Strasbourg, 5 August 2009 CDLR-Bu(2009)14
BUREAU DU COMITE EUROPEEN
SUR LA DEMOCRATIE LOCALE ET REGIONALE
(CDLR)
MEETING REPORT
3 July 2009
1. Opening of the meeting
The Vice-Chair of the CDLR, Mr Paul Rowsell (United Kingdom), opened the meeting of the Bureau and welcomed the participants, listed in appendix 1.
2. Adoption of the agenda
The agenda, as adopted, is reproduced in appendix 2.
3. Decisions of the Committee of Ministers concerning the CDLR
The Bureau reviewed the decisions of the Committee of Ministers concerning the CDLR, set out in document CDLR-Bu(2009)10. In particular, the Secretariat informed the Bureau that the Ministers' Deputieswere to resume consideration of the two draft Protocols on 8 July 2009 with a view to their adoption. The Bureau noted that the Committee of Experts on the participation of people with disabilities in political and public life (CAHPAH-PPL) had just been set up, and agreed that the Secretariat would represent the CDLR at its 1st meeting in September 2009. Finally, the Bureau took note of Recommendations 259, 261, 262, 263 and 265 (2009) of the Congress. It concluded that it had no substantial comments to make to the Committee of Ministers.
4. Preparation of the 16th Session of the Ministerial Conference
The Bureau discussed this item with Mr Tom Leeuwestein and Mr Auke van der GOOTof the Dutch Ministry of the Interior in attendance.
Draft agenda and draft programme
The Bureau examined the draft agenda and draft programme of the Ministerial Conference and asked the Secretariat to amend or supplement them in line with its discussions.
Informal meeting of Ministers
The Bureau discussed the possible topics and format for the meeting, which would provide the Ministers with an opportunity to openly discuss questions of common interest. It was agreed that the national delegations would be asked to specify their Minister's working language.
Kiviniemi report
The arrangements for presenting and examining the report at the session were discussed. It was proposed that the Minister, Mrs Mari Kiviniemi, initiate proceedings by presenting her report and that a debate on follow-up to it then be held. The Bureau reviewed the proposals of follow-up to be set out in the draft Utrecht Declaration.
Progress review
The Bureau was informed of final activity reports and interim reports to be presented to the Ministers following procedures to be established.
Luncheon and exchange of views between the Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress
The Bureau noted that the luncheon would begin with addresses by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and the Presidents of the Congress and the PACE, of which the respective texts would be circulated when they were delivered. The Ministers and the other participants would then be able to engage in discussion at their tables of the subjects of their choice in the light of the topic proposals which the Assembly and the Congress had been invited to make. The Vice–Chair, Mr Paul Rowsell, had written to the PACE and the Congress asking them to let him know which topics they wished to raise.
Debate on key topics
The arrangements for the debate on the two key topics during the session were yet to be established. The question was raised as to whether the topics were to be dealt with separately or together.
Debate on the Utrecht Agenda
It was suggested that each Minister should be able to outline the political priorities underlying their action at national level and then indicate the areas where cooperation would be desirable within the Council of Europe.
Vote by Ministers to determine the Utrecht Agenda
The Secretariat explained the proposals for voting by Ministers set out in the document (CDLR-Bu(2009)11 Addendum IV). The Bureau discussed the nature of the vote, namely whether voting in favour of one action eliminated all others to be undertaken at the level of the Council of Europe or made it a priority among others. This point was yet to be settled.
Signature of draft protocols by the Ministers
Assuming that it should be possible to proceed to the signing of the two protocols in Utrecht, the main question was how many Ministers would be in a position to sign there and then. It was suggested that a threshold be set (eight, for example) below which a ceremony would not be held. However, a Minister in a position to sign should not be prevented from signing just because that threshold was not attained. Furthermore, thoughts might be turned to devising incentives for the Ministers to sign in Utrecht. The Secretariat would keep the national delegations informed of the latest developments within the Committee of Ministers where the protocols were concerned.
Exchange of practice and experience
The arrangements for discussing this point at the session were yet to be established. It was suggested that each Minister should be able to outline their experience. The Ministers might indicate the benefits generated by the Council's activities.
The report on participation, requested at the 15th session, should also be dealt with here.
Adoption of the Utrecht Declaration
The Bureau examined a preliminary draft declaration, and the final draft would be prepared by the CDLR at its meeting in September 2009. It was suggested that any further proposals for amendment be submitted for decision to the Ministers themselves, at the session.
During the session, the discussions on the Kiviniemi report and the vote on the Utrecht Agenda would determine the final content of the Utrecht Declaration where those points were concerned.
5. Implementation of activities 2005-2009: overview
The Bureau took note of the information set out in document CDLR‑Bu(2009)12.
6. Information on other Council of Europe bodies
The Bureau took note of the information set out in document CDLR‑Bu(2009)13.
9. Other business
The Secretariat said that Iceland envisaged hosting a workshop in September 2009 on the regulation of local authority capacity to borrow.
10. Date of the next meeting
None.
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
VICE-CHAIRMAN / VICE-PRESIDENT
Mr Paul ROWSELL, Deputy Director, Local Democracy, Communities and Local Government, 3/J1, Eland House, Bressenden Place, LONDON SW1E 5DU, GB
Tel: (44) 20 7944 4230; Fax: (44) 20 7944 4109;
E-mail: [email protected]
OTHER MEMBERS / AUTRES MEMBRES
Dr Olaf DEUTSCHBEIN, Federal Ministry of the Interior, Alt Moabit 101d, D - 10559 BERLIN
Tel: (49) 179 286 3429; E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Roman LAVTAR, Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy, Slovenska cesta 54, 1501 LJUBLJANA, Slovenia
Tel: + 386 1 43 41 512; Fax: + 386 1 43 41 538; E-mail: [email protected]
Mme Séverine REYMUND, Bureau des structures territoriales, Direction Générale des Collectivités locales, Ministère de l'Intérieur, 1 bis, place des Saussaies, F - 75800 PARIS
Fax: (33) 01 49 27 49 79; E-mail: [email protected]
INVITED PERSONS / PERSONNES INVITEES
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) 70 426 6468; Fax : (31) 70 426 7655 ; E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Auke van der GOOT, Senior Adviser, 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) 70 426 7386; Fax: (31) 70 426 7655; E-mail: [email protected]
Apologised for absence/ Excusés:
Mr Paul van KALMTHOUT, Deputy Director General for Governance and Kingdom Relations, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, P.O. Box 20011, NL - 2500 EA THE HAGUE
Tel : (31) 70 426 8005; Fax : (31) 70 426 7655; E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Marcus BRIXSKIOLD, Director, Division for Democratic Issues, Ministry of integration and gender equality, S - 103 33 STOCKHOLM
Tel: +(46) 8 405 37 61; Fax: (46) 8 405 43 23; E-mail : [email protected]
Mr Vyacheslav TOLKOVANOV, Director of the Directorate for International Relations, Investment Development and European Integration Issues, Ministry of Regional Development and Construction of Ukraine, 9, Velyka Zytomyrska street, KYIV, 01025
Tel: 38 044 590 4777; Fax: 38 044 278 6535; E-mail: [email protected]
SECRETARIAT
M. Jean-Louis LAURENS, Director General of Democracy and Political Affairs / Directeur Général de la démocratie et des affaires politiques
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 20 73; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 55 59;
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Childerik SCHAAPVELD, Director of Democratic Institutions/ Directeur des institutions démocratiques, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs / Direction générale de la démocratie et des affaires politiques
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 20 60; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84;
E-mail: [email protected]
Mr Alfonso ZARDI, Head of the Department of Local and Regional Democracy and Good Governance / Chef du Service de la démocratie locale et régionale et de la bonne gouvernance - Directorate of Democratic Institutions/ Direction des institutions démocratiques, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs / Direction générale de la démocratie et des affaires politiques
Tel : +33 (0)3 88 41 39 06; Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail : [email protected]
Mr Frank STEKETEE, Administrator / Administrateur – Directorate of Democratic Institutions/ Direction des institutions démocratiques, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs / Direction générale de la démocratie et des affaires politiques
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 39 61; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail: [email protected]
Ms Severina SPASSOVA, Directorate of Democratic Institutions / Direction des institutions démocratiques, Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs / Direction générale de la démocratie et des affaires politiques
Tel : +33 (0)3 90 21 52 72 ; Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84 ;
E-mail : [email protected]
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