Strasbourg, 23 April 2010 LR-GG(2010)7
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY
(CDLR)
COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON GOOD DEMOCRATIC
GOVERNANCE AT LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL
(LR-GG)
EUROPEAN LOCAL DEMOCRACY WEEK
Secretariat Memorandum
prepared by the Directorate General of
Democracy and Political Affairs
Directorate of Democratic Institutions
 |
Introduction
On the occasion of the 15th session of their conference (Valencia, 2007), the European Ministers responsible for local and regional government launched the European Local Democracy Week as a means of raising citizens’ awareness of and interest in local democracy. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities had previously expressed support for, and commitment to the initiative. The Ministers agreed that the Week could consist of events to take place ideally in the week including 15 October, the anniversary date of the signing of the European Charter of Local Self-Government.
Since 2008, the Week has been implemented in number of European cities (and regions) first as a “pilot” initiative aimed at developing innovative approaches to be shared with other cities and subsequently as a regular feature in local authorities’ life. The number of cities (and regions) taking part in the Week has grown from the initial 13 – as “pilots” – to approximately 3,000 in 25 countries in 2008 (data for 2009 not yet available).
The promotion and the development of the Week have been steered from the beginning by a Joint Working Party composed of CDLR and Congress representatives, as well as their respective secretariats. As recently as March 2010, the CDLR has re-appointed its representatives in the Joint Working Party (Mr Paul-Henri Philips, Belgium and Mr Vyacheslav Tolkovanov, Ukraine).
Since January 2010, following an internal restructuring of the Secretariat decided by the Secretary General, the small team co-ordinating the Week in the Directorate of Democratic Institutions has been moved to the Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, which already managed the communication inherent to the Week. The Congress has subsequently set up a co-ordinating committee, open to CDLR’s representatives.
The concentration of human and financial resources related to the Week in a single administrative body (the Secretariat of the Congress) should facilitate the management of the Week and simplify the liaison between the national and regional associations of local authorities and the Council of Europe, thus widening its appeal and enhancing its effectiveness.
The joint “ownership” of the Week by the Congress and the CDLR however should not be altered by these administrative measures.
The planning of the 2010 edition of the Week is underway. The Secretariat of the Congress could inform orally the Committee about the state of preparation, the cities/countries likely to organise events, the theme possibly chosen for the Week, etc. The Committee could react to this information and make comments or suggestions which the Secretariat could take account of. This feedback would also be useful for CDLR’s representatives in the joint working party.
Members of the Committee could also use this opportunity to provide information on initiatives already planned, underway or taken in their respective states with a view to promoting or implementing the Week.
Action required
The Committee is invited to hear an oral report from the secretariat of the European Local Democracy Week, in the Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and make comments.
Members are invited to provide information on initiatives planned, underway or implemented in their respective member states with a view to promoting or implementing the Week.