"We invite member States to make the most of the experience and commitment of local and regional elected representatives on the ground. They form a vast network, a distribution chain to promote the Council of Europe's legal instruments and policies, respect for human rights, the defence of democracy and the rule of law throughout Europe," said Congress President Anders Knape on the occasion of his exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg, France, on 26 February 2020.
"Through their action on the ground, local and regional authorities can promote territorial cohesion and sustainable local development, as well as interaction and interdependence between the population and democratic institutions," the President explained. "What we need today is not less but more democracy close to the citizen, more proximity between institutions and citizens. This is what local elected officials offer," he concluded.
The President of the Congress presented the key areas identified for the future priorities of the Congress for the period 2021-2025 to the Ministers’ Deputies: the quality of democracy, social inequalities, environmental issues and the digital revolution. "Our priorities will be in line with those set by the Council of Europe as well as with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda 2030," he added, recalling that the Congress brings the local and regional dimension to the work of the Council of Europe and advocates the location of SDGs in cities and regions so that the necessary measures are implemented not only in capitals, but also at local and regional level.
Using its statutory means and tools - plenary sessions, work programme of the Chambers and Committees, monitoring, election observation - and its co-operation activities on the ground, the Congress will continue to design responses that will help local and regional elected representatives to meet the major challenges they face, the President said, stressing that "in addition to its statutory and thematic work, the Congress supports local and regional authorities with practical tools, such as its series of brochures on ethics and transparency or its manuals on human rights at local level".
