26^th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities – 25 to 27 March 2014

Austrian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

Address by Minister Andrä RUPPRECHTER, Austrian Federal Minister for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water, representing the Austrian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers

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Mr President,

Distinguished members of the Congress,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I am here with you today representing the Austrian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.  It is the sixth time in the history of this Organisation that Austria exercises this important responsibility. Today we are more than ever convinced that the Council of Europe is called upon to defend and promote the values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law in our continent.  The Council of Europe disposes of unique instruments and mechanisms. We are facing manifold and complex contemporary challenges at all levels of government, often aggravated by today’s economic crisis. We must use the Council of Europe’s instruments and mechanisms to meet these challenges.

Let me extend a particularly warm greeting to you, President van Staa, and your staff, who work tirelessly to promote the Congress’ valuable contributions in this regard. 

In addressing you today, I should like to touch on four specific issues of particular interest to the Austrian Chairmanship: First, the implementation of human rights policies; second, the quality of democracy and governance at grass roots level, third  the challenges to social cohesion at local level and fourth the issue of internet governance.  These are areas where all bodies of the Council of Europe should have a real impact.

I would like now to refer to the overarching theme of the Austrian chairmanship which is the implementation of human rights policies, including at local and regional level. To be meaningful, the fundamental rights and values defended by this Organisation must be effectively protected and promoted on the ground. To do so, it is imperative that all levels of government are vigilant and reactive where need be. This is particularly important when the social fabric of our countries is under pressure, not least as a consequence of economic difficulties.

 

Local and regional authorities have a crucial role in this respect. When citizens are in difficulty, when they are isolated, vulnerable, in ill health or have been the victims of injustice or of discrimination – it is often because the protection of or access to their fundamental rights has been compromised. In such cases, they turn to local authorities in many cases. And they expect responses worthy of a caring and socially cohesive society.

Local and regional authorities must rise to these occasions in times of economic prosperity or economic crisis, for small issues, just as for larger ones. This is a challenging task which requires commitment, especially in times when the resources of local authorities are limited due to budgetary restraints.

 

Your debate today will focus on best practices for the implementation of human rights at local and regional level in member States and other countries.  This is important. For indeed, sharing good practices can be most helpful in addressing a crucial mission such as this. Similarly, the debate in the Chamber of Regions tomorrow on implementing human rights policies at regional level will bring another dimension to this reflection process. The Council of Europe’s mission can only be successful and of benefit to our citizens, if it is able to effectively implement its values and standards, laid down in its numerous legal instruments.

The second and third issues I would mention relate to the importance which the Committee of Ministers attaches to the quality of democracy and governance at the grassroots level and to the need to strengthen social cohesion. In this respect, the Committee of Ministers supports the Congress’s work in promoting local and regional democracy, inter-territorial and cross-border cooperation as well as active citizenship and social inclusion in towns and regions. The commitment of elected representatives to ethical conduct and the fight against corruption at local and regional level are essential in this context. It is against this background that in the framework of the Austrian Chairmanship and in co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, an international conference dedicated to the fight against corruption will be held in Innsbruck (Tyrol) in May 2014. I would like to invite you to attend this conference and to contribute your experiences in this field.  I have been informed that a thematic debate on being a local councillor will be held this week. Discussions such as these can certainly contribute to improving the quality of democracy at local and regional level.

 

With regard to social inclusion, the Austrian Chairmanship is working on some issues which should receive special attention by governments at all levels. Poverty of women in old age is a problem in many member States, including the more wealthy ones. It requires measures to target both, its causes and its consequences.  The Chairmanship will host a conference in Vienna on 3 and 4 April, which will examine ongoing pension reforms and possible solutions to address this worrying issue.

Equal opportunities and autonomy of people with disabilities are essential for improving their quality of life and their social inclusion. For this, we must constantly review and adapt established policies. A symposium on “Human Rights and Disability” will be taking place under the Austrian Chairmanship in Vienna on 10 and 11 April, focusing on an evaluation of the Council of Europe’s legal instruments which aim to secure the rights of persons with disabilities. The role of local and regional authorities in these areas is clearly a very important one.  I certainly hope that the Congress will be able to make an active contribution to these two events.

The Austrian Chairmanship is also focusing on education for democratic citizenship with particular emphasis on human rights education and training in preventing racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. Austria will organise Citizenship Days around Europe Day on 5 May. The campaign aims at giving visibility to the Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights and to strengthen its implementation through information and training. Again, the support of your Congress to this initiative will be most welcome.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

The final issue I should like to mention is internet governance, which is a specific priority of the Austrian Chairmanship. New technology has changed the face of our societies.  As we all know, the internet has become an essential tool for connecting people and participation in democratic processes. People use the Internet on a daily basis for obtaining and disseminating information, pursuing educational aims, entering into business and interacting with public authorities. It has obviously become a useful tool for deepening democracy. Human rights and fundamental freedoms can also be endangered on the internet. They must be respected and protected, off line and on line.

At a recent Conference held in Graz on 13 and 14 March 2014 on “Shaping the digital environment: ensuring our rights on the internet” a panel was devoted to public service and internet content. During this panel, the internet was discussed as a public commons, a digital public space. Many of those serving the public interest – education, libraries and media, for example –deliver their services using the Internet. Public-private partnerships can enhance the capacity of the public sector in this regard. The discussions in Graz have shown us the importance for regional and local authorities to adopt the right approach and general terms of such partnerships.

The Council of Europe has been a forerunner in all issues related to internet governance. The Ministers’ Deputies recently took note of the mid-term report on the Council of Europe Strategy for Internet Governance which highlights areas of interest to regional and local representatives – such as democracy in the digital age, culture, media literacy, combatting hate speech and promoting human rights online – to name just a few. I would encourage the Congress to contribute to the Council of Europe Internet Governance Strategy, with a view to highlighting the place of local and regional authorities in this field. The thematic debate you will hold this week on the role of digital media in political urban mobilisation and the Governance Committee’s seminar on e-democracy will certainly be of particular interest in this context. I would just like to point to one example from Austria – the city of Vienna has since last year introduced e-petitions, where local constituents can raise an issue to the city Council. Close to 20 such e-petitions have been lodged so far.

Finally, I should point out that the Committee of Ministers will soon examine a draft recommendation on a Guide on Human Rights for Internet Users. This is an example of where the Congress can and should play a role in raising awareness of the Council of Europe’s standards among ordinary citizens.  A Guide of this type aims to serve exactly that purpose – but it will need to be disseminated, talked about, shared, used and of course national experiences will need to be evaluated. I would hope that the Congress, together with other bodies of the Council of Europe, will assume a role to this end.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In my national capacity, allow me now to just say few words regarding local and regional democracy in Austria….[….]

Here also, Austria’s regions are contributing to the Chairmanship with specific conferences on different aspects of local and regional democracy such as education and citizen empowerment: They are taking place in Salzburg, Eisenstadt and Klagenfurt. I invite you to have a look on our Chairmanship website, to find out more. Furthermore, I am glad to observe that the Austrian delegation to the Congress have themselves been quite active, bringing out a whole brochure on the Council of Europe’s activities, specifically targeted at key decision-makers and stakeholders in Austria.

To conclude, I should like to transmit the sincere congratulations of the Austrian Chairmanship, and of the Committee of Ministers on the 20th anniversary of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.  It is indeed a birthday worth celebrating. Strong local and regional authorities working through robust democratic processes are more necessary than ever. Our fellow citizens, whether they live in the smallest hamlet or the largest metropolis, need to be convinced that the decisions that are taken by their elected representatives are indeed a reflection of the will of the majority. As the World Forum for Democracy held in this very room last November showed, Democracy needs to be seen to be legitimate – and it is through active citizenship and open and transparent democratic processes that this legitimacy can be strengthened. 

We should be satisfied as to what has been achieved to date. But we must keep our finger on the pulse of changing societies; we must be able to respond effectively and adequately to the legitimate expectations of the electorate and to the new challenges emerging.  Your Congress has undoubtedly an important role to play in this respect, working firmly on your path towards effective and efficient local self-government.

I wish you a successful session.  Thank you for your attention.