On 29 March 2017 the members of the Congress adopted a report presented by Eunice Campbell-Clark (United Kingdom, SOC) containing a set of proposals on concrete policies to support young Europeans’ access to autonomy and working life. ‟We want young people, including the most vulnerable, to be fully-fledged citizens who enjoy their rights without any discrimination and are considered as legitimate partners for public authorities” said the Rapporteur. ‟First employment” contracts, official recognition of internships and voluntary work as professional activities, access to affordable housing, free health centres and human rights education are measures which can be taken by local and regional authorities, if they fall within their competence. Youth delegates aged between 16 and 30 from 44 countries actively participated in this debate together with the members of the Congress.
Report CG32(2017)11
Interview with Ms. Eunice Campbell-Clark
File: 32nd Session of the Congress
Local and Regional Governance
The effective development of good governance and democracy at local and regional levels is one of the key priorities of the Congress of local and regional authorities. Good governance, which is the responsible conduct of public affairs and management of public resources, includes the principles of citizen participation, ethical conduct, rule of law, transparency, sound financial management and accountability.
The Governance Committee is responsible for legal and political issues relating to the effective development of good governance and democracy at local and regional levels. In particular it considers questions related to the functioning of local and regional authorities, such as citizen participation, public finance, cross-border and interregional co-operation, and e-democracy.
Congress texts (2020-present)
- The situation of independent candidates and the opposition in local and regional elections
- Beyond elections - the use of deliberative methods in European municipalities and regions
- Recurring issues based on assessments resulting from Congress monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and election observation missions (reference period 2017-2020)
- The post-COVID city - the impacts of the pandemic on socio-political and democratic processes in Europe's cities and towns
- Role of regions in ensuring a citizen-centered response to Covid-19 and post-crisis recovery
- Ensuring respect of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in major crisis situations
- The status of capital cities
- Developing urban-rural interplay
- Local and regional elections in major crisis situations
Congress texts (2014-2019)
- The use of languages by local and regional authorities
- Fair distribution of taxes in transfrontier areas. Potential conflicts and possibilities for compromise
- Financial compensation of local and regional elected representatives in the exercise of their office
- Coping with the debt burden: local authorities in financial difficulty
- The consultation of local authorities by higher levels of government
- The functioning of the organs of local democracy in a context of linguistic diversity in the communes “with facilities” around Brussels in the Flemish region
- A better future for Europe’s rural areas
- Recurring issues based on assessments resulting from Congress monitoring and election observation missions (reference period 2010-2016)
- Autonomy and borders in an evolving Europe
- E-media: Game changer for local and regional politicians
- Conditions of office for elected representatives
- Trends in regionalisation in Council of Europe member States
- New forms of local governance
- Adequate financial resources for local authorities
- Strategy on the right of local authorities to be consulted by other levels of government
Other texts
- Regionalisation trends in European countries 2007-2015
- Reference framework for regional democracy (2009)