Strasbourg, 6 November 2012 CDLR(2012)13
Item A2 of the agenda
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY
(CDLR)
CONSIDERATION OF THE CDLR’s WORK
BY THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
For action
Secretariat Memorandum
prepared by the
Directorate of Democratic Governance, Culture and Diversity
Democracy, Institution-Building and Governance Department
 |
Introduction
This document provides detailed information regarding the consideration of the CDLR’s work by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CM) as well as other activities of the CM which have a direct or indirect impact on the work of the CDLR.
The decisions concerning the CDLR taken by the CM since the last CDLR meeting of 2-3 April 2012 are reproduced below. Only the decisions and texts of direct relevance to the CDLR are appended to this document. All documents referred to may also be found on the Committee of Ministers and CDLR’s websites.
The document, in its second part, lists other activities of the CM, which are of high relevance to the CDLR.
Action required
The Committee is invited to take note of the information provided hereunder and act accordingly.
DECISIONS
|
Date and meeting |
CM decision in respect of CDLR |
Reference document |
Proposed action by CDLR |
|
1145th meeting, 13 June 2012 (item 2.3) |
European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR) – Abridged report of the 49th meeting (CM(2012)69) Decision The Deputies 1. noted that the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR) at its 49th meeting reviewed its work programme for 2012-2013 in the light of its new terms of reference; 2. noted with satisfaction the exchange of views between the Committee and the President of the Congress, Mr Keith Whitmore, and its constructive outcome; 3. having regard to decisions 1 and 2 above, took note of the abridged report of the 49th meeting of the CDLR, as it appears in document CM(2012)69, as a whole. |
CM (2012)69 |
CDLR is to take note. |
|
1149th meeting, 12 September 2012 (item 2.3) |
Centre of Expertise on Local Government Reform – Annual report 2011 and prospects for 2012 Decisions The Deputies 1.took note of the annual report 2011 and the prospects for 2012 of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform, as they appear in document CM(2012)106; 2. agreed to forward this document to the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in order for them to take note of the results of the Centre, and to communicate it to the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR) for information. |
CM (2012)106
|
CDLR is to take note. |
|
1153rd meeting, 24 October 2012 (item 2.4) |
Reply to Recommendation 307(2011) of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on “Citizen Participation at local and regional level in Europe” Decision The Deputies adopted the reply to Recommendation 307 (2011) of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on “Citizen participation at local and regional level in Europe”, as it appears at Appendix 7 to the present volume of Decisions. |
CM/Cong(2012)Rec307 final Congress Rec_307 (2011) Appendix |
The CDLR is to take note. |
Other developments
The CM’s Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM) discussed the Report by the Secretary General on the 17th Session of the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government (Kyiv, 3-4 November 2011) at its recent meetings of 2nd July 2012 and 6th September 2012 with a view to submitting a proposal for coordinating Council of Europe activities in the field of local and regional democracy. The Group will consider other means of following up recommendations from the Kyiv Conference at one of its forthcoming meetings.
The Chair of the CDLR participated in the GR-DEM meeting of 6 September 2012. Further details will be convened orally by the Chair to CDLR members at the meeting.
Appendix
Reply to Recommendation 307 (2011) of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on “Citizen participation at local and regional level in Europe”
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 24 October 2012
at the 1153rd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
1. The Committee of Ministers has closely examined Recommendation 307 (2011) on “Citizen
participation at local and regional level in Europe”, which it has sent for comment to the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR).
2. The Committee of Ministers regards the citizens’ participation in local public affairs as a fundamental component of effective democracy. It recalls that the intergovernmental work on this question recently yielded a number of tangible results such as Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)2 on the evaluation, auditing and monitoring of participation and participation policies at local and regional level, and the Additional Protocol to the European Charter on Local Self-Government on the Right to Participate in the Affairs of a Local Authority (CETS No. 207), opened for signature at the 16th session of the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government (Utrecht, 2009). To date, the Additional Protocol has been signed by seven member States and ratified by ten.
3. The Committee of Ministers supports other initiatives intended to promote citizen participation, such as European Local Democracy Week and the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance at Local Level, to which the Congress is associated.
4. The Committee takes note of the proposals made by the Congress in paragraph 11 of its
recommendation. It encourages member States’ governments to consider the follow-up which they require. As regards the participatory budgeting referred to in paragraph 11 d. of the recommendation, the Committee observes that it is a comparatively new and innovative technique not known to or used by all member States owing to legal obstacles in certain cases.
5. Concerning the invitation addressed to it in paragraph 12 a. to follow up its Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)2 on the evaluation, auditing and monitoring of participation and participation policies at local and regional level, the Committee recalls that it adopted the said recommendation on 11 March 2009 and intends to address the issue of the evaluation of its implementation at a later stage.
6. The Committee reiterates its support for the work of the Congress to strengthen the rights of the citizens to participate in the conduct of local public affairs, including the European Charter of Local Self-Government monitoring missions, in strict compliance with the provisions of the Charter.
7. The Committee of Ministers assures the Congress of its willingness to continue the dialogue on improving democratic participation at the local and regional level.