Congress Secretary General Andreas KIEFER participated in an exchange of views on 17 September 2018 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, with the participation of Portugal's Minister of Internal Affairs Eduardo CABRITA. This exchange took place during the meeting of the Social Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), as part of a debate on "the role of national parliaments in successful decentralisation processes".
« This report on the role of national parliaments in decentralisation processes is very timely, as there is a need for greater decentralisation in Europe, with a clear distribution of powers and with elected politicians and territorial administrations which are empowered,” he underlined. “The Congress welcomes the draft resolution, which re-confirm the role of national parliaments in supporting decentralisation and strengthening local democracy as a precondition to the well-being and democratic security of our societies,” he stated.
The Secretary General presented the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the mechanism for monitoring its application by the Congress. He also detailed the post-monitoring activities in which the Congress offers its expertise and supports national authorities in the implementation of its recommendations, including through specific roadmaps. The Secretary General also highlighted the recurrent problems in the field of local self-government, in particular the lack of consultation of local authorities by central authorities.
“As we mark the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter, the Congress commends the efforts of the PACE, in particular, through the report prepared by Luis Leite Ramos, in taking a robust role to secure decentralisation and democratic security in Europe,” Secretary General concluded.
Adopting a draft resolution, based on the report by Luís Leite Ramos (Portugal, EPP/CD), the committee called on national, federal and regional parliaments to involve parliaments in the design and implementation of decentralisation reforms "from the outset and at all stages of the process", including monitoring and evaluation. Measures should be taken to ensure that once voted on, decentralisation projects are implemented as planned and "cannot be cancelled without justification in the event of a change of parliamentary majority".
The legal framework, the adopted text stresses, should provide adequate safeguards to enable local authorities to exercise their powers effectively and smoothly, and strengthen the financial stability of local and regional authorities.
Finally, full implementation should be ensured of the recommendations of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities resulting from its monitoring missions to Council of Europe member States to verify the fulfilling of their commitments under the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
