“The legal status of local councillors in Ukraine needs to be improved”, said Serhiy VLASENKO, Head of the Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government of the Parliament of Ukraine at the opening of the roundtable on the ‘Legislative regulation of the legal status of local councillors in Ukraine: state of play and prospects for improvement’, on 19 December 2017, in Kyiv. “We have gathered here to exchange and take into consideration the findings and positions shared by the Council of Europe, national associations of local and regional authorities and most importantly by our local councillors”, he underlined.

The legislative regulations should be pragmatic, clear and applicable in practice, supportive to the political culture. It should ensure clear provisions for stronger roles, but also set higher responsibilities for local councillors, in particular when engaging with citizens in a transparent and accountable manner.

This event is an example of the sound co-operation between the Council of Europe and the Ukrainian authorities at all levels. The Council of Europe Congress and Directorate General of Democracy have provided a joint support to the Ukrainian authorities through the assessment, study and legal advice on the Law on the “Status of Local Councillors”.

The event was organised by the Congress and the Committee on State Building, Regional Policy and Local Self-Government of the Parliament of Ukraine in the framework of the project “Promoting local democracy in Ukraine”, part of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2015-2017. The project aims to improve the implementation of democratic principles in Ukraine, by enhancing the institutional and leadership capacities of local elected representatives, and disseminating nation-wide good practices of local democracy.

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• “Study on the Ukrainian Law on the Status of Local Councillors”: English | Ukrainian

Ukraine joined the Council of Europe on 9 November 1995, ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government on 11 September 1997 and its Additional Protocol on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority on 2 September 2014. Countries which have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter entails compliance with a minimum number of rights and principles, which are the European bedrock of local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe ensures respect for these principles.

Contact:

• Marité Moras, Head of Unit, Co-operation and External Relations Department, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Tel: +33 3 88 41 22 33
• Svitlana Gryshchenko, Project Manager, Council of Europe Office in Kyiv, Tel: +380 96 340 13 83