Forum on the Future of Democracy

Madrid, 15-17 October 2008

Address by Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr President,

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

In May 2005 the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe held in Warsaw reaffirmed that the preservation of democracy and its progress towards participatory democracy – a truly citizen-centred democracy – formed the priority for our Organisation. The Heads of State and Government especially emphasised the importance of the local and regional tiers in this process, as the foundation of our democratic society.

That much is quite plain, because the development of our towns and regions provides a basis for national development and because our local and regional government is where citizen participation in democratic processes starts. Indeed, the principle of participation is even stated by the European Charter of Local Self-Government which holds that “the right of citizens to participate in the conduct of public affairs is one of the democratic principles that are shared by all member States of the Council of Europe”.

It is also true that today territorial development can no longer be “ordained” from above but of necessity must involve the action of the local and regional authorities, the elected representatives upholding the interests and concerns of the “man in the street”. It is thanks to their hands-on experience and their capability for putting our theoretical proposals into practice that the discussions during this Forum can yield tangible results for our citizens.

That is why the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the representative body of over 200 000 such authorities on our continent, has actively involved itself in the proceedings of the Forum on the Future of Democracy since its establishment back in 2005, pursuant to the decision of the Warsaw Summit. It is also why the Congress, in its own work, attaches special importance to citizens’ democratic participation in all fields, including the medium of modern communication technologies and electronic facilities, the theme of the current Forum here in Madrid.

We are convinced that the local and regional levels are the natural ones for applying electronic democracy, testing the new tools and above all analysing the public responses, the “feedback”. The introduction of e-voting, for example, is already effective in a growing number of municipalities – I may mention as a ready example the municipal elections in Finland this coming 26 October, which will be observed by the Congress. More and more, civic debates at the local level are being thrown open to public participation via the Internet, and access to cyberspace – actually the level of digitisation of towns and regions – has become a significant aspect of the implementation of the European Union’s Lisbon Strategy and the Council of Europe’s Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at the local level. Needless to say, computerised viewing facilities have a really revolutionary effect on, and are of enormous assistance to, urban and rural spatial development.

The very year the Forum on the Future of Democracy was founded in 2005, the Congress gathered together its thoughts concerning e-democracy in the resolution and the recommendation on new information and communication technologies as a new opportunity for local democracy. In these texts, adopted in 2006 and directed chiefly at young people’s participation, the Congress called upon local authorities to bridge the digital gap by providing the infrastructures for access to modern technologies for all groups of users, irrespective of their social status or geographical location, drawing attention to underprivileged groups.

These texts have just been supplemented by the recommendations and resolutions adopted at the Congress plenary session in May this year on electronic tools as an answer to the needs of local authorities, and on electronic democracy and deliberative consultation on urban projects. We reasserted our conviction that the new information technologies will change the face of local democracy and that e-democracy is an instrument with which to combat the citizens’ disengagement and disillusionment regarding public affairs and to build dialogue and trust, essential to good governance.

Electronic tools also make it possible to improve working methods and modernise administrations and public services. In themselves, they open up very broad perspectives for local and regional authorities and their elected members. Making them part of our action a

affords the possibility not only of carrying out more effective work and of organising it better, but also of reaching the citizens who do not normally participate in political life.

The public authorities have a dual role to perform in this process, firstly as decision-makers and service providers, secondly as an agency of society that informs, encourages and initiates change. Participation by electronic means helps to mobilise civil society as a whole and to strengthen the bonds between the different levels of governance; in fact it outstrips mere consultation on projects and creates a new citizen culture that increases the citizens’ commitment at the local and regional level, by fostering a properly informed stance.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Public authorities at all levels of governance now have to confront the political disengagement of the citizens and a dearth of confidence in elected representatives and political institutions. These trends demand the regeneration of democratic practices, greater transparency, and enhancement of citizens’ participation in the decision-making processes.

E-democracy, the use of the new communication and information tools, gives us the opportunity to meet these preoccupations by opening the doors to the creation of a new environment for consultation and participation, the “citizen environment”. It lets our efforts reach out to the remotest spots so that they touch and draw in the most disaffected citizens, by expounding complex issues with high-quality information comprehensible to all and encouraging transparency and the expression of individual as well as collective opinions.

E-democracy nevertheless calls for a learning process that brings about an indispensable change of attitude and behaviour on the part of the public authorities, the citizens, the associations and the economic players. Elected representatives themselves are trying out new devices for conducting dialogue with their fellow-citizens, thereby enhancing their representativeness. That is why suitable training for public authorities, elected representatives and citizens is something crucial to the success of our efforts and should be encouraged at all levels, whether nationally, locally or regionally.

Another important component in the success of e-democracy is the legislative and legal framework; this too requires co-ordination of the action of governments, parliaments, local and regional authorities and civil society.

Only by combining our energies, those of our citizens, in a participative environment can we ensure the ongoing sustainable development of our democratic society. Modern technologies have opened the door for us. It is time to cross the threshold.

Thank you.