The Congress Bureau met in Strasbourg, France, on 18 June 2018. It considered, in particular, the agenda for the 35th session of the Congress, to be held from 6 to 8 November 2018 on the theme ‟The integrity and ethical behaviour of local and regional elected representatives”.
In this context, the Bureau discussed revision of the Congress’s Rules and Procedures in order to incorporate a code of conduct for members. This revision is part of the work to promote ethical behaviour and prevent corruption at local and regional level. Several reports on these issues will be discussed at the 35th session, including the draft ‟European Code of Conduct for All Persons Involved in Local and Regional Governance".
The Bureau also examined a request by the authorities of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Congress to be granted Partner for local democracy status. This status, established in 2014, enables elected representatives of local authorities of countries in the Council of Europe’s neighbourhood to participate, within the Congress, in the work to strengthen local and regional democracy.
Other items on the Bureau’s agenda included the situation of local and regional democracy in the Republic of Moldova, Turkey and Armenia, and the conclusions regarding observation of the local elections in Tunisia (6 May 2018) and the early local elections in the Republic of Moldova (20 May 2018).
The Bureau members were also informed about the work of the ‟Reflection Group on Mostar”, which was put in place to contribute to a lasting solution for restoring local democracy in the city, which has not held local elections since 2008 due to a political impasse. On 26 June 2018 the Reflection Group will hold a round table discussion in Mostar with representatives of the main political parties and representatives of the NGOs working on the ‟Elections in Mostar” initiative.
The Council of Europe’s current financial context was also discussed at the meeting, as well as the project for reforming the functioning and the structures of the Congress with a view to preserving its institutional role and meeting the expectations of citizens and their governments.
