Members of the Congress' Monitoring Committee met in Belgrade, Serbia, on 7 February 2019. They examined, for approval, reports on the situation of local and regional democracy in Poland and the Republic of Moldova, as well as a report on the elections for the Cantonal Assemblies of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (7 October 2018). These reports will be presented for adoption at the 36th Session of the Congress, to be held in Strasbourg from 2 to 4 April 2019. In addition, an information report on the local elections in Poland (21 October 2018) was presented for discussion in view of a debate to be held during the April session.
The Committee also discussed the monitoring procedures currently underway concerning the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Russian Federation. These reports are expected to be submitted for adoption at the 37th session in October 2019.
Finally, as part of the Congress' activities to promote human rights at the local and regional levels, the Committee discussed the themes that will be covered in the second volume of the Manual on Human Rights. The first volume, published in November 2018, focuses on the right to non-discrimination against three groups: refugees, asylum seekers and migrants; Roma and Travellers; and LGBTI persons. It includes a presentation of the legal framework and the role that local and regional authorities can play, as well as 65 good practices implemented in more than 25 countries.
