News

European Charter of Regional Democracy: unanimous support from associations of regions

20.11.2007 - At the round table on regional democracy in Europe on 20 November, the Congress’s Chamber of Regions received unanimous support for the adoption of a draft European Charter of Regional Democracy from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the EU’s Committee of the Regions and a number of European associations of regions, in particular the Conference of European Regional Legislative Assemblies (CALRE), represented by its President, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Speaker of the Basque Parliament.  The Conference of Presidents of Regions with Legislative Powers (REGLEG), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CRPM), the Association of European Border Regions (AEBR) and the Assembly of European Regions (AER) also expressed their support.

In the course of the debate, the members of the Chamber stressed the need to lobby once again the governments which still have some reservations about certain parts of the draft, and to make progress with the adoption procedure for a European legal instrument.  It is anticipated that a recommendation on this question, addressed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, will be adopted by the Congress at its 2008 plenary session.