Strasbourg, 2 July 2010 CDLR-Bu(2010)13
Item 8 of the agenda
BUREAU OF THE
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY
(CDLR)
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
AND THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
Secretariat Memorandum
prepared by the
Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs
Directorate of Democratic Institutions
 |
Introduction
The Utrecht declaration adopted by the European ministers responsible for local and regional government stipulates – inter alia – that “if they are to add value for citizens and achieve the strategic aims intended by the Warsaw summit, the objectives and activities of the council of Europe in the field of local and regional government need (a) strong ownership by member states…”. Accordingly, the ministers declared that “such strong ownership necessitates that member states are committed to their objectives and activities and that the Ministers responsible for local and regional government in each member states collectively lead and own the Council of Europe’s agenda in this field with regard to intergovernmental activities. This requires effective communication channels at European level, enabling an intensified dialogue between ministers responsible for local and regional government and the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe”. They agreed “to entrust the minister of public administration and local government of Finland, Mrs Mari Kiviniemi, with developing concrete proposals for a partnership with the committee of Ministers by the end of 2010” and “to stand ready to provide Minister Kiviniemi with any advice and assistance she might request from (them) in carrying out this task”.
At its 120th session (11 May 2010) the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe “having regard to the declaration made by the 16th Session of the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government (Utrecht, 16-17 November 2009) and the wish expressed therein to develop proposals for a partnership between the conference and the Committee of Ministers, instructed the Deputies, with the input of the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR), to initiate a dialogue with the conference in order to formulate proposals and to report back at the 121st Ministerial Session”.[1]
On 27 May 2010, Minister Kiviniemi sent a letter to her colleagues informing them of the abovementioned decision and of her intention to “hear (their) views about the partnership and the overall improvement of the decision making structure in the field of local and regional democracy in the Council of Europe”.
On 26 May 2010, at the 1085th meeting of the Deputies, the Committee of Ministers “invited (the) Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM), with the input of the European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR), to develop proposals for a partnership between the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government and the Committee of Ministers, and to report back to (it) in due course before the 121st Ministerial Session”.
Minister Kiviniemi has been elected Prime minister of Finland and a new minister of public administration and local government, Mr Tapani Tölli, has been appointed. It is to be expected that he will ensure full continuity to the process entrusted to and initiated by Mrs Kiviniemi.
The GR-DEM is also expected to have an initial discussion on the “partnership” concept at its meeting on 7 September 2010.
The Bureau might consider what initial input to prepare for such a meeting and how best ensure that forthcoming steps by Minister Tölli of Finland will meet with appropriate responses from his colleagues.
Action required
See above.
[1] The text of the decision continues as follows: “Decision 2 above has no wider implications on the relationship between the Committee of Ministers and the Conferences of Specialised Ministers and the issue of this relationship should be touched on again in the framework of the future discussions on the reform of the Council of Europe”.