The Bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities held a remote meeting on 28 September 2020. Among the topics discussed were the agenda of the Statutory Forum, which was held remotely on the same day, as well as the agenda of the 39th session of the Congress whose umbrella theme is: "COVID-19 - Local and regional authorities at the front line".
The Bureau decided, in particular, whether the 39th session can be organised remotely, in a reduced format, from Monday 26 (afternoon) to Tuesday 27 October 2020, with the guarantee of a technically reliable voting system on the session texts.
The situation of local democracy in Turkey was also on the agenda, in particular concerning the replacement of elected candidates by government administrators, as well as the detention of local elected representatives in south-eastern Turkey.
The Bureau also examined the request by the Federation of Local Authorities of Israel to obtain guest observer status with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has created an online hub "COVID-19: response at local and regional levels". This hub presents a set of resources deployed by local and regional authorities, by partner networks and by other organisations. An interactive module allows cities and regions to contribute directly and share their initiatives.
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