Marc Cools, President of the Congress


Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) was elected President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on 24 October 2023 for a mandate of two years and a half. He is currently the Communal Councillor of Uccle (Belgium) and Honorary Vice-President of the Brussels Parliament  and was previously the chair of the Independent and Liberal Democrat Group in the Congress.

Bernd Vöhringer, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities

Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.

Indietro Anders Knape: Cross-border cooperation as a factor for cohesion and territorial development in Europe

Anders Knape: Cross-border cooperation as a factor for cohesion and territorial development in Europe

At the 9th annual meeting of the Conference of Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP), held on 12 September 2019 in Turku, Finland, Congress President Anders Knape stressed the importance of cross-border cooperation in reducing disparities between territories, promoting cohesion and contributing to long-term cross-border economic integration.

"The promotion of direct cooperation between local and regional authorities across borders has been a constant concern of the Congress for many years", he stressed, mentioning the Congress' work in this field, as well as the Madrid Convention, adopted by the Council of Europe, which provides for cross-border cooperation agreements between local and regional authorities from EU and non-EU member countries.

In a report on the prospects for effective cross-border cooperation in Europe, adopted in 2013, the Congress recommends, in particular, the development of legal provisions for horizontal subsidiarity. It also encourages the transfer of competences and resources to cross-border cooperation agencies, increased use of shared services across borders, and training and capacity building for relevant actors.

At the 37th session of the Congress, to be held in Strasbourg from 29 to 31 October, Congress members will examine a report on the fair distribution of taxes in cross-border areas and hold a debate on cross-border cultural development in the territories.

The President of the Congress also mentioned the Congress' cooperation activities in Ukraine and Armenia, aimed at "strengthening the capacities of local authorities and their associations, which would also enable them to pursue cooperation with their counterparts across borders".

 

Co-operation activities Turku, Finland 12 September 2019
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The President's role is to direct the political activities of the Congress and its Chambers, to carry out Congress policy and to represent the Congress vis-à-vis other international organisations, within the context of the Council of Europe's general policy on external relations.

The President of the Congress ensures that decisions taken by the Congress are implemented and reacts on behalf of the Congress to current developments. He or she also presents the activities of the Congress and the texts that it has adopted to the Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.  

Tunc Soyer, President of the Chamber of Regions

Tunc Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD) was elected on 25 October 2023 President of the Chamber of Regions of the Congress for a two-and-a-half-year term of office.