Strasbourg, 13 May 2015                                                                CDDG(2015)13

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

(CDDG)

ABRIDGED REPORT OF THE 3^rd MEETING

16-17 April 2015

1.            Opening of the meeting and adoption of the agenda

The meeting was opened by the Chairman who welcomed the participants and informed the members of the informal exchange of views the Bureau had had with the Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM) at the invitation of the latter’s chair. The meeting enabled participants to exchange on CDDG’s working methods, outcomes and contribution to achieving Council of Europe’s goals.

The Committee welcomed the initiative and agreed that the impact of CDDG’s work in member states should be highlighted in a specific report to the Committee of Ministers. The Committee agreed to consider and adopt this report at its next meeting.

The Chairman also welcomed the high-level participants from Armenia, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova who had agreed to speak about recent administrative and territorial reforms in their respective countries and the support received by the Council of Europe (CDDG members, Centre of Expertise).

The list of participants is set out in Appendix I.

The agenda for the meeting (Appendix II) was adopted.

*

* *

Signature of a Statement of Cooperation between the Council of Europe and Ukraine

The CDDG was honored to host the signing by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland and the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mr Hennadiy Zubko, of a Statement of cooperation between the Council of Europe and Ukraine. The Statement covered some measures aimed at implementing the Action plan for Ukraine in regard of decentralisation reforms.

The Secretary General stressed the importance of reforms to consolidate democratic institutions while preserving the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Zubko recalled the reforms already implemented by his country which had benefited from CDDG and member States input. His presence before the Committee was a sign of recognition of this helpful role. Ukraine remains committed to reform and appreciated the friendly and sustained support of the Council of Europe.

*

2.            Promoting Democratic Governance through Shared Experience

•      Public administration and institutional reforms

The Committee heard three presentations from high-level participants, followed by an exchange of views.

Mr Vache Terteryan, Vice-Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations of Armenia, presented the envisaged administrative territorial reforms aimed at improving the effectiveness and broadening the scope of local self-government.

Mr Tengis Shergelashvili, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, spoke of the process of decentralisation which sought to strengthen efficiency and capacity of local authorities also through a reform of human resource management.

Mr Sergiu Ceaus, Deputy State Secretary of the Government of the Republic of Moldova detailed the main goals of the National Decentralisation Strategy and the new law on local public finance of his government.

All speakers further underlined the significance and value of the ongoing exchanges of experiences on reform processes and outcomes between the member States and praised the CDDG and the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform for their help.

In the ensuing round-table discussion, the following were identified as conditions for the successful implementation of reforms:

-      effective communication on both the reform process, its objectives and the principles applied;

-      clear understanding on the part of the authorities of the sometimes conflicting views of communities and effective mechanisms to take account of them, including appropriately addressing conflicts of views and interests, in the decision-making process;

-      integration of effective measures aimed at identifying and overcoming resistance to change.

These considerations will be taken into account in the ongoing work of the Committee, in particular in relation to its peer reviews and exchanges of experiences and good practices.

•      Urban governance and management of large metropolitan areas

Ms Isabelle Chatry, Project Manager, Subnational Finance & Territorial Reforms at OECD, presented a global overview of recent trends in OECD member States with regard to territorial reforms, including mergers and metropolitan governance reforms.[1]

The ensuing debate focussed on the choice and impact of voluntary versus forced amalgamation, the role of inter-municipal cooperation or multilevel governance cooperation and the need for balance between efficiency, service delivery and democratic participation and accountability.

Ms Anne-Marie Chavanon, Chair of the Democracy, Social Cohesion and Global Challenges Committee of the Conference of INGO’s presented recent initiatives and efforts being deployed by civil society groups and NGOs in cooperation with public authorities especially at local level, that aimed at increasing inclusive democratic participation, with a view to counteracting disengagement and segregation as well as combatting radicalisation and extremism.

In the exchange which followed, participants outlined recently adopted measures aimed at developing local authorities’ awareness of and responsiveness to radicalism, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, local development and the prevention of racist and extremism language on-line. The CDDG would welcome additional information on the “intercultural cities” programme and the “No Hate Speech Campaign” of the Council of Europe.

The CDDG invited all participants, delegations, NGOs, the Congress and observers to provide the Secretariat with an overview of initiatives being implemented or under consideration with a view to promoting inclusive societies and preventing extremism activities especially in cities and towns.

This overview will constitute the basis for an exchange of views and sharing of experiences at the next CDDG meeting.

A concise summary of the presentations is given in Appendix III.

3.           Developing tools on good democratic governance and supporting eforms

The Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform

Activities and prospects for 2015

The Committee took note of the activities and prospects for 2015 as set out in document CDDG(2015)1 and that its annual report for 2014 is ready and pending consideration by the Advisory Board.

Thematic Exchanges of Views, information and Good Practices

The Committee examined the information provided in document CDDG(2015)2 and decided:

-      As regards local finance and under-developed urban areas, to proceed with a consultation of those member States that were concerned or interested by this topic by way of electronic means with a view to identifying whether current practice might require updating or amending existing Council of Europe recommendations;

-      With respect to democratic governance in transfrontier cooperation, to develop issues and possibly organise the “forum” in cooperation with Luxembourg and the Netherlands which have planned activities in the framework of their successive EU Presidencies;

-      In relation to management of large metropolitan areas and urban governance, to promote a cluster meeting or “peer review” in a member state, with a focus on democratic governance of metropolitan territories. OECD representative offered to cooperate having regard to the Organisation’s extensive experience and recent work in this field.

4.                    Examination of the conventions under the responsibility of the CDDG

Results of the questionnaire

The CDDG took note of the preliminary information presented on the results of the questionnaire on signature and ratification of the Conventions and Protocols in documents CDDG(2015)3 and Addendum.

Delegations that had not yet submitted their response were invited to do so at the earliest possible stage in order to allow the Secretariat to update the document and present conclusions at the next meeting of the Bureau.

Revised Appendix to Protocol No 3 to the Madrid Outline Convention

The Committee also approved the revised Appendix to Protocol No 3 to the Madrid Outline Convention and left it until 24 April to delegations to formulate possible comments in writing.

Member States were encouraged to seek the assistance of the Secretariat and its Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform in respect of sharing experience as regards the implementation of conventions, in particular of Protocol No. 3 to the Madrid Outline Convention.

5.         Overview of the CDDG activities

5.1      State of implementation of the CDDG work programme 2014-2015

The CDDG took note of the information presented in document CDDG(2015)5.

5.2      Rapid Response Service: 2015

The Committee took note of the information provided in document CDDG(2015)6 on the four questionnaires sent out or under preparation so far in 2015, and asked that member States provide feedback on the value for them of the information collected and passed to them through the RSS. This feedback is to be reflected in the report referred to under item 1 of the agenda.

5.3      Workshops on e-democracy: information by Austria and Belgium

The CDDG took note of the information provided on the conclusions of the workshop organised in Brussels on 1 April 2015, which included the need for: respect of basic principles of good democratic governance in implementing electronic tools, transparency and Open Data principles, acceptance of and confidence in electronic tools by both the public and public officials as well as efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The Committee further took note of the information and practical arrangements provided concerning the Workshop to be organised in Budapest on 7-8 May 2015 in Budapest.

Following the second workshop, a comprehensive set of main lessons and experiences would be presented by the rapporteurs and made available to the member States.

These findings also would be presented in the report referred to in section 1 of this report.

5.4      Terms of reference of the CDDG rapporteurs

The Committee took note of the information presented in document CDDG(2015)8. As regards Gender equality and Children’s Rights, members were invited to keep the rapporteurs informed on initiatives and developments in their respective countries as these were specific issues on which the Committee of Ministers required information and feedback.

In light of the resignation by Ms Paqui Santonja (Spain) from the CDDG, and consequently as rapporteur, the Committee appointed Mr Mihai Adrian Groşan (Romania) as the new rapporteur for modernisation of public administration and services.

6.         Consideration by the Committee of Ministers of issues relating to the       work of the CDDG

The CDDG took note of the recent decisions by the Committee of Ministers that were relevant to its activities.

Terms of reference of the Ad hoc Committee of Experts on Legal, Operational and Technical Standards for e-voting

The Committee appointed its Chair, Mr Paul-Henri Philips (Belgium), Mr Alexander Balthasar (Austria) and Mr Mihai Adrian Groşan(Romania) to represent it in the Ad hoc Committee of Experts.

Preparation of a compendium of texts of the Council of Europe in the area of democracy

The CDDG noted that the Secretariat would be preparing such a compendium under its oversight as per the Committee of Ministers’ decision and invited the Secretariat to present a first version thereof to the Bureau. Following examination by the Bureau, the text would be presented to the CDDG for its consideration at its next meeting.

Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level

Following examination of the proposals by the Secretariat presented in Appendix I to document CDDG (2015)9 Addendum, the Committee decided to approve the proposals and to forward it to the Committee of Ministers taking into account the amendments requested by the member States and the Congress (Appendix IV).

7.         Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers

The Belgian delegation will report on the outcomes of the Belgian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers at the next Bureau meeting.

8.         Election of one Member of the Bureau

Following the resignation of Ms Paqui Santonja (Spain) the Committee elected Ms Inga Nyholm (Finland) as member for the remainder of the mandate (until the end 2015).

9.         Other business

Information on other Council of Europe bodies

The Committee took note of the information in document CDDG(2015)11.

The Secretary General of the Congress provided an overview of the work of the Congress and issues relating to the work of the CDDG, as well as of texts and declarations adopted at the 28^th session of the Congress from 24-26 March 2015.

Bureau meeting reports

The CDDG took note of the reports of the meeting of the Bureau on 27 February 2015 [CDDG-BU(2015)8].

Recent development in member States

The delegation of Portugal outlined recent developments on local government and administrative reforms and the associated measures, including an economic adjustment programme as well as financial tools to address the high level of indebtedness of local authorities.

The CDDG extended an invitation for a high-level representative from Portugal to present the new reforms and possible feedback on their initial results at its next meeting.

The CDDG welcomed presentations that might be sent to the Secretariat for publication on the CDDG website (www.coe.int/local).

Date of the next meeting

The second meeting of the CDDG in 2015 will be held on 7-8 December 2015.

Any other business

None

Adoption of the abridged meeting report

The Committee adopted this abridged meeting report.

APPENDIX I

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

MEMBERS / MEMBRES

CHAIRMAN / PRESIDENT

M. Paul-Henri PHILIPS, Chargé des Relations internationales, Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux, Service public régional de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 20, B – 1035 BRUXELLES

Tel : (32) 2 800 32 77; Cel-phone: (32) 499 58 81 05; Fax :(32) 2 800 38 00;

E-mail : [email protected]

ARMENIA / ARMENIE

Mr Vache TERTERYAN, First Vice-Minister for Territorial Administration and emergency situation, 10, Republic Square, Government House 2, YEREVAN

Tel.: (37410) 511 303; E-mail: [email protected]

AUSTRIA / AUTRICHE

Mr Alexander BALTHASAR, Head of the Institute for State Organization and Administrative Reform, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Ballhausplatz 1, A - 1014 WIEN

Tel: (43) 1 53115 202806 ; Fax: (43) 1 53109 202806;

E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Stefan GÖLLER, Vienna City Administration, Municipal Department 27, European Affairs, Schlesingerplatz 2, A – 1082 WIEN

Tel: (43) 1 4000 27045 ; Fax: (43) 1 4000 7215; E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Martin REICHARD, Deputy to the Permanent Representative, Permanent Representation of Austria to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg

E-mail: [email protected]

AZERBAIJAN / AZERBAÏDJAN

Mr Gadir KHALILOV, Senior adviser, Centre of work with municipalities, Ministry of Justice, B. Safaroglu str. 141, AZ BAKU 1009

Tel: (994) 12 596 34 08; Fax: (99412) 59 63 408; E-mail: [email protected]

BELGIUM / BELGIQUE

Mr Edwin LEFEBRE, Deputy of the Director, Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Flemish Region, Agency for Home Affairs, Boudewijnlaan 30, B - 1000 BRUSSELS

Tel : (32) 2 553 40 16; Fax :(32) 2 553 39 52; E-mail : [email protected]

M. Xavier KALBUSCH, Ministerium der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, Gospert 1, 4700 EUPEN

Tél : (32) (0)87 59 63 00 ; Fax : (32) (0)87 55 28 91 ;

E-mail : [email protected]; [email protected]

BULGARIA / BULGARIE

Mrs Desislava DRAGOVA, Chief expert, Ministry of Regional Development and public works, 17-19 St. Kiril I Metodii Str., 1202 SOFIA;

Tel : +(359) 2 9405 428 ; E-mail: [email protected]

CROATIA / CROATIE

Mr Boris MILOSEVIC, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Public Administration, Maksimirska 63, 10000 ZAGREB

E-mail: [email protected]

CYPRUS / CHYPRE

Mr Antonis ANTONIOU, Senior Administrative Officer, Ministry of the Interior

Tel: (357) 228 678 51; Fax: (357) 228 677 16; E-mail: [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE

Mr Petr FEJTEK, Department for Strategic Development and Coordination of Public Administration, Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, nám. Hrdinů 3, 140 21 Praha 4
Tel.: + 420 974 816 267; Fax: + 420 974 916 632; E-mail: [email protected]

DENMARK / DANEMARK

Mr Henrik Villum JENSEN, Ministry of Economics and the Interior, Slotsholmsgade 10-12, 1216, COPENHAGEN K

Tel: (45) 7228 2532; E-mail: [email protected]

ESTONIA / ESTONIE

Mr Kaur KAASIK-AASLAV, Adviser to the Regional Administration Department, Ministry of the Interior, Pikk 61, TALLINN, 15065

Tel: (372) 612 5136; E-mail:[email protected]

FINLAND / FINLANDE

Ms Inga NYHOLM, Ministerial adviser, Department for Local Government and Regional administration, Ministry of Finance, PO Box 28, FIN – 00023 GOVERNMENT

Tel: (358) 40 760 5524; E-mail: [email protected]

FRANCE

M. Damien FERAILLE, Bureau des structures territoriales, Direction Générale des Collectivités locales, Ministère de l'Intérieur, 1 bis, place des Saussaies, F - 75800 PARIS

Tel: (33) 01 49 27 31 78 ; E-mail: [email protected]

GEORGIA / GEORGIE

Mr Tengiz SHERGELASHVILI, First Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, 12 Al. Kazbegi, TBILISSI, Georgia

E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Giorgi DIDIDZE, Deputy Head, Department of Reforms and Innovations, Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, 12 Kazbegi, TBILISI 0160

Tel: (995) 577 112 145; E-mail: [email protected]

GERMANY / ALLEMAGNE

Mrs Kristina SCHADE, Division O2, Better regulation, bureaucracy reduction; Act on E-Government; local matters, Federal Ministry of the Interior, Alt-Moabit 101, D-10559 BERLIN

Tel: (49) 30 18 681 2137; E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Gabriele STELLMACHER, Representative of the „Laender“ (States), Ministry of the Interior and Sports of Lower Saxony, Department for Local Government Affairs, Lavesallee 6, 30169 HANNOVER

Tel: (49) (0) 511 120 4640; E-mail: [email protected]

GREECE / GRECE

Mr Georgios CHRYSAFIS, Directorate of Organisation and Functionning of Local Government, Mnistry of the Interior, 27, Stadiou Str., 10183 Athens

E-mail: [email protected]

HUNGARY / HONGRIE

Ms Nikolett GAÁL, Desk officer for International Relations, Prime Minister’s Office, Department for Territorial Public Administration Development, Kossuth tér 2-4, 1055 – BUDAPEST

Tel: +361 795 6252; Email: [email protected]

ICELAND / ISLANDE

Mrs Stefanía TRAUSTADÓTTIR, Local Government, Department of Human Rights and Local Government, Ministry of the Interior, Sölvhólsgötu 7, 101 REYKJAVÍK

E-Mail: [email protected]

IRELAND / IRLANDE

Mr Denis CONLAN, Head of Local Government Development, Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, Custom House, EI – DUBLIN

Tel: (353 1) 888 2186; E-mail: [email protected]

ITALY / ITALIE

Mr Francesco GIUSTINO, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, D.A.R. - Ufficio Attività Internazionali, ROMA

Tel. +39.06.6779.5130; E-mail: [email protected]

LATVIA / LETTONIE

Ms Agnese PABERZA DRAUDINA, Lawyer, Local Governments Department, Local Governments Supervision and Methodology Division, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Peldu street 25, LV – 1494 RIGA

Tel : (371) 66016784; E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Fatma FRIDENBERGA, Riga City Council Legal Office, Ratslaukums 1, LV - 1539 RIGA

Tel: (371) 6 7026022; Fax: (371) 6 7026326; E-mail: [email protected]

LITHUANIA / LITUANIE

Mr Paulius SKARDŽIUS, Director of Public Governance Policy Department, Ministry of the Interior, Šventaragio Str. 2, LT - 01510 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA

Tel: (370) 5 271 7071; Fax: (370) 5 271 8915; E-mail: [email protected]

LUXEMBOURG

M. Laurent DEVILLE, Coordination générale, Ministère de l‘Intérieur, 19 rue Beaumont, L-1219 LUXEMBOURG

Tél: (+352) 247 84615; Fax: (+352) 22 11 25; E-mail: [email protected]

MALTA / MALTE

Mr Robert TABONE, Head EU & International Affairs, Department for Local Government, Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government

E-mail: [email protected]

REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA / REPUBLIQUE DE MOLDOVA

Mr Sergiu CEAUS, Deputy Secretary General of the Government, CHISINAU

Mme Victoria CUJBA, Chef, Direction des politiques de décentralisation, Chancellerie d’Etat, 1, Piaţa Marii Adunări Naţionale, MD – 2033 CHISINAU

Tel: (373) 22 250 583 / (373) 69480105; E-mail: [email protected]

MONTENEGRO

Mrs Olivera GRBOVIĆ, Head of Department, Directorate for State Administration and Local Self-Government, Ministry of Interior of Montenegro, Bulevar Sv. Petra Cetinjskog 22, 81000 PODGORICA

Tel: (382) 20 243 445; Fax: (382) 20 225 518; Mobile: (382) 67 677 407;

E-mail: [email protected]

NETHERLANDS / PAYS-BAS

Mr Tom LEEUWESTEIN, Head of Europe and Local and Regional Governance Unit, Directorate General for Governance and Kingdom Relations, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, P.O Box 20011, NL - 2500 EA THE HAGUE

Tel: (31) 6 53578243; Fax: (31) 70 426 7655; E-mail: [email protected]

NORWAY / NORVEGE

Mrs Greta Ulland BILLING, Senior International Adviser, Department for Local Government,  Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, Postbox 8112 DEP, N - 0032 OSLO

Tel: (47) 22 24 72 25; Mobile: (47) 92 61 37 27; Fax: (47) 22 24 27 35;

E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Nina Britt BERGE, Senior Adviser, Department for Local Government, Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, Postbox 8112 DEP, N - 0032 OSLO

Tel: (47) 22 24 72 55; Mobile: (47) 99 72 43 14; Fax: (47) 22 24 27 35;

E-mail: [email protected]

POLAND / POLOGNE

Mrs Monika STURLIS-GUMIENICZEK, Chief Specialist, Department of Public Administration, Ministry of Administration and Digitalisation, WARSAW

Tel: + 48 22 556 84 85 ; E-mail: [email protected]

PORTUGAL

Mr Jorge Abreu SIMÕES, General Directorate for Local Authorities, Rua José Estevão, 137-7°, P – 1169-058 LISBOA

Tel : (351) 21313061; E-mail: [email protected]

ROMANIA / ROUMANIE

Mr Mihai Adrian GROŞAN, Director Public Administration Decentralization, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Directorate General of Public Administration, Romanian Government, BUCAREST, Romania

Email: [email protected]

RUSSIAN FEDERATION / FEDERATION DE RUSSIE

Mrs Elena MIKHAYLYUKOVA, Second Secretary, Department for cooperation with the Federal Subjects of Russia, Parliament and Civil Society, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arbat Str, 57, MOSCOW

E-mail: [email protected]

SAN MARINO / SAINT-MARIN

Apologised for absence / excusé

SERBIA / SERBIE

Apologised for absence / excusé

SLOVAK REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE SLOVAQUE

Mrs Veronika ĎURKECHOVÁ, Local Self-Government Unit, Department on Local State Administration, Local Self-Government and Foreign Affairs, Public Administration Section, Ministry of the Interior, Drieňová 22, 826 86 BRATISLAVA

Tél : + (421) 2 4859 2215; E-mail: [email protected]

SLOVENIA / SLOVENIE

Mr Andrej ČOKERT, Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, Dunajska cesta 58, 1501 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia

Tel: + 386 1 320 1621; E-mail: [email protected]

SPAIN / ESPAGNE

Mrs Natalia LAS HERAS OLIETE, Deputy Director for Institutional Relations, DG for the Coordination of Competences with Autonomous Communities and Local Entities, Ministry of Finance and Public Administration, MADRID

Tel: (34) 91 273 57 06/14; E-mail: [email protected]

SWEDEN / SUEDE

Apologised for absence / excusé

SWITZERLAND / SUISSE

Mr Robert BAUMANN, Senior Advisor, Federal Office of Justice, Bundesrain 20, CH – 3003 BERNE

Tél : (41) 58 462 41 61 ; Fax : (41) 58 462 84 01 ;

E-mail : [email protected]

''THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA'' / "L'EX-REPUBLIQUE YOUGOSLAVE DE MACEDOINE"

Ms Gordana GAPIK-DIMITROVSKA, Head of Unit in the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Skopje

Tel. +389 2 3200944, +389 80 328575; E-mail : [email protected]

TURKEY / TURQUIE

Mr Ahmet Ufuk HASÇKAL, Head of Department, Ministry of Interior, ANKARA

Tel: (90) 312 4181 072; E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Gökmen ÇIÇEK, Local Governments General Directorate, ANKARA

Tel: (90) 505 264 17 14; E-Mail: [email protected]

UKRAINE

Mr Hennadiy ZUBKO, Deputy Prime Minister

Ms Inha VOYTSEKHOVSKA, Deputy Director for International Cooperation and Relations with International Organisations, Head of Division of Cooperation with the EU, Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Municipal Economy of Ukraine, 9, Velyka Zhytomyrska Str., 01601 KYIV

Tel: 38 044 207 18 95; Fax: 38 044 207 18 82; E-mail: [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM / ROYAUME-UNI

Mr Paul ROWSELL, Deputy Director, Democracy, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2^nd Floor NE Corner, Fry Building, 2 Marsham St

Tel: +44 (0)303 444 2568; Email: [email protected]

Ms Hannah BROOK, Senior policy advisor, Democracy Division, Department for Communities and Local Government

2^nd Floor NE Corner, Fry Building, 2 Marsham St

Tel: +44 (0)303 444 1858; Email: [email protected]

PARTICIPANTS

CONGRESS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE / CONGRES DES POUVOIRS LOCAUX ET REGIONAUX DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE

Mr Andreas KIEFER, Secretary General / Secrétaire Général

Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 48; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 51;

E-mail: [email protected]

M. Jean-Philippe BOZOULS, Head of Department I – Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Local Authorities / Chef du Service I – Secrétaire exécutif de la Chambre des pouvoirs locaux

Tel: (33) 3.88.41.20.07; Fax: (33) 3.88.41.27.51;  E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Tim LISNEY, Deputy Secretary of the Chamber of Local Authorities / Secrétaire adjoint de la Chambre des pouvoirs locaux – Secretary of the Governance Committee / Secrétaire de la Commission de la gouvernance

Tel: (33) 3.88.41.35.73; Fax: (33) 3.88.41.27.51; E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Marianne BENDERRA, Co-Secretary of the Governance Committee

E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Özgecan ÖZER, Trainee of the Governance Committee

CONFERENCE OF INGOS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE / CONFERENCE DES OING DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE

Mme Anne-Marie CHAVANON, Présidente de la Commission démocratie, cohésion sociale et enjeux mondiaux, IAU, 15, rue Falguière, 75015 PARIS

Tél. (33) 1 77 49 76 80, (33) 6 60 76 86 14; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

M. Thierry MATHIEU, Vice-Président de la Commission démocratie, cohésion sociale et enjeux mondiaux

E-mail : [email protected]

OTHER PARTICIPANTS / AUTRES PARTICIPANTS

HOLY-SEE / SAINT-SIEGE

M. Philippe TOUSSAINT, 67 allée de la Robertsau, 67000 STRASBOURG

Tel: (33) (0)6 52 20 38 63; E-mail: [email protected]

Professeur Thierry RAMBAUD, Professeur des Universités, 2 rue Le Nôtre, 67000 STRASBOURG

Tel: (33) (0)3 88 35 02 44; E-mail: [email protected]

MEXICO / MEXIQUE

M. Diego SANDOVAL PIMENTEL, Adjoint à l‘Observateur Permanent, Représentation Permanente du Mexique auprès du Conseil de l’Europe, 8 boulevard du Président Edwards, 67000 Strasbourg

Tel: (33) (0) 3 88 24 07 72 / 26 81; E-mail: [email protected]

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) / ORGANISATION DE COOPERATION ET DE DEVELOPPEMENT ECONOMIQUES (OCDE)

Mme Isabelle CHATRY, Chef de Projet, Finances infranationales et Réformes territoriales,

Division des politiques de développement régional (RDP), Direction de la gouvernance publique et du développement territorial (GOV) 2, rue André Pascal - 75775 Paris Cedex 16
Tel: +33 1 45 24 98 02 ; E-mail : [email protected]

BENELUX UNION/UNION BENELUX

Apologised for absence / excusé

OBSERVERS / OBSERVATEURS

ASSEMBLY OF EUROPEAN REGIONS (AER) / ASSEMBLEE DES REGIONS D'EUROPE (ARE)

Mme Agnès CICCARONE, Directrice, Relations membres, Affaires institutionnelles et académiques, Assemblée des Régions d’Europe, 6 rue Oberlin, 67000 STRASBOURG

Tél : (33) (0)388 227 432 ; E-mail : [email protected]

Melle Julie NICOLAS, Assistante de Mme Ciccarone, Assemblée des Régions d’Europe, 6 rue Oberlin, 67000 STRASBOURG

COUNCIL OF EUROPEAN MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONS (CEMR) / CONSEIL DES COMMUNES ET REGIONS D’EUROPE (CCRE)

M. Carlos MASCARELL VILAR, Chargé de mission gouvernance et citoyenneté, Square de Meeûs 1, 1000 BRUXELLES, Belgique

E-mail : [email protected]

SECRETARIAT

Mr Thorbjørn JAGLAND, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Ms Claudia LUCIANI, Director of Democratic Governance / Directrice de la gouvernance démocratique / Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel : +33 (0)3 88 41 21 49 ; Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 55;

E-mail : [email protected]

Mr Alfonso ZARDI, Head of Democratic Institutions and Governance Department / Chef du Service des institutions et de la gouvernance démocratiques - Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel : +33 (0)3 88 41 39 06; Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail : [email protected]

Mr Daniel POPESCU, Head of Good Governance Division / Chef de la Division de la bonne gouvernance - Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 36 08; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Theo WELS - Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 53 04 ; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail: [email protected]

Mme Isabelle ETTER - Secretariat / Secrétariat

APPENDIX II

AGENDA

with annotations

APPENDIX III

Promoting Democratic Governance through Shared Experience

Concise Summary of Presentations

Territorial reforms and efficiency of Public administration

Mr Vache Terteryan, Vice-Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations of Armenia, presented recent developments and future reform plans, concentrating in particular on envisaged territorial and administrative reforms.

The reforms aim to develop local self-governance, to enhance municipalities’ capacity to efficiently perform competences transferred to them in the process of decentralisation, promote efficient and proper use of financial resources, contribute to the efficient provision of services as well as to the sustainable socio-economic development of the municipality. They further include training and enhancement of human and financial capital and establishment of necessary infrastructure in accordance with principles of good governance, at the level of both the local communities and the state.

Special attention is paid also to public participation (through improved awareness of the population as regards the expected outcomes of the reforms, examining and taking account of public responses, and preparing citizens for upcoming local referendums on amalgamation). The amalgamation of pilot municipalities will be launched following local referenda and, if successful, the experience will be extended to the whole country.

Mr Tengis Shergelashvili, Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia, presented the process of decentralisation which aims to strengthen efficiency and capacity of local authorities. This included reforms of human resource management (including improved gender balance) and the provision of adequate training. Legislation with regard to citizen participation in local self-government was also under preparation.

Mr Sergiu Ceaus, Deputy Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of Moldova presented the main objectives of the National Decentralisation Strategy, namely to reduce excessive fragmentation, strengthen local authority capacities and increase inter-municipal cooperation. He further discussed the new law on local public finance which aims to improve local authorities’ financial sustainability as well as the mechanisms of financial equalisation.

Important initiatives were also underway to strengthen the relationship with the autonomous region of Gagauzia possibly through a platform for institutional dialogue.

Urban Governance and management of large metropolitan areas

Ms Isabelle Chatry, Project Manager, Subnational Finance & Territorial Reforms, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) provided a comprehensive overview on the organisation of subnational governments and recent trends in OECD member States as regards territorial reforms at local, and regional, as well as intermediate level (including mergers and metropolitan governance reforms). She underlined the increasing discrepancy between, oftentimes obsolete, “administrative territories” and functional territories which evolve continuously as a result of demographic, socio-economic and other factors such as public finance and management. Territorial reforms, which have accelerated at all subnational levels over the past number of years, seek to take these changes into consideration, generally leading to territorial restructuring (amalgamation) and reconfiguration at the level of authorities (centralisation/decentralisation) which raises questions as to possible correlation between size, economic or democratic performance and service delivery.

APPENDIX IV

Simplification of the procedures for awarding the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE)

Introduction

At the request of the Committee of Ministers (1190^th meeting of the Deputies), the European Committee on Democracy and governance (CDDG) “[examined] ways of simplifying the tools and procedures used for the promotion of the twelve principles of good democratic governance at local level, as well as means to increase their visibility” and submitted its conclusions to the GR-DEM in a document appended to the report of its 2^nd meeting (CM(2015)20).

The GR-DEM subsequently invited the CDDG “to present it with detailed proposals supported by figures with the aim of simplifying the procedure for awarding the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELOGE)”.

What follows is the proposal adopted by the CDDG in response to such an invitation.

The Label – a short presentation

The European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) is an incentive to encourage European local authorities to abide by the Twelve principles of good governance at local level which form the core of the European Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance.

The Label can be awarded to local authorities which meet a number of criteria fixed by a Council of Europe body (the Stakeholders’ Platform of the Council of Europe) and which require certain practices to be adopted or results to be achieved, for each of the 12 principles. These criteria are listed in a public document commonly referred to as the “benchmark”.

The Label is awarded by a national (or regional) body known as the national (or regional) “stakeholders’ platform” and whose composition and functioning are governed by regulations adopted by the Council of Europe Platform. The national platforms can also adjust the Council of Europe “benchmark” to reflect the specific needs and circumstances of the country concerned, subject to the prior approval of the Council of Europe Platform.

The procedure is therefore largely decentralised as the Label is awarded by a national (or regional) body. The European dimension and equal treatment for local authorities are assured thanks to the fact that the Council of Europe Platform grants accreditation to national platforms and approves the “benchmarks” to be used on a country-by-country basis.

Establishing national platforms has proven to be difficult at times, not least because of the requirement to create a “joint” structure between central government and local authorities. The fact that the Label is awarded to local authorities by a body which includes central government officials may also have been seen as unwarranted “interference” with local self-government. Lastly, there are costs associated with promoting the Label (making information widely available to local authorities, preparing applications, verification and assessment visits by independent experts, Platform meetings) which may have acted as a deterrent and which it is not always easy, or even possible, to split between the various national or regional stakeholders.

At Council of Europe level, the functioning of the Platform has sometimes been impaired due to failure to achieve a quorum and the composition of the Platform has changed due to members being replaced, while some are no longer represented at all.

National (or regional) management structures of the Strategy and the Label

In order to remedy these problems, which have no bearing on the soundness of the Strategy or the relevance of the Twelve Principles, or indeed the level of interest in them expressed by many member states, local government associations and authorities themselves, the CDDG has suggested a number of measures (see Appendix III to CM(2015)20) some of which, supported by figures as requested by the Committee of Ministers, are now presented in greater detail.

a)       Firstly, any countries (regions) which wish to do so will always be able to create national (or regional) platforms in the future. Those countries which have already established such platforms (Bulgaria and Norway) will continue to operate them in accordance with the current rules, pending the expiration of the accreditation already granted. Any application for renewal by and any new applications for accreditation received from these countries will still be considered by the Council of Europe Platform or the mechanism or body that replaces it – see below for details of the proposed changes to this Platform.

b)       In those countries (or regions) where it proves difficult or not possible, to create a national (or regional) platform under the existing rules, it is proposed instead to select an existing, recognised structure that works in support of local authorities, such as a training institute for local officials or elected representatives, a study or research centre specialising in local self-government, a government agency responsible for issuing quality certificates, etc.

This institution could either nominate itself or be nominated by central government or local government associations or both. It would then still be for the Council of Europe (see below) to accept this nomination and grant official accreditation to the institution in question, after making sure (via a technical evaluation, visit, exchange of letters, etc.) that it is qualified, independent and capable of administering the Label award procedure.

c)       Lastly, there is the case of local authorities which propose to implement the Label and apply the “benchmark” even though there is no national (or regional) approval body. Such cases have already arisen in France, Spain and Romania and there could well be more in the future. The idea, then, would be to “reward” municipalities which have achieved satisfactory results and to encourage other municipalities (and countries) to follow their example. It is proposed to entrust the Secretariat of DGII (Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform) with the task of acknowledging achievement of the requirements and awarding the Label, again subject to the approval of the Council of Europe structure. A maximum of 10 or so applications[2] would be examined per year and awards could be made only once under this arrangement. Thereafter, the country in question would either set up a “national platform” (Scenario a) or nominate an independent accreditation body (Scenario b).

Council of Europe steering body

In all of the scenarios above, a Council of Europe body – the European Stakeholders’ Platform – should remain responsible for approval (accreditation) of the national (or regional) validation structure and for the “benchmark”, regardless of whether the structure in question was a national platform or an independent institution. The composition and operation of the Council of Europe Platform could be simplified, so as to hand the CDDG Bureau, including two representatives from the Congress[3] – should it so wish – as well as two representatives from the Conference of INGOs, the responsibilities currently entrusted to the Platform.

The advantage of this solution is that it is based on an existing body (the CDDG Bureau) which already meets twice a year and whose meetings could, if necessary, be extended by half a day without too much difficulty. Since these meetings are planned in advance, it would be easier for representatives from (the Congress and) the Conference of INGOs to attend. This would also reduce the risk of failure to achieve a quorum and hence of meetings being declared null and void.

Costs

On the subject of costs associated with the aim of simplifying the procedure for awarding the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELOGE), these can be estimated as set out below.

Cost of a meeting of the European Stakeholders’ Platform under the system in force:

-      interpretation costs (1 day);                                                 € 2 100

-      travel and subsistence expenses for two CDDG members,
and one member from the INGO Conference*;                        € 2 700

-      translation of working documents                                          €    500

Total per meeting                                                                        € 5 300

* Participation costs for the members appointed by the Congress and the Parliamentary Assembly were borne by their respective budget.

Cost of a meeting of the enlarged CDDG Bureau performing the functions of the European Stakeholders’ Platform:

-      interpretation involved in extending the meetings                          € 2 100

-      ½ day of per diem allowances for Bureau members:                    €    700

-      travel and subsistence expenses for two additional members          € 1 800

-      translation of working documents:                                             €    500

Total per meeting:                                                                       € 5 100

Awarding of the Label to the municipalities by the Centre of Expertise would cost (for five applications):

-          Fees for experts responsible for examining the applications:

(benchmark):                                                  5 x  €  500 = € 2 500

-          Inspection visits to shortlisted authorities:
2 visits                                                           2 x €1 000 = € 2 000

Total estimated cost (5 applications)                                            € 4 500

The latter would be additional to the cost of the management structure of the Label, i.e. either the Platform or the enlarged Bureau, as indicated above.

Rule changes

The creation, composition and tasks of the Council of Europe Platform were decided by the Committee of Ministers (1022nd meeting of Deputies, 26 March 2008). Should the Committee of Ministers decide to act on the CDDG’s suggestions, it would have to amend its own decision so as to provide a legal basis for the new procedure and the new set-up for managing the Strategy.

The rules governing the accreditation of national platforms, their functioning and responsibilities were adopted by the Council of Europe Platform. These provisions would likewise need to be changed slightly in order to bring them into line with the new arrangements for accreditation (of independent institutions) and management of the Label (via these institutions or directly by the Centre of Expertise). It would be for the (enlarged) Bureau of the CDDG, once it has been assigned the relevant powers, to make these adjustments.