Conference on Democracy and Decentralisation

St Gallen, Switzerland, 3-4 May 2010

Speech by Ian MICALLEF, President a.i. of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Mr President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Almost a century ago, in 1918, G.K. Chesterton, a renowned British writer and journalist, remarked: “It is hard to make government representative when it is also remote.”

His words ring all the more true today, as we gather to look into the relationship between democracy and decentralisation, into ways of bringing the governing power closer to the people, thus making our democracy more representative and more participatory. Indeed, a government which has lost touch with its citizens, power which is cut off from the roots of its legitimacy, can hardly be seen as genuinely democratic.

This is why the choice of democracy and decentralisation as the theme of this Conference is not accidental: these two words are in fact two sides of the same coin. Decentralisation is inherent in democracy; it is a tool which helps to bring power to the level closest to the citizen, and to embed democracy in our communities, at local and regional level. Through the devolution of power, decentralisation provides both a guarantee against its concentration in the hands of a “remote government” and, in a way, a feedback between elected representatives and the people who empowered them.

It is a great honour for me to address this Conference as acting President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. It is an honour because the entire concept of this institution, the Congress, much as the concept of local and regional self-government itself, was born out of a deep-seated trend towards decentralisation. It is born out of the need, recognised by European societies, to counterbalance the tendencies towards greater concentration of powers at the national level by stronger development of the regional and local dimension at grassroots.

I am proud to say that the Congress has been championing this cause in Europe for more than 50 years, acting as the driving force behind decentralisation and advancement of local and regional democracy across our continent. Twenty-five years ago, in 1985, our efforts resulted in the adoption of the first international treaty for local democracy, which remains a benchmark treaty still today as the main European reference point in this area.

I am referring to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, in which European states recognised, in a legally binding manner, the need for decentralisation. The Preamble of the Charter affirms that “the safeguarding and reinforcement of local self‑government in the different European countries is an important contribution to the construction of a Europe based on the principles of democracy and the decentralisation of power.”

The Preamble recognises the right of citizens to participate in the conduct of public affairs as one of the democratic principles, which can be exercised most directly at local level. This basic right to democratic participation is now also confirmed in the Additional Protocol to the Charter, opened for signature last November.

This right entails the existence of local authorities endowed with real responsibilities and resources to fulfil them, which is one of the main foundations of any democratic system.

The devolution of power is a logical consequence of this recognition. One of the key principles of local democracy, established by the Charter, is the principle of subsidiarity, which provides for the transfer of competences to regional and local level. It is the main principle behind decentralisation, aimed at making sure that public responsi­bilities are exercised by those authorities which are closest to the citizen.

However, to be effective, decentralisation must be pursued in a realistic manner, and accompanied by adequate means to carry out the tasks at local level. It must be embedded in a proper legal framework and administrative practice, leading to an effective and functioning system of decentralisation. The transfer of competences alone is not enough. This is why the Charter, through a number of other principles, commits national governments to guaranteeing the political, administrative and financial independence of local authorities, which is the basis of any effective decentralisation system.

In monitoring the Charter’s implementation, the Council of Europe Congress is seeking to make sure that such decentralisation systems are effectively developed in European countries. One of the central points of our inquiry is whether a member state has a proper system in place to ensure and accompany the decentralisation process. It reveals, more often than not, the lack of adequate financial means at local level as a major challenge.

This is why we intend, as part of the ongoing reform of the Congress, to strengthen the monitoring of the decentralisation process within our overall monitoring exercise. This would mean providing governments and local authorities with targeted assistance in improving their decentralisation systems, to make sure that legal decentralisation measures are turned into the reality of administrative practice.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We in the Congress are convinced that in a united, democratic Europe, a Europe of deepening integration, the decentralisation of power is both an imperative and a guarantee of democratic development.

Decentralisation opens the way for better participation of our citizens in power-sharing and decision-making – which is the very essence of democracy, itself “the power of people”. Decentralisation also improves governance. Through decentralisation, resources are brought to match the actual needs of communities, and they are used more efficiently to raise the quality of public services. At the same time, governance which is close to the citizens, governance which is open to citizens’ participation at local level leads to greater transparency and accountability in the use of these resources, and in the exercise of power in general.

And much as democracy is our common cause – that of European institutions, national governments, parliaments and territorial authorities – so is decentralisation. This is what brought us together today, representatives of different levels of government, and I wish to express our gratitude to the Swiss authorities, to the Swiss Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, for this excellent initiative.

May this Conference, and our work that will follow, bring us closer to our goal – the goal of turning the “remote government” of the past into what I would like to call the “proximity governance” of the future, in a democracy that is truly representative, participatory and citizen-centred.

Thank you.