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Council of Europe Congress rapporteurs complete fact-finding mission to Turkey

monitoring 18 to 20 December 2016 Turkey

From 18 to 20 December 2016, the rapporteurs on Turkey of the Congress Anders KNAPE (Sweden, EPP/CCE) and Leen VERBEEK (Netherlands, SOC) carried out the second part of their fact-finding mission to Turkey, to investigate the recent detentions of elected mayors and their replacement by government...

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EN FR

Jean-Louis Testud: “We have lost a great man who was a credit to local and regional elected representatives”

16 December 2016 Strasbourg

« As soon as we had learned the sad news of the death of our colleague, Jean-Claude Frécon, we began receiving many tributes from elected representatives of all French and foreign political movements. All underlined Jean-Claude’s commitment to democracy,' stated Jean-Louis Testud, Chair of the...

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EN FR

Andreas Kiefer: 'Jean-Claude Frécon drew all his energy for his work at national and European level from his involvement at local level'

13 December 2016 Strasbourg

Speaking on behalf of Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, at the funeral of Jean-Claude Frécon which took place on 13 December in the Church of Pouilly-Les-Feurs, Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress, said 'I last saw Jean-Claude Frécon in Strasbourg on 2 December. He was...

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EN FR

Jean-Claude Frécon, former Congress President, passed away on Saturday 10 December 2016

10 December 2016 Strasbourg

Jean-Claude Frécon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities until October 2016, member of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly and French Senator, passed away on Saturday 10 December 2016 following a heart attack. He was 72 years old. Congress President Gudrun...

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Piero Fassino : « Jean-Claude Frécon, une vie consacrée aux valeurs de la justice et de la solidarité »

10 December 2016 Strasbourg

« La disparition inattendue de Jean-Claude Frécon nous remplit de tristesse et de douleur. Toute sa vie, entièrement tournée vers la chose publique dans l’intérêt des citoyens, témoigne de ses capacités de générosité et de passion, nourrie avant tout des valeurs de la justice, de la solidarité et...

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EN FR

Recurring monitoring issues of the Congress and checklist to prevent misuse of state resources in elections discussed at December meetings of the Venice Commission

monitoring 9 December 2016 Strasbourg

'The Monitoring Committee is dealing with issues that are probably the most normative at the Congress - including constitutional questions relating to local and regional democracy. This is why deeper co-operation with the Venice Commission is so important', underlined Leen Verbeek, Netherlands...

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EN FR

Local councillors in Ukraine advocate changes in favor of modern democratic behaviour at local level

Cooperation 9 December 2016 Kyiv

25 Ukrainian local councillors, mostly in their first electoral mandate, met in Kyiv to discuss the implementation of the principles of the European Charter on Local Self-Government in Ukraine, to improve their understanding of the local democracy tools and mechanisms. They strongly expressed...

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EN FR

Liisa Ansala: “The project on citizen participation in Armenia broke the ground for future work on participatory democracy”

cooperation 5 December 2016 Yerevan

“The project on consolidating local democracy in Armenia and strengthening local councillors’ leadership, implemented under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia, has made a critical impact in this country’s local communities,” stressed Congress Vice-President Liisa Ansala at the...

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Seoul Human Rights Conference:

Secretary General 5 December 2016 Strasbourg

Speaking at the opening of the 1st Seoul Human Rights Conference on 5 December 2016, Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer said that “while it is state organs that ratify international human rights treaties, it is local authorities to a large extent which translate international obligations...

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EN FR

“Greek municipalities are on the frontline of the fight for local democracy,” says Congress President

KEDE 3 December 2017 Thessaloniki

Speaking at the annual conference of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE) in Thessaloniki on 3 December, Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström welcomed closer co-operation between KEDE and the Congress and stressed the importance of strengthening consultations between local...

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EN FR

Réunion du Bureau du Congrès à Strasbourg

2 décembre 2016

Le Bureau du Congrès s’est réuni à Strasbourg, France, les 1er et 2 décembre pour sa dernière réunion de l’année 2016. Il a approuvé le projet d’ordre du jour de la 32ème Session du Congrès (28-30 mars 2017), les mandats des commissions, ainsi que la contribution du Congrès à la présidence...

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Gudrun Mosler-Törnström: 'The Congress is a natural partner of CALRE in promoting territorial democracy and tackling the migration crisis'

CALRE 25 November 2016 Varese

Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström addressed the 2016 Plenary Session of the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE), in Varese, on 25 November 2016. She underlined the importance of the cooperation between CALRE and the Congress in the context of the European...

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EN FR

Johan van den Hout: “Local Authorities have a key responsibility in safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare”

Children's rights 1st December 2016 Florence

“Local and regional governments are the first witnesses of crimes of sexual violence against children committed inside their own communities” stated Johan van den Hout, Congress Spokesperson on Children, at the 27th meeting of the Network of Contact Parliamentarians to stop sexual violence...

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Meeting of the Congress Bureau in Strasbourg

Bureau 1 and 2 December 2016 Strasbourg

The Congress Bureau met in Strasbourg on 1 and 2 December for its last meeting in 2016. It approved the draft agenda of the 32st Session of the Congress (28-30 March 2017), the terms of reference of committees and the Congress’ contribution to the Cypriot chairmanship of the Committee of...

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Congress Greeting cards 2017

Greetings cards 1st December 2016 Strasbourg

The Congress Season's Greetings 2017 e-card is available online. You can add a personal message and send it to your contacts by e-mail. Download the greeting card 2017

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Post-monitoring dialogue, cooperation programmes, fight against radicalisation and promotion of intercultural dialogue among the main Congress activities in 2016

Congress Activity report 30 November 2016 Strasbourg

Twice a year the Secretary General of the Congress presents the most significant activities and achievements of the Congress to the Committee of Ministers. On 30 November 2016, Andreas Kiefer underlined in particular the signature of two more roadmaps as a follow-up to Congress monitoring reports...

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EN FR

Eunice Campbell-Clark: “We must bring down barriers to youth participation”

European Youth Festival 2016 30 November 2016 Graz (Austria)

“The Congress promotes youth participation and empowerment” stated Eunice Campbell-Clark, Vice-President of the Congress, in a video message delivered on the occasion of the European Youth Festival 2016 on the theme “Digital creativity improving society”, in Graz (Austria) on 30 November 2016....

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Giuseppe Boschini: “All levels of governance must work together to respond to the refugee crisis”

2016 Lisbon Forum 24-25 November 2016 Lisbon

“Local and regional authorities have to respond to the needs of refugees often with only limited support from their national governments or at European level,” said Giuseppe Boschini (Italy, SOC), member of the Congress at the 2016 Lisbon Forum (24 to 25 November) focusing on Migration and human...

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EN FR

An adequate legal framework at national level and specific actions at local and regional levels are necessary to stop violence against women

PRESIDENCY 25 November 2016 Salzburg

''This year, from January to September, in my city of Salzburg alone, more than 30 women reported to the police that they had been raped. As politicians and policy-makers, we have to advocate for change and speak out for those women less able to defend themselves,'' stated Gudrun...

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EN FR

Congress President addresses the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia: “decentralisation is a collaborative process”

presidency 24 November 2016 Serbia

Speaking at the 44th General assembly of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia on 24 November, Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, President of the Congress underlined the importance of the reforms on decentralisation undertaken by Serbia. ”The Congress is strongly supporting this...

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