Paolo Rondelli: “European Local Democracy Week fosters dialogue between elected representatives and citizens”

Launched in 2007 at the initiative of the Congress, “European Local Democracy Week” now takes place in the 47 Council of Europe member states in the period around 15 October: Paolo Rondelli, member of the Congress for San Marino, welcomes its growing success among both elected representatives and citizens.

Question: The second “European Local Democracy Week” is coming to an end: have you already been able to form an impression of this year’s edition?

Paolo Rondelli: A number of cities, such as Madrid, Brussels, Varna and Odessa, have launched very extensive programmes of activities, but, more generally, the week is also an ideal means for local elected representatives to reach out to the citizens and enter into discussion with them. Many towns and cities are holding round tables on specific issues of local politics, and the elected representatives are there to field questions, but also criticism from members of the public, and to explain the reasons for their decisions and their actions. The week is also an opportunity for local elected representatives to meet and pool experience on a Europe-wide basis. In December the Congress will be making an assessment of the activities carried out in 2008.

Question: In this connection, what would you recommend doing to make the week even more successful?

Paolo Rondelli: Among other things, I would like future editions to be organised around a common theme, which would make it possible to organise more targeted events focusing on a single issue. Local elected representatives must also step up dialogue and interaction with citizens: I hope that the number of towns and cities taking part in the week will continue to increase in future, because in these activities essentially illustrate our philosophy, which is that local democracy is the basis of all democracy.

Question: On 21 and 22 October, as part of Local Democracy Week, Strasbourg hosted a meeting of mayors of some dozen European cities to discuss, among other things, the subject of good governance. What message did you give to this meeting from the Congress?

Paolo Rondelli: The Congress has been working for over 50 years on the concepts of local democracy and dialogue, and hence good governance. In fact, in 1999 it published a “Code of Conduct for Local and Regional Elected Representatives” which states these requirements. Since then, these principles have been taken up and elaborated on by other Congress texts, such as the new Urban Charter. However that may be, the underlying principle of good governance is to act not only FOR citizens, but WITH them, and that is the message I have brought here. In addition, we now have new tools for improving governance and our relations with citizens, foremost among which are all the new electronic resources, which should be capitalised on and developed further.