Strasbourg, 25 October 2012                                                                CDLR(2012)21

                                                                                           Item B2 of the agenda  

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

(CDLR)

 STATE OF RATIFICATION AND IMPLEMENTATION

OF THE ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL

TO THE EUROPEAN CHARTER OF LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT:

PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW

For approval and specific decisions

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the

Directorate of Democratic Governance, Culture and Diversity

Democracy, Institution-Building 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

The CDLR requested during its meeting of 2-3 April 2012 a draft report on the state of ratification and implementation of the Additional Protocol. The Secretariat issued a questionnaire to which 23 Member States responded. 10 Member States who responded have ratified the protocol. The responses were analysed by the Secretariat and resulted in a table listing the summarized responses with a cross-reference to the countries concerned.

First comparisons of the responses show that the existing legal framework of those respondents who ratified the Protocol was already in line with the latter’s provisions.

Additional information on (1) preparations and possible changes made in the course of the ratification process, or on (2) the aspects of the Protocol which might prevent members from ratifying it would however be helpful to establish this overview.

This information, the Bureau believes, could be better obtained through an exchange of views to be held at the next CDLR meeting than by issuing a second questionnaire.

 

Action required

CDLR members are invited to prepare for and to take part in a tour-de-table on the state of ratification and implementation of the Additional Protocol and to provide information on (1) preparations and possible changes made in the course of the ratification process, or on (2) the aspects of the Protocol which might prevent members from ratifying.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Questionnaire additional protocol	Ratified	Not ratified	expected to ratify soon
Armenia		X	yes
Austria		X	possible
Belgium		X	yes
Flemish region	x
Wallonion region	x
Brussels		X
Bulgaria		X	yes
Cyprus	x
Czech Republic		X	yes
Estonia	x
Finland	x
France		X	possible
Germany		X	no
Greece		X	possible
Iceland		X	yes
Lithuania	x
Luxemburg		X
Netherlands	x
Norway	x
Portugal		X	yes
Romania		X	possible
Serbia		X	yes
Slovakia		X	yes
Slovenia	x
Sweden	x
Turkey		X	no