Death of Gérard Baloup

05.05.2009 – “The Congress is deeply saddened to have just learned of the death of a former Council of Europe director, Gérard Baloup, who inspired and organised the first session of the Conference of Local Authorities in 1957, now the Congress of the Council of Europe,” said the Secretary General of the Congress, Ulrich Bohner.

Gérard Baloup was one of the pioneers of the Council of Europe Secretariat. He began his career in the Secretariat in 1953 and spent some time working in the Parliamentary Assembly, before going on to develop the local democracy sector and devise the system for representing local and regional government in the Council of Europe. A firm believer in Europe, Gérard Baloup quickly realised that the way to develop democracy was by actively involving towns and regions in the European construction process. He played a groundbreaking role in developing the Europe of the regions, and was a strong proponent of the idea of creating a “European Senate of the regions”.

In 1957, Gérard Baloup organised the first session of the Conference of Local Authorities, the forerunner of the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, which in 1994 became the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

He was closely involved in the setting up and development of the various organisations that represent local and regional authorities in Europe, whether the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions or, in particular, the Assembly of European Regions with Edgar Faure, its first president.

Gérard Baloup was also instrumental in setting up the transborder working communities of local authorities, especially in the Pyrenees. It was under his direction that both the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the Madrid Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation were drawn up.

Gérard Baloup will be remembered as an activist and a visionary who lived to see at least some of his dreams come true, especially with the development of the Congress. He leaves behind a substantial body of work, which reflects the spirit of his native Gironde region. He recently published, in two volumes, “Europe lointaine Jérusalem - Carnet de route” which tells the story of a lifelong commitment to the European cause.