The Current Affairs Committee is responsible for exploring the role of local and regional authorities in contributing to the Council of Europe’s core values with regard to the major challenges of society. It fulfils this function by working on thematic issues such as social cohesion, civil participation, including youth participation, integration of migrants, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, sustainable development, or selected anti-discrimination and human rights issues at local and regional levels. . Recently, new challenges have surfaced to which the Congress has reacted - in particular through its Current Affairs Committee - by elaborating guidance for coherent and effective policies for preventing radicalisation, for managing migration flows and for improving integration policies.

In the framework of its mandate, the Current Affairs Committee prepares reports, including resolutions and/or recommendations presented for adoption during the Congress sessions. It organises debates on topical challenges and developments and urgent situations and crises affecting local and regional authorities of Council of Europe member states, with a view to recommending concrete responses.

It may also propose activities to the Bureau for advancing local and regional democracy, in accordance with the priorities set by the Congress, and organise conferences, hearings and other events on matters related to its terms of reference and work programme.  Furthermore, it prepares Congress contributions to other Council of Europe activities that come within its competence.

In addition, related to its focus topics, the Committee regularly follows the activities of and maintains working relations with other relevant Council of Europe bodies, in particular subsidiary bodies of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly.

news
EN FR

Congress Current Affairs Committee adopts report on local resilience to natural disasters

21 February 2024 Strasbourg, France

Meeting online on 20 February 2024, the Current Affairs Committee adopted the draft report on “Local and regional responses to natural disasters and climate hazards: from risk preparedness to resilience”, prepared by Jean-Paul BASTIN (Belgium, EPP/CCE) and Christian DEBEVE (France, ILDG). The...

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EN FR

Congress underlines the importance of supporting local media during 24th Steering Committee on Media and Information Society

1 December 2023 Strasbourg, France

The Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI) of the Council of Europe held its 24th meeting from 29 November to 1 December 2023 in Strasbourg, including an exchange of views with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities on the last day. Mélanie Lepoultier, Rapporteur for...

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EN FR

Congress underlines the need for all levels of government to step up the fight against human trafficking

15 December 2023 Strasbourg, France

Speaking at the 33rd meeting of the Committee of the Parties on the Council of Europe’s Convention against Trafficking in Human Beings, the Chair of the Current Affairs Committee, Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), highlighted the key role that local and regional authorities play in...

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Chair

Bryony RUDKIN
Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats ( SOC/G/PD )
Councillor (Ipswich Borough Council)

Composition

The number of seats in committees and their apportionment by country is agreed and updated by the Bureau of the Congress.

Composition of the Current Affairs Committee

Members' Area

Information on the obligations of Congress members, as well as practical details (travel, refunds, interpretation and translations) are available on the "Members' Area" page.

 Members' area

Meeting registration

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Access to the registration form "Other participants"

Contact

 Maren LAMBRECHT-FEIGL
 Secretary
 E-mail
Tel: 33 3 90 21 47 78