IX UDITE Congress “European Futures, Local Solutions”

Cardiff, 4-5 September 2008

Speech by Ian Micallef, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr Past President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the Federation of Local Government Chief Executive Officers of Europe, UDITE, for inviting me to take part in your 9th Congress here, in Cardiff.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and its Chamber of Local Authorities in particular has longstanding and close relations with UDITE, and it will not be an exaggeration to say that our work has served on many occasions as an inspiration to one another and led to some joint activities as well – I recall, for example, the European Conference on the partnership between the elected executive and the local authority Chief executive, in Strasbourg in January this year.

This cooperation is only natural because we, elected representatives, necessarily rely in the exercise of our duties on you, Chief executives, for the practical implementation of political action. This is why it is also not surprising that the three themes chosen for discussion at this conference are of high importance to our Congress and its work – I mean, the economic, social and environmental well-being of our communities.

These three aspects aptly demonstrate the main axes of action of local self-government today, and their interrelationship –

the development of local economy, which has to take into account environmental concerns and is firmly linked with the quality and accessibility of public services and therefore social cohesion of our communities;

social action, aimed at ensuring access to social rights, such as housing, education and health care; integration of migrants, protection of minorities, non-discrimination, gender equality, participation of young people – all this has economic repercussions but also depends on economy for job creation, employment of, for example, migrants and minorities, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, promotion of entrepreneurship;

finally, the environmental aspect, which reveals itself most in our aspirations for building sustainable communities – communities that are inclusive, cohesive, economically self-sufficient, competitive in the face of globalisation, economically clean – in a word, citizen-friendly.

Is it a dream? Being here in Cardiff, on British soil, I should recall that it was John Prescott, then Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and now Head of the British delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, who ardently promoted the idea of sustainable communities at the Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government in Warsaw in May 2005. It is clear that building sustainable communities is a task of paramount difficulty for local authorities, a huge challenge which affects all levels of governance. But I strongly believe that it IS the way for European future.

And here is good news: this is a goal which is reachable. To explain why, and before going into particularities of each aspect discussed at this conference, I would like to reflect upon the political framework in which local action is taken today, and which makes me so convinced.

Only a few days ago, on 1 September, we marked twenty years since the entry into force of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The idea of local democracy, which had been making its quite spectacular advance in Europe since 1957, was codified in an international treaty for the first time in history. But the Charter was more than just recognition of the need for decentralisation, more than an achievement of the growing power of local authorities. It was a turn in our thinking, in our understanding that the devolution of power towards local communities will release their potential, involve more and more actors in the political decision-making and enable us to take up the great challenges of our society, too overpowering for national governments alone to cope with.  

The Charter was an acknowledgement that local democracy is a constituent element of any democratic regime and that local self-government should be endowed with the necessary competences and resources as the first line of response to the concerns of our citizens. It is due to this evolution of thought that we are tackling today such a wide range of issues – biodiversity, cohesion within and between communities, climate change and sustainable consumption, intercultural dialogue, or urban environment.

Who could imagine twenty years ago that local authorities would have such a say in national policy-making? Who could imagine that cities would be important actors on the national and even international scene, and that we would be talking about City Diplomacy? Who could imagine that good governance at local level would be considered an integral part of national governance?

And yet, it is the fact today, and our view of democracy and democratic society continues to evolve. Communities, through their interaction, networks, representative organizations, transfrontier regions, are becoming a force to reckon with. National governments have been long aware that, given the scale and scope of problems today, and the rising expectations of our citizens, they are unable to respond to them effectively without local level. Social, economic, environmental, and I would add political experience of local authorities is an asset which, due to its pragmatism, cannot be replaced by theoretical presumptions at national level. Our discourse of building a Europe of Communities, a Europe of Cities and Regions pinpoints just that. This is why we in the Congress believe that this feasible, and this is why I believe that a Europe of Sustainable Communities is feasible as well.

Turning now to the three themes of this conference – economic, social and environmental – I should underline that they are also the main components of sustainable development, which is high on the agenda of our Congress, indeed, one of its work priorities.

Let’s take the economic well-being. Local authorities today are often the largest employer in their region, while regional economies and those of large cities often underpin national economic development. Our aim now is to reduce economic disparities between communities, which could be achieved, for example, through the creation of transfrontier regions involved in joint management of economic affairs, or through networks of cities which would coordinate their policies and action, share experience and best practice, exchange information and invest in each other’s projects.

A similar model could also be applied to reduce disparities both within and between regions, in our drive for achieving territorial cohesion on our continent – a subject which is being addressed by both our Congress and its Committee on Sustainable Development, as well as by the European Commission and the EU Committee of the Regions. At the spring session of our Congress this year, for example, we examined a report on public services of general interest in rural areas and adopted a recommendation on what we think should be done about the disappearance of hospitals, schools, post offices etc. in our villages and small towns.

I have just mentioned that local authorities are sometimes the largest employer and as such can influence the economic situation in their communities by, for example, helping with migrants’ integration, by encouraging entrepreneurship among migrants, women and young people, or supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. Just to give you one example, the city of Stuttgart has begun reviewing its recruitment procedures to facilitate the employment of migrants and minorities, including through the use of their languages. In this regard, I should say that municipal recruitment procedures are sometimes excessively restrictive, requiring, for example, linguistic knowledge for jobs where it is not necessary, such as janitors or sanitation workers. We should also remember that often migrants, when settled together, would create markets and therefore jobs on their own.

It is clear that the economic well-being contributes a great deal to social cohesion. Reducing economic disparities within a community or between communities eases possible frictions and tensions; however, money is not everything. We need to move to creating an “equal environment”, which would include economic, social, ecological and political component. By this I mean, for example, an equal legal and administrative framework for all members of a community – equal protection of rights, equal access to public services, equal non-discriminatory treatment, equal job opportunities, and equal enjoyment of the urban and rural environment linked, of course, to the user-friendly urban planning and development. Here I can mention of course preservation of landscapes, reconciling heritage and modernity, access to culture and entertainment, sports and leisure.

Another major aspect of improving the social well-being and strengthening social cohesion is promotion of intercultural and interreligious dialogue at local level. Today’s multiethnic, multicultural and multilinguistic communities cannot be bound together without tolerance and mutual respect, which come from acceptance of difference, from learning each other’s cultures and understanding the traditions of one another. Our Congress has identified twelve principles to guide local authorities in promoting this dialogue within their communities, creating an environment for a free exchange of opinions, where everybody could speak and be heard.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

To put it in other words, cohesive communities are communities which embrace all of its members, giving them a feeling of belonging, of being empowered to participate in the decision-making and in all aspects of community life, and providing them with a friendly environment. The social well-being depends to a large extent on this user-friendliness, or member-friendliness of communities. This is why we see today a growing number of city networks promoting one or another aspect of this “friendliness” – Cities for Children, Cities for Local Integration Policy, Energy Cities which use innovative approaches for transport and energy, or the Berlin Process of cities for integrated youth policies in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods.

Our Congress is actively involved with these networks. But of course, our philosophy, which is the basis of an integrated approach in our work, is that of linking these different aspects into one single whole. This is why, when we talk about the environmental well-being, we move from the notion of “natural environment” and environmental protection to seeing it as an integral part of our action to create a new urban environment – an environment which would balance economic development and ecological concerns, industrial zones and natural parks, historic sites and modern quarters, which would be family-oriented and child-friendly, and which take into due account urban biological diversity of today.

This philosophy found its reflection in the new European Urban Charter: a manifesto for new urbanity, which was adopted by our Congress at its plenary session at the end of May this year. I hope that this new text would be a source of inspiration for you and your elected representatives, as we call on all local authorities to apply the principles laid down in the Charter in their work and to turn this vision of a New City into reality.

I could also mention other recommendations adopted by our Congress in the recent past, which all stem from the same philosophy – recommendations on responsible and sustainable consumption, on urban biodiversity, on adaptation to climate change, on a new energy culture, on the child in the city and reintegration of street children, participation of young people, to name but a few. In the social field, we continue to address such issues as integration of migrants, urban security and neighbourhood policing, fight against human trafficking and against domestic violence, access to social rights and protection of minorities. I could also recall such “older” texts as the Convention on the participation of foreigners, the European Charter for Youth Participation, or the Landscape Convention.

But again, it is time now to look at this panoply of proposals and link them together in one integrated and systemic approach. Only then we can talk about sustainability, and only then we can, moving on these different fronts towards one goal, realise a Europe of Sustainable Communities. I know that this philosophy is also yours, which this conference and its discussion themes have clearly shown.

This reassures me that the Council of Europe Congress and UDITE will continue to work together on bringing this goal within our reach – side by side, elected representatives and their Chief executives, as we do in our daily activities and as our two organisations have been doing for years. I would like to thank in particular your President, now Past President, and my fellow Maltese Adrian Mifsud, for his personal contribution to making our cooperation so constructive, for giving and maintaining the momentum in our relations, and for investing so much of his energy for their success.

Thank you.