28 to 30 March 2017 - Strasbourg, France

In her communication at the opening of the 32nd Session of the Congress of local and regional authorities, President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström recalled that “local and regional authorities are responsible for carrying out a considerable share of public action in their States”. She expressed concern upon the situation in member States and in particular the situation of local and regional democracy and underlined that “the Europe of democracy and the Europe of values are in danger”. “When I see elected mayors arrested and replaced by civil servants, when I see powers transferred to central governments, when the wind of recentralisation blows, I feel that the great ambition that is ours is undermined” she said, adding that there was no inescapable fate in these trends. She invited local and regional elected representatives and the Congress to mobilise against any form of retreat of local government. “We must invest ourselves in order to convince our capitals that the crises we are going through can be overcome by collective, concerted and concrete action to which we, elected representatives and the Congress, can and must contribute,” she concluded, stressing that progress towards local and regional self-government will represent an important contribution to the democratic stability of the continent.  

Communication by the President of the Chamber of local authorities
Anders Knape : "Political dialogue is an essential part of the work of the Chamber of Local Authorities"

Communication by the President of the Chamber of regions
Gunn Marit Helgesen: "Regional self-government is a way to enhance democracy"

Назад Youth participation central to the debate on the quality of democratic participation at regional level

Youth participation central to the debate on the quality of democratic participation at regional level
What can be done to make the democratic process more attractive and accessible to young people? For representatives of regional authorities, this is an essential aspect of their efforts to improve the quality of democratic participation at regional level. Action is required at many levels: civic education, consultation, collaboration and joint decision-making. The positive experiences presented during the debate highlighted the importance of youth consultative councils and the leading role of digital technology.  

More information
Statement of Elliot Herman
Statement of Luca Ricci Pacifici
Statement of André Antoine
Statement of Gloria Vitaly
Statement of Razwan Popai
Youth Delegates List
File: 32nd Session of the Congress          
Cooperation Strasbourg 29 March 2017
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