European Local Democracy Week 2010

Strasbourg, Friday 30 July 2010

Statement by Roland Ries, Mayor of Strasbourg (France)

I am delighted that Strasbourg has again responded to the Council of Europe's annual invitation to local authorities in its 47 member states to take part in European Local Democracy Week.  When it was selected as a pilot city in 2009, Strasbourg introduced numerous activities to promote the instruments of local democracy and the involvement of residents, getting the message across to some 3,500 people.

For the 2010 event, it again features amongst the towns and cities which wish to turn a special spotlight onto their participation and help to achieve the Week's objectives, holding "12-star city" status.  This is our way of making a strong statement about our commitment to local democracy, which runs through our projects as well as finding expression in a full range of representative bodies.

We are moving further along these lines this year, inviting all the city's residents to practise democracy at our "agora" on the city square known as place Kléber.  We are also exploring the field of "borderless" participatory democracy through various initiatives, one of which is being conducted with our German neighbours: citizens will have the opportunity to express via an interactive website their expectations about the services which the Eurodistrict could provide to them.  We shall also be starting national and international activities with the bodies representing foreign residents in France and elsewhere in Europe which will be meeting in Strasbourg on this occasion.

Roland Ries

Mayor of Strasbourg