News 2024
Congress Vice-President participates in 5th European conference on democracy and Human rights
“Strengthening democracy, Human Rights, the rule of law as well as good governance and democratic participation at all levels is a shared responsibility of national, local and regional authorities” Congress Vice-President Bernd Vöhringer stressed at the opening of the 5th European conference on...
Congress to participate in the ALDA General Assembly and Festival
President of the Congress’ Chamber of Regions Tunç Soyer (Türkiye, SOC/G/PD) will participate in the General Assembly and Festival of the European Association for Local Democracy-ALDA, to be held from 13 to 15 May 2024 in Barcelona (Spain), in the El Born Centre for Culture and Memory. On 13 May,...
Lviv Agglomeration: Centre of Expertise helps ten local authorities to create a new association in Ukraine
Ten local communities (hromadas) including Lviv City, representing 90% of the Lviv metropolitan area’s population, launched a new association “Lviv Agglomeration” as a platform for their future collaboration. During its inaugural meeting on 29 April 2024, Lviv City Mayor Andriy Sadovyi was...
Congress joins calls for more international partnerships with Ukrainian local authorities
Constructive multi-level dialogue, capacity development of local and regional authorities and their national associations, and peer exchanges are key to support Ukraine’s efforts in defending the country and ensuring recovery and reconstruction. These messages were presented by Bernd Vöhringer,...
World Press Freedom Day: Congress rapporteurs call for support to local and regional media in reporting on climate change
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, Congress rapporteurs on local and regional media, Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden) and Mélanie Lepoultier (France), issued the following statement: “The global crises we are facing today bring to the fore the importance of comprehensive and accurate...
Congress Secretary General at the Committee of Ministers: One year after Reykjavik, the Congress pursues implementation of the Summit’s conclusions
In his communication to the Committee of Ministers on 30 April 2024, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori presented the Congress action to implement the decisions of the Reykjavik Summit, notably in supporting Ukraine, fighting against democratic backsliding, upholding human rights and the...
Congress launches a curriculum on human rights and anti-discrimination for local authorities in Georgia
The curriculum on human rights and anti-discrimination was launched in Georgia to equip local authorities with the knowledge, skills, and perspectives that are essential for advancing a human-rights based local democracy. Meeting in Tbilisi on 26 April 2024, the Forum of Exchange on Human Rights...
Congress 30th Anniversary Round Table: “The local level is ideal for reinventing democracy”
Founded in 1994 – following a decision taken at the 1st Council of Europe Summit in Vienna the previous year – the Congress, which took over from the Conference of Local Authorities of Europe established in 1957, has pioneered European-level co-operation for local and regional authorities in...
Call for tenders for the provision of local consultancy services in the Republic of Moldova
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is implementing two projects, on Reinforcing the culture of dialogue and ethical open local governance in the Republic of Moldova and on “Promoting civil participation in political decision making in the Republic of Moldova”, as part of the Council...
Local democracy and the rule of law: Congress Secretary General at Cambridge University
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Congress Mathieu Mori presented the recent Congress work on the link between local democracy and the rule of law at the 2024 European Future Talks series held at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge University, on 18 April 2024. The Talks were the occasion to...
Deliberative democracy: Congress launches new project in South-East Europe
A Regional project on “Promoting deliberative democracy and innovative approaches to citizen participation in South-East Europe” was launched on 18 April 2024 in Bar, Montenegro. It brought together local elected representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North...
Congress Secretary General urged Bulgaria to advance fiscal decentralisation
“Fiscal decentralisation is not about administrative restructuring; it is about political empowerment and citizen trust”, stated the Secretary General of the Congress Local and Regional Authorities, Mathieu Mori, at closing the final conference of the EU/CoE project “Developing fiscal...
New municipalities join the Open Government Partnership local programme
The Congress congratulates all new OGP Local members, and in particular Modriča and Travnik (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Causeni and Leova (Republic of Moldova), and Kyiv and Orzhytsia – Zviahel (Ukraine). Congress remains committed to support local authorities who are championing the principles of...
Congress President meets Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova
On 16 April 2024, Congress President Marc Cools met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova Mihail Popșoi. Discussions focused on the decentralisation process in the country in the light of the Congress monitoring recommendations for improved application of the...
Congress supports multi-level coordination and dialogue on migration in Romania
Representatives from Romanian local and central authorities, as well as civil society and international organisations gathered in Bucharest on 11 April 2024 for a roundtable to discuss “The current and future role of local public authorities in the context of a multilevel governance on migration...
Council of Europe Congress examined the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Finland
A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe composed of rapporteurs Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, EPP/CCE) and Rachel Bailey (United Kingdom, ECR), carried out a monitoring visit to Finland from 16 to 18 April 2024 to assess the application of the...
Armenia: Grants to local authorities for better intermunicipal co-operation and help with welcoming refugees
“What we cannot do alone, we can achieve together.” Local leaders and economic development officers from 42 Armenian local authorities expressed optimism about the potential for intermunicipal cooperation to help deliver better services to citizens, during a series of workshops organised by the...
Strengthening a youth perspective within the Council of Europe: Congress Secretary General meets youth representatives
“Many young people are still not able to contribute meaningfully to political debates or can only do so under agendas that they have not shaped themselves”, stressed Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori, praising in this regard the important work done by the Joint Council on Youth to overcome...
Inter-municipal co-operation under martial law in Ukraine: taking stock of existing practices and ways forward
The Law on Inter-municipal Co-operation (IMC) was one of the first steps in Ukraine’s journey of decentralisation reform. After nearly 10 years of its implementation, the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance is revisiting this topic with its Ukrainian partners, based on a survey and analysis...
Local authorities in Armenia recommend revisions to the Law on Local Duties and Fees
Local authorities in Armenia need adequate financial resources of their own, part of which should be derived from the collection of local duties and fees, in line with Article 9 of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In preparation for a revision of the Law on Local Duties and Fees,...