"The European Local Democracy Week is a unique opportunity for municipalities and local elected representatives to show how all citizens, whether young, older or disabled, can concretely participate in decision-making at local level," said Bryony Rudkin, Congress spokesperson on the ELDW, in an interview on the occasion of the coordination meeting held in Strasbourg, France, on 25 February 2020.

"In the current context, it is essential to restore confidence in elected representatives and institutions, particularly at the level closest to the citizens," stressed Ms Rudkin, underlining the theme of the ELDW for 2019-2021, "Local democracy: building trust". "The ELDW initiative, with its pan-European dimension, makes it possible to promote and share good practices in the field of citizen participation and engagement," she said.

The European Local Democracy Week is a pan-European initiative co-ordinated by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe since 2007. Throughout the year, municipalities and their national associations are invited to organise initiatives all over Europe aiming at promoting citizen participation, strengthening trust in elected representatives and institutions and providing a European dimension to local initiatives. A flagship event takes place during the week of 15 October, the date of the signature of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in 1985.