The three statutory committees of the Congress met in Strasbourg on 28 October 2025, ahead of 49th Congress session.
The Governance Committee approved a strategy for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine at local and regional levels. The strategy outlines the main challenges and priorities of the reconstruction process, taking account of decentralisation reform and of the differing realities and capacities of Ukraine’s regions. It points the way to rebuilding Ukraine with ambition and determination, from the local level up. The strategy advocates the highest democratic standards, underpinned by effective multilevel governance, as the country moves forward in its EU accession process. It will serve as the basis for further thematic reports and activities supporting Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction. The Strategy will be submitted for adoption at the Congress session in March 2026. The Committee also approved terms of reference for a report on tackling school absenteeism in Europe’s communities.
The Monitoring Committee adopted a report on the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Lithuania, and approved terms of reference for a report on the status of national and international observers in local and regional elections in the 46 member states.
The Social Inclusion Committee elected Brian Baatzsch (Germany, SOC/G/PD) as its 4th Vice-Chair.
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