Strasbourg, 28 September 2010 CDLR(2010)35
Item 4.6 of the agenda
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY
(CDLR)
EUROPEAN LOCAL DEMOCRACY WEEK
Report on the development of the ELDW 2007-2010
For information
Secretariat Memorandum
prepared by the Directorate General of
Democracy and Political Affairs
Directorate of Democratic Institutions
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Introduction
A summary account of the history of the “European Local Democracy Week” until 2010 is contained in the Appendix, prepared by the Congress Secretariat. In the course of 2009 the Congress Secretariat was tasked with providing the Secretariat support for the implementation of the European Local Democracy Week and two members of staff moved from the Directorate of Democratic Institutions to the Congress Secretariat. A Joint committee of the Congress and CDLR is responsible for overseeing the ELDW. For the CDLR Mr Paul-Henri Philips is member of this Joint Committee.
Action required
The CDLR is invited to take note of the information contained in the Appendix and to take any further decsions it deems appropriate.
Appendix
The European Local Democracy Week
Document prepared by the Congress Secretariat
Introduction
Citizen participation is essential for dynamic local democracy. At the Council of Europe citizens are the core of democracy. Getting them to know how local government works and what it delivers is crucial if we want to promote the feeling of belonging to the community that makes local democracy a living concept.
In 2007, the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy, in co-operation with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, launched the idea of the “European Local Democracy Week” as an opportunity for local authorities across Europe to open up, to invite citizens to the official premises of the municipality and get them more acquainted with the “mechanics” of local government.
In October of the same year, at the 15th session of their conference, in Valencia (Spain), the European ministers responsible for local and regional government endorsed the idea and officially launched the “Week”. Since then, the Week has been introduced in numerous European states and hundreds of municipalities have started to feature it. This report aims to give ministers an overview of the actions taken in member states and at the Council of Europe in order to promote this initiative and make local democracy more “citizen friendly”.
The organisation, events and brief history
In 2007, a small joint steering group was established with the participation of members of the CDLR and the Congress. It developed the “concept” of the Week and established the contacts with the associations of local authorities of member States that would operate as “relays” to disseminate the idea and secure the participation of local authorities. A “start up” kit for local authorities was prepared (in English and French) and an active communication campaign launched. With the decisive support of the Congress, a logo, a website (www.coe.int/demoweek), a poster and a number of gadgets were developed.
The concept is to encourage European municipalities to organise during the same period of the year – indicatively set for the week around the 15th of October, the anniversary of the European Charter of Local Self-Government – events aimed at attracting the inhabitants of the local community to enter into contact with their local councillors and mayors. This can be done in a variety of forms: “open door” days at the city hall, mayors and councillors taking part in public debates and answering citizens’ questions, mayors interacting with panels of specific groups of citizens (the young, the elderly), “mayor of the day” events in which ordinary people have a stint at the helm of the community, etc.
In 2007, approximately 20 events took place in different countries. Albeit limited in number, the feedback was very positive, and the steering group could confirm to the CDLR and the Congress that the Week could “fly”. The European Ministers then adopted the Week at their Valencia conference, in October 2007.
In Spring 2008, the Week was celebrated at the International conference on “Improving governance at local level: tools and strategies” organised by the Slovak chairmanship of the Council of Europe (Piest’any, 16-18 April) and at the Forum for the Future of Democracy held in Madrid from 15 to 17 October. In the meantime, four cities (Madrid, Brussels Capital Region, Odessa and Varna) were selected as “pilots” to project the image of the 2008 Week by hosting special events whilst providing cross-references to the action of their participating sister-cities around the continent.
The network of associations and organisations supporting and promoting the implementation of the Week was strengthened by the addition of about fifteen national or regional associations of local authorities and of such bodies as the Central and Eastern Europe Citizens Network (CEECN), the Capital Cities of the European Union, the Training and Learning for Community Development Network.
In 2008, an estimated 3000 municipalities in 25 member states undertook to organise events labelled “European Local Democracy Week”.
In 2009, the number of participating municipalities has been comparable to 2008. The circle of “pilot cities” was enlarged to include Bradashesh (Albania), Kutina (Croatia), Strasbourg (France), Ierapetra (Greece), Finlyandsky district of Saint-Petersburg (Russian federation), Iasi (Romania), Podkowa Lesna (Poland), Salford (United Kingdom) and Boryspil (Ukraine). Moreover the Region of Brussels Capital (Belgium) participated for the second time as a pilot city in 2009. In some countries (Ukraine), the Week was officially recognised as a public event to be celebrated in all municipalities. In others (Hungary) the traditional “local government days” were organised in such a way as to coincide with the Week or adopt a European dimension too.
The prospects for the 2010 celebration of the ELDW show further progress:
- The ‘democracy week’-section of the Congress website is being regularly updated.
- A satisfactory number of municipalities, small, middle-size and big cities, have registered and sent programmes of their activities.
- Activities and events of the participating cities and municipalities are presented in detail on the Congress website, in order to transform it into a kind of “ELDW platform of good practices”.
- Many associations and European networks have supported the ELDW by giving visibility on their websites or sending letters to associated municipalities.
- This year’s general theme on “climate change” was positively received by cities and municipalities throughout Europe.
- By the “12 Star City” concept, new impetus was given to the ELDW in 2010.
- A dozen cities already registered under this new “12 Star”-label and thus committed themselves specifically to the ELDW by dedicating resources to the event (staff, budget, PR-initiatives, European event, youth involvement).
- It should however be recognised that some countries are still missing and will be approached in a more targeted way in 2011.
- In addition, two major conferences, co-organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, will take place in the framework of the ELDW 2010 in Strasbourg:
Ø a conference on “The role of the foreign residents in the local life” in co-operation with the City of Strasbourg (15 and 16 October 2010);
Ø and a conference on “Youth, climate change and water: the stakes of territorial development and the impact on the most disadvantaged”, organised in co-operation with the Municipality of Schiltigheim and Solidarité Eau Europe. Delegations including local politicians and members of youth councils from Croatia, Latvia, Moldova and Russia will exchange views and share experience with their associates from Schiltigheim (16 October 2010), their local authorities and some of the Congress’ members and experts.
12 Star Cities:
Already available on the Congress website:
Paris France
Strasbourg France
Aix en Provence France
Brussels Belgium
Unione Terre di Po Italy
Mola di Bari Italy
Ierapetra Greece
Candelaria Spain
Liège Belgium
Belgrade Serbia
Antalya Turkey
Coming soon:
Lausanne Switzerland
Amadora (Lisbon) Portugal
Katowice Poland
Other participants in the ELDW 2010 come from:
Albania
Bulgaria
France
Greece
Italy
Malta
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Spain
Slovak Republic
“the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”
Turkey
United Kingdom
Assessment and prospects
The Week has gone through a preparatory phase with very limited funding, but it has proven to be an attractive European initiative that brings citizens closer to local government. It is the occasion for raising local councillors’ and local civil servants’ awareness of democratic participation. It enables them to meet their fellow citizens in an informal, entertaining and sometimes festive setting. It is an excellent opportunity for debates on issues of local interest, so as to assess citizens’ needs more accurately, to establish a relationship of confidence and to pass on a message of mutual responsibility. The ELDW also serves as a reminder of the European context in which towns and cities operate and of the common values that unite their destiny in full respect of human rights, democracy and social cohesion.
Participation in the Week is entirely voluntary but the idea is catching on and the hallmark of the Council of Europe – and in particular the promotional efforts of the Congress which has been taking on a larger role in co-ordinating the Week from 2010 – constitute a powerful encouragement to join in.
Through the Week, the Council of Europe is having a significant impact on member states’ populations in favour of the values and principles of the Organisation.
At national level, associations of local authorities and NGOs remain very instrumental in the promotion and organisation of the Week.
The implementation of the Week was included among the ways of promoting greater openness and transparency in local government, in the framework of the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local level, adopted in 2008.
On the occasion of the Utrecht conference, the European ministers – having taken note of the information on the Week – reiterated their support for the initiative (at the European level) and envisaged to encourage their municipalities to join (at their respective domestic level).