Workshop on citizens participation to local democracy

Paris, 21 November 2007

Speech by Jean-Claude Frécon (France, SOC), Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour for me to address this workshop and to represent the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe – a pan-European body which brings together elected representatives from more than 200,000 territorial communities of the 47 member states. I would add, the only European body tasked with monitoring the state of local democracy on our continent, with the European Charter of Local Self-Government as a tool.

For us in the Congress, there is no democracy without local democracy. It is at grassroots level where citizens’ involvement in democratic processes begin, but this is also at this level where loss of trust and apathy begin, reflected in declining voter turnouts during elections.

Today we are asking ourselves if our democracy is undergoing a crisis – a crisis of confidence of our citizens in the democratic institutions, a crisis caused by their disenchantment in politicians and indifference towards democratic processes. Some time ago, a public opinion poll in France, for example, showed an approval rating of barely 20 per cent for politicians. Eighty per cent of those polled said that politicians did not know about the problems of people.

This is a stark reminder of the need to adapt constantly our democratic model to the evolving demands and expectations of our populations, and it is clear that what we need today is a significant shift in the national-local balance, the shift from the central government towards regions and municipalities which are playing an increasingly important role in delivering public services and good governance at the level closest to the citizen. In the Congress, we believe that if representative democracy is to function properly at national level with broad public support, there is a need for strong and lively local democracy:

Local democracy and sustainable development go hand in hand, and local democracy is also the first democratic experience for our citizens. It comes as no surprise that local and regional elected representatives are among the most popular politicians in the eyes of the public. Territorial communities also take on a growing importance in the economic and social development, as our national borders disappear and economic competition shifts from the national to inter-territorial level, making possible, for example, the creation of Euro-regions in which our Congress has been actively involved. The rising force of the civil society and its impact on the citizens’ engagement in democratic processes is also best felt at the local and regional level.

In fact, the theme of today’s workshop – civic participation – is stressed in our basic document, the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which speaks of the need to engage citizens in public and political life at the local level. The Congress has done a great deal of work on participatory democracy, ranging from the participation of foreign residents and migrants to the participation of women and young people, public participation in local affairs and elections, and ways of enhancing public participation through the use of modern communication technologies.

However, we will not break the chains of indifference and revive public democratic activism without restoring trust in public officials and elected representatives, starting at the level closest to the citizen. Our Congress is paying particular attention to the public image of local and regional authorities and has adopted the European Code of conduct for local and regional elected representatives.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 I would like to conclude by stressing that, if we are to succeed in our mission, we must make sure that the acquis of the national and even supranational democratic development are combined with a vibrant and vigorous local democracy of sustainable communities where every citizen feels empowered and included. Participation is inclusion, and it is best achieved in our cities and regions, in our territorial communities. Let us make a Europe of Inclusion a reality.

Thank you.