“Declining trust in political structures and actors in many European countries and low voter turnout in elections show that we need new, transparent, more inclusive and easily accessible tools” stated Andreas Kiefer, Congress Secretary General, addressing the Bureau of the Assembly of European Regions (AER), in Bodø, Norway, on 22 June 2016. “The challenges identified and opportunities offered by information and communication technologies require responses at political level but also need a regulatory framework,” he added. M. Kiefer informed AER members about the activities of the Congress in this field and about the Council of Europe Internet Governance Strategy, adopted in March 2016. “European assemblies of regions, such as the AER and institutions like the Congress, need to take up the role of a knowledge pool for regions. We need to serve as a political platform for discussion on the relevance of e-democracy and e-governance to the regions, as well as to cross-border co-operation. The draft political declaration ‘(R)e-inventing Democracy – a regional approach’ you adopted today is an important step for such co-operation,” he concluded. The AER-Bureau decided to co-operate with the Congress in contributing to the Council of Europe Internet Governance Strategy 2016-2019: 'Democracy, human rights and the rule of law in the digital world'.
E-Democracy
The relationship between elected representatives, citizens, civil society and political authorities is evolving. While traditional linkages between citizens and politicians are weakening, e‑tools, including Internet, social media sites and open data, can help mobilise voters, increase citizen participation in new and different ways to improve public service delivery, foster innovation and economic growth, and strengthen democracy.
The Governance Committee of the Congress is responsible for legal and political issues regarding e-democracy and e-governance. In particular it considers questions related to the impact of the increasing use of e-media on the work of political representatives at local and regional levels, the use and re-use of open data and the development of smart cities.
E-democracy: risks and opportunities
Information and communication technologies offer local authorities new opportunities to improve the effectiveness of their work and increase voter participation
Citizens increasingly turn to online collaboration and social networks for political mobilisation and debate. Local authorities need to respond to increasing expectations and demands for more open, transparent, accessible and participatory governance. Congress calls to recognise the positive contribution that e-democracy applications can make to all areas of local governance while minimizing the risks accompanying these developments and avoiding public disillusion.
Transparency and open government
This report highlights the potential of open governance to improve democracy at local and regional levels, explores the concept of ‘Open government’ and identifying local government activities to which it can apply.
The Congress invites local and regional authorities to adopt and implement open government standards and to introduce training courses in their administrations to raise awareness on the importance of transparency. It calls on governments to encourage local and regional authorities to publish key documents and information, promote public consultation processes, and support the monitoring and implementation of transparency measures.
Open data for better public services
The release and the re-use of public data give local governments the opportunity to transform themselves into more transparent, democratic and effective authorities.
The Congress calls upon local and regional authorities to develop strategies to make local authority information datasets open to the entire population and to ensure that data protection and privacy laws and policies are strictly adhered to when data is made available to the public. The Congress underlines theimportance of open data for improving local democracy, to provide guidelines for member States on open data standards and strategies and to address the risk of a digital gap in open data participation.
E-democracy
- Transparency and open government
Resolution 435 (2018) - Recommendation 424 (2018) - Open data for better public services
Resolution 417 (2017) - Recommendation 398 (2017) - E-democracy: opportunities and risks for local authorities
Resolution 290 (2009) - Recommendation 274 (2009) - The digital divide and e-inclusion in the regions
Resolution 282 (2009) - Recommendation 263 (2009) - Electronic democracy and deliberative consultation on urban projects
Resolution 267 (2008) - Recommendation 249 (2008) - E-health and democracy in the regions
Resolution 231 (2007) - Recommendation 212 (2007) - On young people and new information and communication technologies: a new opportunity for local democracy
Resolution 207 (2006)
Capacity building
- E-media: game changer for local and regional politicians
Resolution 394 (2015) - Education for democratic citizenship – tools for cities
Resolution 332 (2011) - E-tools: a response to the needs of local authorities
Resolution 266 (2008)
Committee Secretary
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