an interactive event “Covid-19: local and regional authorities at the front line” will bring together in the afternoon (14h30-17h00 CET) Council of Europe leaders, national government representatives and other personalities to discuss with Congress members the best ways to ensure effective responses to the health crisis. The results of the discussions will contribute to the transversal report on “Ensuring the respect of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in major crisis situations” to be presented at the March 2021 Congress session.

The Statutory Forum acts on behalf of the Congress between sessions and is convened upon decision by the Bureau of the Congress. It comprises the Presidents of all national delegations and the members of the Bureau. The outgoing president, the chairs of committees and the presidents of political groups participate without voting rights.

• The event is open to the public.
• Agenda
• Access link to the virtual room
• Web file of the meeting
• Interpretation will be provided in English, French, German, Italian, Russian and Turkish.

During its 5^th Statutory Forum held remotely on 7 December 2020, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted a report prepared by the Co-rapporteurs Wilma Delissen Van Tongerlo (Netherlands, ILDG) and Matija Kovac (Serbia, EPP/CCE) on the development of interaction between urban and rural areas.

"Increased urbanisation is leading to an uneven balance for local and regional authorities, especially in terms of financial resources and project development between different levels of government," said Wilma Delissen Van Tongerlo presenting the report. She stressed that this should be addressed by reinforced cooperation in the frame of multi-level government interactions, guided by the principle of subsidiarity in the relations between national, subnational and local levels.

“There is need for mutual understanding of very different realities, taking into account the specificities of each area and equal treatment in policymaking”, the Co-rapporteur underlined. “Our proposal is to formalise this interaction through incentives for co-operation, in particular regarding public transport, digital disparities and equal access to essential public services which are all areas that require more interconnection and interaction between urban and rural areas”, Ms Delissen Van Tongerlo said.

"The report underlines also the upheavals caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has profoundly changed our lifestyles”, emphasized Co-rapporteur Matija Kovac. “Teleworking has highlighted the process of interconnection and virtual proximity. The recommendations presented in the report aim at ensuring equivalent living conditions in urban and rural territories. Improvement of the IT-infrastructure plays a key role in this respect", he concluded.

The Statutory Forum acts on behalf of the Congress between sessions and is convened upon decision by the Bureau of the Congress. It comprises the Presidents of all national delegations and the members of the Bureau. The outgoing president, the chairs of committees and the presidents of political groups participate without voting rights.

*** Statutory Forum of the Congress – 7 December 2020 ***
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