At the ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, on 31 October 2019, the presidents of the Congress and its chambers, as well as political groups, recalled the fundamental values and achievements of the Council of Europe. In response to the crisis of confidence in democratic institutions, they underlined the role of the Congress in their implementation as a guarantor of territorial democracy within the Council of Europe.
Congress President Anders Knape referred to French President Emmanuel Macron's speech in Strasbourg on 1 October, which referred to the progress made thanks to the Council of Europe over the past 70 years as a "miracle of peace". "Taking into account the local and regional dimension of democracy is part of this miracle and goes back to the origins of the organization," said Anders Knape. In 1952, the Council of Europe decided to set up a Special Committee on Municipal and Regional Affairs. But it was not until 1994 that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities was finally established. The year 2019 thus marks a double anniversary: the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe and the 25th anniversary of the Congress, which has been working for a quarter of a century "in favour of a better balance between local and regional governments and central governments within our societies".
This was "A real success story", according to Karl Heinz Lambertz, Vice-President of the Chamber of Regions, stressing the importance of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the cornerstone of the European democratic model. He called for the strengthening of the Congress' cooperation with other organisations and associations, in particular with the European Committee of the Regions (EU), in order to ensure that the principles of the Charter are implemented as closely as possible to local elected representatives and citizens.
Recalling the role of the Parliamentary Assembly in the institutionalisation of the Congress - and in particular the holding of the first session of the European Conference of Local Authorities in 1957 - Xavier Cadoret, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities, called for closer cooperation between the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress. He also stressed the added value of the Congress' cooperation with Mediterranean countries, in particular Morocco and Tunisia within the framework of the South-Mediterranean Partnership.
In addition, the 70th anniversary was an opportunity for the presidents of the Congress' political groups to discuss the challenges that threaten the Council of Europe's fundamental values. "Peace and freedom are not self-evident!" said EPP Group President Bernd Voehringer. In particular, he stressed the need to implement in practice the Charter of Local Self-Government and the recommendations of the Congress, notably in respect to youth participation.
"But how can this be achieved if the Congress does not have the necessary financial resources within the Council of Europe?" asked Piero Fassino, Chairman of the Socialist Group, and Marc Cools, Chairman of the Independent and Liberal Democratic Group, calling on the Committee of Ministers to give the Congress the means to carry out its tasks.
The question of sufficient financial resources is also fundamental for local and regional authorities. Promoting citizen participation, ensuring access to services for all, guaranteeing the rights of minorities, integrating migrants, welcoming refugees, ensuring the environmental and cultural quality of cities: all these are responsibilities that mayors must assure, in constant dialogue with citizens.
For Piero Fassino, these are all reasons why the Congress must continue to mobilise to stop austerity policies and increase the resources of municipalities. Because, if these restrictive policies continue, Marc Cools pointed out, they risk aggravating the crisis of public confidence and adversely affecting the proper functioning of democracy. "The polling figures are already raising alarm bells: according to a 2017 poll, 33% of Germans, 48% of French and 50% of British, to name just three countries, declare themselves to be in favour of an authoritarian regime," he explained.
Svetlana Bohatyrchuk Kryvko, President of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group, proposed that the concept of "democratic security" become a fundamental principle of the work of the Council of Europe and the Congress, which should not only address today's challenges, but also anticipate those of tomorrow in order to guarantee freedom and democracy in our societies.
** 37th Session of the Congress **
File 37th Session - Agenda - Videos and photos – Mediabox interviews
