6^th Encounter of the Strasbourg Club

Strasbourg, 21-22 October 2008

Speech by Paolo Rondelli, member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr President,

Distinguished members of the Strasbourg Club,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear friends,

It is a great pleasure for me to speak to you today on the issue which has been central to the activities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and its predecessor, the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities, since the very beginning of their existence – which is to say, since 1957.

Indeed, the notion of efficient local democracy as a prerequisite for the good functioning of democracy itself was engraved already in the Statute of the Council of Europe, leading to the creation of the European Conference of Local Authorities more than 50 years ago. However, it is also clear that we cannot ensure the efficiency of local democracy without putting in place a system for efficient governance at local level – governance which is responsible and responsive, which is citizen-oriented and open to the input from local populations.

Thus, good governance, ways of delivering public services to our communities and the quality of these services, ways of involving citizens in the decision-making and policy-shaping processes – if I may say so, the “good delivery of democracy at local and regional level” – has been in fact the leitmotif of the Congress’ action, reflected in its proposals, recommendations and initiatives.

It has been embedded in international conventions and texts adopted at the behest of the Congress, starting with such cornerstone treaty for local democracy as the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The Charter provides for the transfer of responsibilities for public services to the level where they can be delivered most efficiently – to the level closest to the citizen – together with the financial resources necessary for their implementation. The Charter also stresses the importance of independent administrative structures at local level, and of appropriate recruitment criteria and training for local staff well as elected representatives themselves – all of which, in our view, are constituent elements for good governance.

Another important element is of course the political integrity of people holding public office, which reflects on their political action but also on their perception by local constituents. To further good governance, the Congress elaborated the European Code of Conduct for local and regional elected representatives, which was adopted in 1999 and which deals with their specific obligations during the taking, holding and relinquishing of office. We are convinced that ensuring the strict respect of this Code contributes greatly to the framework within which good governance at local level can be ascertained and developed.

I could also mention our most recent projects – the new European Urban Charter: Manifesto for a new urbanity, and the European Charter of Regional Democracy, both adopted at the Congress’ plenary session in May this year. The Urban Charter lays down principles of building and developing modern urban communities centred on the citizen and citizens’ concern as a priority of our action; the Charter of Regional Democracy sets out principles and models for regional governance, similar to the principles of self-government at local level.

Our philosophy is based on the premise that the citizen is in the centre of any democratic action and, consequently, of any efforts aimed at ensuring good governance. This entails, also consequently, that good governance at local level requires close involvement of our citizens, of our communities in the decision-making and elaboration of policies on community development, their increased and active participation in local democratic processes, their commitment, if you will, to local democracy – as well as their feedback on the action taken by local authorities.

In other words, we can only ensure good local governance if we do it not only FOR the citizens but also WITH the citizens. Our system of governance must become more transparent and more inclusive, more open to the citizens’ input. This implies, on the other end of the equation, a more active stand of our communities.

To awaken people’s activism and motivation for managing local affairs, the Congress and the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy of the Council of Europe proposed to organize every year in October the European Week of Local Democracy – the idea which was taken on board by the European Ministers responsible for local and regional government and launched for the first time in 2007. This Encounter of the Strasbourg Club is organised in fact as part of the participation of the City of Strasbourg in the 2008 edition of the Week, and I wish to thank the city authorities and the leaders of the Club for this contribution and this opportunity to exchange our views on good governance and citizens’ participation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, we are convinced that informed and motivated citizens, who feel empowered and involved in the decision-making on matters which concern them, are key to participatory democracy which we are seeking to build. Raising awareness of our citizens, explaining to them the workings of local governance, and receiving their feedback on our action is the way of inspiring their more active participation in the process of governing themselves.

It is only logical that, to stir up people’s enthusiasm for democracy and have them regain the taste for democratic management of affairs, we begin at the level closest to them – in our cities. Citizens’ participation is the backbone of democracy, and its starts from grassroots – and it starts with being aware that you may and you can. Raising awareness in our communities, involving them in the political life of municipalities is one of the main objectives of the European Local Democracy Week, which is marked for the second time this year and which, we believe, will also lead to fostering better and more efficient governance at local level.

Another opportunity for increasing people’s involvement is through what is referred to more and more often as e-democracy, involving e-participation, e-inclusion and e-governance. Only last week, the Congress actively participated in the Forum on the Future of Democracy, organised by the Council of Europe in Madrid, Spain, which was devoted to the issues of e-democracy, including at local level.

This Forum reaffirmed once again that e-democracy is a tool not only to increase the democratic participation of our citizens, but to go beyond the consultation process in creating a “citizen culture” of informed involvement and virtual presence in the decision-making, leading to a new environment – a “citizen environment”.

In the Congress, we have been looking into the issues related to e-democracy and e-governance at local and regional level for several years. In 2006, the Congress adopted a resolution on new information and communication technologies as a new opportunity for local democracy, targeting in particular youth participation. At the plenary session in May 2008, the Congress adopted resolutions and recommendations on e-tools for local authorities, and on e-democracy and deliberative consultation on urban projects.

It is clear that new technologies and a variety of e-tools offer increasing possibilities for interaction between citizens and their elected representatives. The changing face of politics and policy-formation is a direct result of the development of the Internet and other communication technologies. The increasing potential of such technologies affords new methods for consulting voters on electoral issues, legislation, political decisions and policy implementation.

Making full use of this potential in our municipalities is another challenge in itself, involving new regulatory and participatory frameworks, which are also part of modern governance. It is heartening to see that more and more municipalities are beginning to experiment with e-tools in running community affairs, providing e-services and applying new technologies to democratic processes. For example, on 26 October the Congress will observe, for the first time in its history, e-voting in three municipalities in Finland.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I would like to underline that, as the theme of today’s debate suggests, good local governance is indeed a requirement for municipalities – I would add, a requirement of modern democracy – and a challenge for Europe. The work of such organisations as the Council of Europe, and its Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in particular, is aimed exactly at finding and proposing possible responses to this challenge.

Our legal texts and initiatives, some of which I have just mentioned provide us with principles and recommendations for action to improve governance and the “good delivery of democracy” – the Local Self-Government Charter and the Code of Conduct for elected representatives, the new Urban Charter and the Charter of Regional Democracy, the European Local Democracy Week or proposals on e-democracy, finally, the European Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at local level, to which the Congress gave its full backing.

The practical challenge is how to integrate these recommendations and proposals into our action plans and implement them in our daily activities at municipal level, within our communities. I am confident that this exchange of views will yield some ideas in this regard, and I am looking forward to our discussions.

Thank you.