Strasbourg, 28 October 2014                                                             GT-GD(2014)6 rev.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON DEMOCRACY AND GOVERNANCE

(CDDG)

WORKING GROUP ON DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
(GT-GD)

MEETING REPORT[1]

7 October 2014

1. Opening of the meeting

The meeting was opened by the Chair, Mr Paul-Henri Philips, who welcomed the participants. The list of participants appears in Appendix 1.

2. Adoption of the agenda

The agenda was adopted as reproduced at Appendix 2.

3. (a) Promotion and visibility of the 12 principles of good democratic governance

The Secretariat introduced the document GT-GD(2014)5 which summarises the main proposals aimed at increasing the visibility of the twelve principles and simplifying the procedures for the granting of the ELoGE label.

The Group agreed to examine the document and comment on each proposal, prior to finalising its position on the advice it would transmit to the CDDG.

Promoting of the Principles of Good Democratic Governance

The Group agreed with the suggestion to place a regular item on the CDDG’s agenda concerning the action taken in member States as regards the implementation of the twelve principles.

It was also considered whether this item should also be put on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers, the Parliament Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Conference of INGO’s.

Other promotional measure may be showing the video on the twelve principles on as many occasions as possible in the existing languages (English, French and Russian).

The added value of thematic meetings which could be held in member States at their request on issues related to good governance/the twelve principles was stressed. Such meetings facilitate exchanges of information and contribute to promote a topic of common interest.

Encouraging municipalities to accept the Principles

The Group considered that the municipalities’ awareness should be reinforced as regards the Principles, as well as their interest in the Strategy should be raised. Accordingly, municipalities should be further encouraged to commit themselves to the Strategy and to implement the principles without necessarily applying for the Label. A simplified benchmark could be established by the Centre of expertise that municipalities would use voluntarily as a self-assessment tool. Its outcomes could form a report to be published on the Council’s website as a formal recognition of their efforts, giving publicity to good practises, and as an incentive for motivating other municipalities.

Making the Strategy better known and disseminate the achievements of municipalities

The creation of an on-line data-base platform on the Council of Europe website in order to give visibility to all good practices implemented to date and enable municipalities to participate as much as possible in the accreditation process was supported. It was also agreed that both the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Conference of INGO’s are the key partners in promoting the Strategy.

Addressing the lack of a National Stakeholders’ Platform

The Group acknowledged that the establishment of a National Stakeholders’ Platform, especially in regional/federal states, has proved to be cumbersome. However, as the main objective is to make the procedure more accessible and easy to implement, the Group considered that where neither a National Stakeholders’ Platform nor an assessing body (see hereunder) exist, municipalities should be allowed to apply directly to the Council of Europe. This option would be available until such time as it remains manageable in quantitative terms.

Concern was expressed over this idea as it may be perceived as a loss of control by the Member State concerned or as being in breach of domestic legal/constitutional provisions. Member states confronted with this problem might wish to require their municipalities to get clearance through their CDDG member or their country’s Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe.

Simplifying the National Stakeholders’ Platform

Still with regard to the difficulty of establishing “fully fledged” National Stakeholders’ Platforms, the Group was sympathetic to the suggestion that bodies such as higher education institutions, local authorities’ think-tanks, etc. be entrusted with the tasks of developing and granting the Label. Such an assessing body could even be chosen jointly by and operate for two or more Member States (Regions) subject to an agreement to that effect being concluded by the states concerned.

Concern was raised with regard to the financing of the activities of such a body. Various options were mentioned (the body, especially if a public one benefitting from State grants, covers all the costs; municipalities pay a fee for the service they get in return, the member State/region makes an ad hoc grant, etc.) but the Group did not wish to recommend any in particular.

Improving the efficiency of the European platform

The Group noted the difficulties encountered by the Council of Europe Platform in its five years of existence: lack of interest by some institutions that appoint members, absenteeism, lack of quorum, unclear rules of procedures.

There was an agreement on the fact that the most relevant body when it comes to upholding the twelve principles is the CDDG, with the Congress and the INGOs Conference also playing an important role. The Group supported the view that the tasks currently performed by the Council of Europe Platform be entrusted to either the CDDG Bureau or a group appointed by the CDDG from its members, supplemented in both cases by the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the INGOs Conference. It should be left to the Committee of Ministers, who currently sits in the Platform, to decide whether it wishes to continue to be in the new platform, or not.

Rules of procedure should be redrafted in order to avoid that the absence of few members make it impossible to hold a meeting.

Simplifying the documentation in use and related procedures

The Group acknowledged that the procedures of gathering citizens’ and local councillors’ opinions through surveys are difficult and expensive to implement and do not deliver an undisputable assessment of the municipality’s performance. It was nonetheless stressed that municipalities’ own views about their performance (the benchmark) should be checked against the views of other stakeholders.

The Group therefore agreed with the suggestion that it be left to a State/region, when requesting the accreditation of a national platform or an independent assessing body, to specify which procedures it intends to implement in order to “counterbalance” the results of the benchmark. In the cases where the Label is managed by the Council of Europe, the above modalities and procedures could be assigned to independent experts.

3. (b) Communication of the results to the CDDG

The Group approved the following conclusions as a basis for the response to the Committee of Ministers that the CDDG should adopt at its next meeting.

Increasing the visibility of the twelve principles

·           In the framework of its terms of reference, the CDDG could follow the implementation of the Principles through a regular review of the measures taken in/by member states as detailed in the 2013 CDLR report on strengthening good governance.

·           In addition, thematic events could be organised to explain and promote the Principles, as well as to exchange good practice among stakeholders at local level.

·           The Council of Europe Strategy webpage should be supplemented with additional information from municipalities, associations, etc. on measures taken and results obtained.

·           An interactive dialogue box should be opened in order to enable the States/regions/municipalities where the Label is being implemented or that have an interest in it to exchange experience, questions and suggestions.

Simplifying the tools and procedures used for the promotion of the twelve principles

·           A new architecture which includes the CDDG, the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Conference of INGOs should replace the Council of Europe’s stakeholders’ platform.

·           Municipalities should be actively encouraged to commit themselves to the Strategy, could report on their achievements to the Council of Europe and their report would be published in recognition of their efforts.

·           In member States where no stakeholder platform or equivalent assessment body exist, municipalities so wishing could be allowed to apply directly to the Council of Europe for the Label, provided their domestic legislation so permits, for a transitional period.

·           Member states could be given the choice between appointing a national stakeholders’ platform and selecting an existing body, offering all guarantees of impartiality and efficiency, to manage the ELoGE procedures.

The Group requested the Secretariat to consider the administrative and financial implications of the proposals above and provide this information to the CDDG for it to take into account in its response to the Committee of Ministers.

4. Other business

None

APPENDIX 1

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

CHAIRMAN / PRESIDENT

M. Paul-Henri PHILIPS, Chargé des Relations internationales, Bruxelles Pouvoirs Locaux, Service public régional de Bruxelles, Boulevard du Jardin Botanique, 20, B – 1035 BRUXELLES

Tel : (32) 2 800 32 77; Cel-phone: (32) 499 58 81 05; Fax :(32) 2 800 38 00;

E-mail : [email protected]

OTHER MEMBERS / AUTRES MEMBRES

Mr Alexander BALTHASAR, Head of the Institute for State Organization and Administrative Reform, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Ballhausplatz 1, A - 1014 WIEN

Tel: (43) 1 53115 202806 ; Fax: (43) 1 53109 202806;

E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Desislava DRAGOVA, Senior expert, Ministry of Regional Development, 17-19 St. Kiril I Metodii Str., 1202 SOFIA;

Tel : +(359) 2 9405 428 ; E-mail: [email protected]

M. Damien FERAILLE, Bureau des structures territoriales, Direction Générale des Collectivités locales, Ministère de l'Intérieur, 1 bis, place des Saussaies, F - 75800 PARIS

Tel: (33) 01 49 27 31 78 ; E-mail: [email protected]

Mr Paul ROWSELL, Deputy Director, Democracy, Department for Communities and Local Government, 2^nd Floor Fry Building, 2 Marsham Street, Westminster, LONDON SW1P 4DF

Tel: (44) 303 44 42568; E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Greta ULLAND BILLING, Senior International Adviser, Department for Local Government,  Ministry of Local Government and Modernisation, Postbox 8112 DEP, N - 0032 OSLO

Tel: (47) 22 24 72 25; Mobile: (47) 92 61 37 27; Fax: (47) 22 24 27 35;

E-mail: [email protected]

OTHER PARTICIPANTS / AUTRES PARTICIPANTS

PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY / ASSEMBLEE PARLEMENTAIRE

Apologised for absence / excusé

CONGRESS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL AUTHORITIES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE / CONGRES DES POUVOIRS LOCAUX ET REGIONAUX DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE

Mr Tim LISNEY, Deputy Secretary of the Chamber of Local Authorities / Secrétaire adjoint de la Chambre des pouvoirs locaux – Secretary of the Governance Committee / Secrétaire de la Commission de la gouvernance

Tel: (33) 3.88.41.35.73; Fax: (33) 3.88.41.27.51; E-mail: [email protected]

Mrs Nichola HOWSON, Co-secretary to the Governance Committee / Co-secrétaire de la Commission de la gouvernance

Tel: (33) 3.88.41.22.39; Fax: (33) 3.88.41.27.51; E-mail: [email protected]

CONFERENCE OF INGOS OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE / CONFERENCE DES OING DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE

M. Michel AGUILAR, Président de la Commission droits de l’homme

E-mail : [email protected]

SECRETARIAT

Mr Alfonso ZARDI, Head of Democratic Institutions and Governance Department / Chef du Service des institutions et de la gouvernance démocratiques - Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel : +33 (0)3 88 41 39 06; Fax : +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84; E-mail : [email protected]

Ms Severina SPASSOVA, Senior project manager / Responsable principale de projets - Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 75; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84;

E-mail: [email protected]

Ms Loredana BONGERMINO, Directorate of Democratic Governance / Direction de la gouvernance démocratique, Directorate General of Democracy / Direction générale de la démocratie

Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 22 47; Fax: +33 (0)3 88 41 27 84;

E-mail: [email protected]

APPENDIX 2

AGENDA