CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY

Ceremony to mark the 60th anniversary of the Council of Europe

London, 5 May 2009

Speech by Keith Whitmore, President of the Institutional Committee, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Sixty years ago, history was made in the Palace of St James here in London. Ten nations, representing a Europe devastated by the bloodiest war in human history, put their signatures to the Statute of the Council of Europe, giving birth to the centrepiece of a mechanism which would set our continent on the continuous path towards democracy, peace and prosperity.

These ten nations, among which my native country of Great Britain played a major role, represented much more than the memory of suffering and destruction of the Second World War. The Council of Europe was brought to life first and foremost by the vision of its founding fathers, encapsulated so often in the words of Winston Churchill, renowned son of Great Britain - vision for a United Europe sharing the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It was their firm conviction that societies committed to these values, and upholding them, will guarantee themselves a stable, peaceful and prosperous development. And it was also their belief, which is ours today, that this commitment must be shared by all tiers of society and its governance, starting from grassroots level.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, which I represent today, grew out of the conviction that democratic Europe is being built every day in our communities, in our villages, towns, cities and regions – at the level closest to the citizen, which is the first line of defence of their rights, the level where public services can be delivered most efficiently and where our action yields the most tangible results. Local and regional democracy is a landmark of European development, in recognition of the fact that addressing the problems of our citizens requires the involvement of local and regional authorities, and that challenges facing our society today call for responses from local and regional level.

Today, sixty years later, the 47 democratic nations of the Council of Europe stand united as an undeniable proof of the wisdom of the founding fathers. Today, governments, parliaments and local and regional authorities work together as indispensable parts of the democratic machinery created by the Council of Europe – as a living reminder that democracy is not a state of things but a constant process of evolution of our thought and understanding of what constitutes the well-being of our societies. Today, we are proud to be part of this process, which gained momentum here, in London, sixty years ago.

Thank you.