The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CoE Congress)

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is a pan-European political assembly, the 612 members of which hold elective office (they may be regional or municipal councillors, mayors or presidents of regional authorities) representing over 200,000 authorities in 46 European states.

Its role is to promote local and regional democracy, improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities' self-government. It pays particular attention to application of the principles laid down in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. It encourages the devolution and regionalisation processes, as well as transfrontier co-operation between cities and regions.

What the Congress Does?

On the ground, the Congress gauges the situation of local democracy

The Congress conducts regular monitoring visits to all member states to appraise their implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. After these visits the Congress sets out conclusions in its monitoring reports and adopts recommendations which the governments are required to follow, as well as resolutions with a view to improving the governance of local and regional authorities.

An observer of local and regional elections

The Congress periodically observes local and regional elections in the Council of Europe's 46 member states. Its observation duties extend to the whole election process and go hand in hand with its monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

The results of the work of the Congress: conventions and charters

Since it was set up, the Congress has drawn up a number of international treaties, including the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which has become the international benchmark in this field, laying down common European standards to protect local authorities' rights.

Partner networks and associations

The Congress plays an active part in projects to strengthen local democracy and transfrontier co-operation in Europe and encourages the setting up of national associations of local and regional authorities, Local Democracy Agencies and the new kind of Euroregion.

National associations of local and regional authorities

The task of such associations is to defend, at national level, the interests of all local authorities and to foster the development of a partnership culture between local and central authorities. The Congress plays an active part in the setting up of this kind of association (as it has done, for instance, in Georgia and Azerbaijan). In addition, it supports the development of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS).

A training network

The Congress plays a part in improving local authorities' skills through the introduction of appropriate training courses, particularly through the network known as ENTO, the European Network of Training Organisations for Local and Regional Authorities, which offers assistance and specialised training to the countries of central and eastern Europe.

Local Democracy Agencies

The Congress initiated the setting up of Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs), which promote human rights and democracy, transfrontier co-operation, intercultural dialogue and local development in south-eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. They set up partnerships between local and regional authorities and NGOs throughout Europe, and co-operate with each other through the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA).

A new kind of Euroregion

The Congress supports transfrontier and local and regional co-operation in the Council of Europe's 46 member states, inter alia through the creation of a new kind of Euroregion involving authorities from European Union member and non-member states. These Euroregions enable political and economic links to be strengthened between national, regional and local authorities in EU member states, EU candidate countries and other European countries which are members of the Council of Europe. The Adriatic Euroregion was set up in 2006, and the Black Sea Euroregion in 2008, at the initiative of the Congress.

Bodies of the Congress

Presidency

The President's role is to direct the political activities of the Congress and its Chambers, to carry out Congress policy and to represent the Congress vis-à-vis other international organisations, within the context of the Council of Europe's general policy on external relations.

The President of the Congress ensures that decisions taken by the Congress are implemented and reacts on behalf of the Congress to current developments. He or she also presents the activities of the Congress and the texts that it has adopted to the Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Bureau

The Bureau is responsible for preparing proposals relating to general policy of the Congress, the budget and the local and regional monitoring missions as well as the local election observation missions.

Comprising the Bureaux of the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions, the Bureau's task is to ensure that work goes on at times when neither the Standing Committee nor the Congress is meeting.

The Bureau is also responsible for preparing for Congress sessions and for coordinating the work of the Chambers and statutory committees. It may also draw up reports and submit these to be considered and voted on by the Chambers and the Congress. It decides on and updates the apportionment of full members' seats on the statutory committees, as well as the list of member states which send representatives to the Chamber of Regions in a solely advisory capacity.

As a general rule, meetings of the Bureau take place in camera. The Bureau of the Congress may, however, decide to invite observers to some or all of its meetings and may hold hearings of individuals and organisations. The Bureau may also, at its own discretion, invite to some or all of its meetings, in an advisory capacity, the chairpersons of political groups, statutory committees and working groups, as well as the rapporteur of one of the statutory committees and/or of a working group.

Chamber of Local Authorities

The Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress concentrates mainly on studying the situation of local democracy and on observing local elections in the 46 Council of Europe member states.

The Chamber also deals with societal issues and encourages initiatives promoting cohesion in European towns and cities. Citizen participation, intercultural dialogue, e-democracy and respect for equality and diversity are examples of the areas in which it works.

It also endeavours to promote the principles of local democracy outside Europe, inter alia through Euro-Arab dialogue between cities and Euro-Mediterranean co-operation.

Twice a year, during the sessions of the Congress, the Chamber of Local Authorities meets to consider substantive and current issues relating to the local dimension in Europe. Its Bureau meets regularly, holding discussions and preparing draft recommendations and resolutions to be submitted for adoption during sessions.

Chamber of Regions

Many of the Council of Europe's member states nowadays rely on their regions for progress in terms of economic and social development, as well as deriving great benefit from their regional diversity.

Which forms of governance and regional self-government should they adopt? How can co-operation between Europe's regions be promoted? What role can intra-regional transport play in regional cohesion? How can good governance contribute to sustainable economic development in the regions? These are just a few of the subjects on which the Chamber of Regions of the Congress works.

Chamber members represent authorities at a level between central and local government which have either self-governing or state-like powers. In order to qualify regions must effectively have the capacity to take full responsibility, in the interests of their communities, for a substantial share of matters of public concern, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity. Member states which have regions with legislative powers, in particular, should send members of those regional authorities to the Chamber of Regions.

Committees of Congress

Monitoring Committee

The Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by member states of the European Charter of Local Self-Government - Monitoring Committee - is responsible, in particular, for monitoring the application of the Charter as well as institutional developments in Europe’s regions, for preparing reports on the situation of local and regional democracy in Europe and for monitoring specific questions related to local and regional democracy in the member states.

Governance Committee

The Governance Committee is responsible for affairs falling within the scope of the Congress' statutory mandate such as governance, public finance, cross-border and interregional co-operation and e-democracy as well as co-operation with intergovernmental bodies.

Current Affairs Committee

The Current Affairs Committee is responsible for studying the role of local and regional authorities with regard to the major challenges of our society and preparing work on thematic issues such as social cohesion, education, culture and sustainable development from the point of view of the Council of Europe's core values.

National Delegations

National delegations to the Congress comprise representatives of local and regional authorities in the Council of Europe's 46 member states. Members have either been directly elected and hold a general mandate in a local or regional authority or are politically answerable to a directly elected assembly.

Representatives and Substitutes are appointed for a two-year term in accordance with each individual member state's own procedure. Within national delegations, members are divided between the Congress' two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions.

Every delegation has to comply with the rules on fair representation

Balanced geographical distribution of delegation members across the member state's territory;

Fair representation of the different categories of local and regional authority which exist in the member state;

Fair representation of the different political tendencies represented on local and regional authority organs;

Fair representation of women and men. Since 2008, every delegation has had to include representatives of both sexes, with at least 30% from the under-represented sex.

National Delegation Secretariat

Delegation secretaries are special intermediaries for the Congress.

Each national delegation chooses its own secretary. Like the chairperson of the delegation, the secretary is a special intermediary for the Congress Secretariat. He or she plays a key role in information exchange, especially when national delegations come up for renewal every two years, and following local or regional elections.

Delegation secretaries also assist and advise members and act as facilitators for members participating in the work of the Congress during sessions, in committees, at conferences, in working groups, during election observation missions, etc.

The secretariat of the Turkish national delegation is carried out in cooperation with the Union of Municipalities of Türkiye and the Union of Provinces.

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Click here for the official web page of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.