Meeting in Oslo on 30 June 2026, the Congress Monitoring Committee decided to request that the Congress be invited to submit written observations as a third party in the case of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu lodged before the European Court of Human Rights – a first time ever that the Congress would intervene as a third party before the Court, given negative effects of pre-trial detention and suspension of democratically elected local representatives on local democracy.
The Committee approved a risk-alert “dashboard” on local and regional democracy as a contribution to the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe. This “dashboard” sets out a structured set of indicators to support the identification of democratic backsliding from a local and regional (sub-national) perspective. The indicators enable comparative assessment over time, allowing users to identify developments, detect emerging risks and track trends, thereby contributing to early warning and prevention. Finally, they support evidence-based policy responses, offering a structured basis for dialogue, monitoring and, where appropriate, corrective action by relevant authorities and stakeholders.
Both reports will be debated during the Congress’ 51st session in October 2026.
Among other things, the Committee also endorsed the Oslo Declaration on democratic preparedness at local and regional level, put forward by the participants of the 29 June seminar.
The Committee meeting was opened by Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Mayor of Oslo Anne Lindboe.
