Strasbourg, 18 March 2014                                                                  CDDG(2014)1

                   Item 2 of the agenda

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

(CDDG)

PROMOTING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE

THROUGH SHARED EXPERIENCE

For debate and action

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the

Directorate of Democratic Governance

Democratic Institutions and Governance Department


This document is public. It will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy.

Ce document est public. Il ne sera pas distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire.


Introduction

According to its terms of reference, the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) “will oversee the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental work in the field of democratic governance, with a particular focus on local and regional democracy” with the aim of “shar[ing] information about policy, disseminat[ing] best practice and develop[ing], as appropriate, proposals for possible standards relating to the modernisation of public administration, strengthening citizens’ democratic participation and democratic governance (including e-governance and e-democracy) at all levels, in particular at local and regional level, and in all forms, as well as to facilitate[ing] upon request targeted activities of exchange and assistance between member States in its field of work.”

The task of the CDDG is three-fold: to share information, to disseminate best practice and to develop proposals, as appropriate, for possible standards.

The sharing of information will allow for the identification of topics of common interest and of issues which member states address at domestic level, as well as for similarities or complementarity of approaches that would deserve to be further explored.

By confronting respective approaches to a number of issues, member states would be able to identify topics on which they would wish to learn more from each other, share concrete experience and improve their performance.

The outcomes of such exchanges would benefit individual member states but the experience collated and lessons learned could lead to the development of possible standards (recommendations, possibly even conventions…), knowledge base (reports, guidelines…) and know-how (practical tools).

The issues on which exchanges could take place “associating as appropriate observers and participants” are those concerning “citizens democratic participation, the modernisation of public administration and democratic governance, in particular from a local and regional perspective”.

In order to structure the debates around the three main fields of work referred to in the Terms of Reference, the following remarks are proposed.

Public administration and modernisation reforms in member States

Modernising democratic institutions, increasing efficiency in service provision, changing demographics or fiscal pressures are among the key drivers for the current wave of public administration reform in member States.  Through presentations and debate led by member States, the CDDG will share experience and identify good practice.


Citizen participation and citizen engagement

Problems of citizen disengagement and falling electoral participation are growing across Europe, the challenge facing member States is how to reconnect with citizens.  The debate will focus on initiatives to strengthen citizen engagement and promote participation including through e-democracy and e-government.

Promoting accountability and improving standards – developing local service provision while ensuring appropriate oversight

Citizens’ demands for greater transparency, efficiency and accountability; finding the right balance of powers and functions between tiers of government; defining the role of elected bodies and agencies; rationalisation and amalgamation of service providers. The exchanges should serve to identify common problems and offer shared solutions, fostering a stronger resolve to share lessons and learn from each other.

Member states and observers are invited to take part in the discussion by actively bringing to the attention of all participants recent experiences with reforms, innovative policies or legislative initiatives or intentions to engage in such reforms in these fields including with the involvement of international Organisations (OECD, OSCE…).

Power-point presentations or dissemination of technical documentation are welcome.

The purpose of the exchanges is to come to the identification of “clusters” of states that share interest in discussing and deepening the work on the same (broad) issues around the three main themes above.

These states can then organise their further work along the lines also identified by the Terms of Reference, i.e. “targeted activities of exchange and assistance between member States… including through peer-to-peer advice and drawing on the in-depth knowledge of governmental representatives from other member States and the expertise of high-level consultants, having full regard to Council of Europe standards.”

The Secretariat, through its Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform is ready to assist with a view to facilitating and making the most of these exchanges. The “peer-to-peer” technique is discussed more in detail under item 3 of the agenda.


Action required

Member states are invited to present their most recent initiatives and policy options in the main fields of action of the CDDG.

The CDDG is invited to help identifying clusters of states interested in discussing the same (broad) issues and sharing lessons and learning from each other, and agree on further steps (thematic meetings, legal expertise, study visits, appraisal by independent experts, etc.) to be implemented making use of existing tools and expertise in the Secretariat (Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform).