Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

The European Charter of Local Self-Government lays down standards for protecting the rights of local authorities and requires states which have ratified it to comply with a number of principles. The Congress is responsible for evaluating the application of the Charter in each Member State.

Cooperation and thematic activities complement, in the field, the normative work of the Congress. They are based on the political dialogue and the monitoring of the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and enable the implementation of the adopted recommendations and resolutions.

The Congress periodically observes local and regional elections in Council of Europe member States and, sometimes, beyond. This activity, which may be organised in cooperation with other international organisations, complements the political monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government

Post-monitoring and post-electoral dialogue aims to support national authorities in order to ensure the implementation of the recommendations adopted by the Congress and addressed to the national authorities of member states by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.