16 September 2014
Council of Europe activities in Eastern Partnership countries
Local and regional democracy dimension
Document submitted for information to the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership (CORLEAP)
Introduction
The Council of Europe has agreed with some of its member states to implement programming documents - namely action plans or co-operation priorities - with the aim to support them in their continued efforts to meet their statutory and/or specific obligations and to bring their legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutions and practice further in line with European standards.
These country programming documents are translated into strategic priorities and concrete co-operation programmes and projects to support democratic reforms.
Each of these programming documents is designed along the three main pillars of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy and rule of law. Local democracy is an integral part of the “democracy” pillar. The Council of Europe has institutions which can implement projects in this field, namely the Congress of local and regional authorities (the Congress) in partnership with the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform.
The Council of Europe and its Congress of local and regional authorities promote European values through local democracy, improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities' self-government. It pays particular attention to the application of the principles laid down in the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which entered into force in 1988 and remains the only international treaty in this field, now ratified by all 47 Council of Europe member states.
Projects implemented by the Congress of local and regional authorities
The Congress proposes co-operation programmes with the overall objective to support the consolidation and development of territorial democracy, to build confidence and trust in local elected officials and to foster greater transparency at local and regional level.
The Congress has a unique status and composition which sets it apart from other international bodies and expert committees working in the field of local self-government. Its members form a pool of practical and political experience that can be drawn on and used to its full advantage for the development and deepening of local and regional democracy and governance in the Council of Europe member states.
On the basis of its findings during monitoring missions on the state of local and regional democracy and the observation of local and regional elections, the Congress adopts recommendations and resolutions which are addressed to the national authorities with a view to improve the overall governmental system. To this end, the Congress maintains a regular political dialogue with different levels of governance in the country and participates in projects aiming at reinforcing local democracy in Europe. To become more efficient, the Congress is committed to create, wherever necessary, a “virtuous cycle” of monitoring – post-monitoring – co-operation activities.
Complementarity with the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform
The Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform assists governments in responding to the Congress recommendations as well as local and regional authorities in improving the quality of governance using practices and tools adapted to each country. The Centre of Expertise is working mainly with ministries and local administrations, while the Congress addresses primarily local and/or regional authorities.
Council of Europe Action Plans for Eastern Partnership countries
Cooperation programmes included in the Council of Europe Action Plans are funded by voluntary contribution from Member States.
Armenia
The Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2012-2014[1] comprises three lines of action:
- Line of Action I on the support for local government reform, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform of the Council of Europe;
- Line of Action II on the strengthening of the capacities of local communities, which proposes activities on public ethics, human resource management and the implementation of best practices, led by the Council of Europe Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform;
- Line of Action III on the strengthening of the leadership capacities of local elected representatives, implemented by the Congress.
Two projects have been funded and are currently implemented. Furthermore, the activities led by the Congress aim to implement its Recommendation 351(2014) on local and regional democracy in Armenia.
The first project (under above-mentioned Line of Action III) aims to improve local political governance in the country, nurture confidence and trust in local authorities and allow for successful implementation of the local government reform. To this means, a leadership programme with several workshops for mayors is organised, as well as thematic regional seminars. These different activities will help to increase local elected representatives’ knowledge on good practices regarding local democracy and to strengthen their capacities to engage a constructive dialogue with other stakeholders.
A second project aims at enhancing the capacities of the Communities Association of Armenia to become an active stakeholder of the governance system in Armenia. The project will enable the Association to mobilise its members, represent common positions among local government units in the national policy dialogue on decentralisation and governance, become a representative interlocutor to be consulted by national authorities in line with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Governance, and increase its recognition.
Azerbaijan
The Council of Europe Action Plan for Azerbaijan 2014-2016[2] was launched on 20 May 2014. The Congress, working with the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, suggests contributing to the development of a vision for enhancing local democracy in compliance with its Recommendation 326(2012) on local and regional democracy in Azerbaijan. For the Congress it consists of undertaking a political dialogue in view of the implementation of the above-mentioned recommendation and reinforcing leadership capacities of local elected representatives.
Georgia
The Council of Europe Action Plan for Georgia 2013-2015[3] was launched on 6 February 2014. The Congress proposed a three-year-long project which takes into account its Recommendation 334(2013) on local and regional democracy in Georgia and includes several components: support to the reform and in particular to the process of consultation with local authorities and strengthening of the capacity of local elected representatives as leaders for change. The project also includes a component on citizen participation.
Moldova
The Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2013-2016[4] was launched in Chisinau on 14 March 2014. The chapter on local democracy and decentralisation includes a line of action on strengthening local democracy and governance drawn up by the Congress in close collaboration with the association of local authorities (the Congress of Local Authorities of Moldova - CALM). Activities have been proposed to establish a post-monitoring dialogue and to prepare a roadmap in order to implement Recommendation 322(2012) on local and regional democracy in the Republic of Moldova. This roadmap should focus on the issue of the distribution of powers and responsibilities between the centre and the regions; strengthening local political governance. Other activities aim at increasing local elected representatives’ capacities as drivers for change, promoting a dialogue with central and local authorities and consolidating the association CALM as a major representative of local authorities.
Ukraine
The 2011-2014 Council of Europe revised Action Plan for Ukraine[5] was adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 19 November 2013. Given the political situation of the country, the Action Plan Steering Committee reassessed the need to reinforce efforts in the field of local democracy.
In addition, an “Immediate Measures Package” has been set from spring until the end of December 2014. Under this programme the Congress launched a post-monitoring dialogue in May 2014 with a view to the drawing up a roadmap in order to implement Congress Recommendation 348(2013) on local and regional democracy in Ukraine adopted at the 25th Congress Session on 31 October 2013. The Congress also observed pre-term local elections held on 25 May 2014, and a high level visit took place in July 2014. A first regional seminar for young local political leaders was organised in July 2014 to be followed by others, as well as some leadership training for the newly elected mayors.
A new Action Plan for Ukraine is currently being drafted. The Congress and the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform will propose a project to support the development of local democracy in the country.
Council of Europe activities for the development and consolidation of democratic stability
Belarus
The Congress has proposed activities to contribute to the development of local democracy in Belarus. This includes raising awareness on the European Charter of Local Self-Government among national authorities, local authorities and civil society in Belarus; sharing European experiences on the implementation of the Charter and providing an assessment of the compliance of Belarusian legislation and draft legislation with Council of Europe standards in the field of local democracy.
Regional Activities
On 1st April 2014, the Council of Europe and the European Commission signed a Statement of intent for the cooperation in the European Union (EU) enlargement region and the Eastern Partnership and Southern Mediterranean countries.
In this context, a “Programmatic Cooperation Framework” for the Eastern Partnership countries has been agreed for the period 2015-2020. Cooperation activities in the area of local democracy will be implemented by the Congress and the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform.
These activities, funded by the EU, will be regional but with a country-specific dimension. The overall objective of this cooperation is to support the beneficiary countries in their efforts to reform their local self-government system, in order to meet European standards and to address the areas of particular concern expressed in the Congress recommendations following post-monitoring activities.
This programme will be implemented in full synergy with the ongoing projects included in the Council of Europe Action Plans.
Contacts
Secretariat of the Congress in Council of Europe headquarters – Co-operation activities
MORAS Marité - [email protected]
Council of Europe office in Yerevan
http://www.coe.am - [email protected]
Council of Europe office in Baku
Council of Europe office in Tbilissi
http://www.coe.ge - [email protected]
Council of Europe office in Chisinau
http://www.coe.md - [email protected]
Council of Europe office in Kyiv
http://www.coe.int/web/kyiv- [email protected]