Meeting of the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions

Brussels, 13 December 2011

Speech by President Keith Whitmore Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Council of Europe

Madam President,

Distinguished members of the Bureau,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Dear colleagues,

It is a great pleasure for me to address you today on behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the counterpart of the Committee of the Regions within the Council of Europe. I am pleased to see several Congress members also as members of the CoR.

Both our institutions share the same cause of advancing local and regional democracy on the European continent, and I am convinced that regular exchanges between us, such as the one today, serve to coordinate our positions and make sure that we are working in synch on issues of common concern. I am therefore grateful to the leadership of the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions for giving me this opportunity to present to you the current work of the Congress.

Our main objectives are, on the one hand, to strengthen territorial self-government and the role of its institutions vis-à-vis the national level – in terms of the overall legal framework for local and regional democracy, more competences and greater financial autonomy for territorial authorities, non-interferences in local and regional affairs and genuine partnership between subnational and national government levels in policy-making and policy implementation.

On the other hand, we are working closely with municipal and regional authorities and their national associations to improve everyday governance of local and regional communities – whether it involves improving citizen participation, fighting corruption, dealing with cultural diversity or ensuring better local integration and cohesion. Experience-sharing between more than 200,000 communities of Europe is one important tool for achieving these objectives, which is why the Congress pays particular attention to promoting intermunicipal and interregional co-operation, including cross-border co-operation, across the continent.

We maintain constant political dialogue with national governments, both directly and through the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, working to overcome the shortcomings which the Congress points out in its recommendations. I should underline that this direct dialogue is one distinctive feature of the Congress, allowing for regular interaction with the 47 member states in following up the implementation of our proposals. In fact, under its Charter, the Congress acts as an advisor on local and regional matters to both the Committee of Ministers – which is to say national governments – and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – which is to say national parliaments.

This institutional position gives us some unique competences, which can be complementary to those of the Committee of the Regions. Complementarity is a key word when we speak about co-operation between our two institutions, and it is the underlying principle of the Co-operation Agreement between the Congress and the Committee of the Regions, concluded first in 2005 and revised further in 2009. Therefore, I would like to focus in my intervention today first, on the current state of co-operation and second, on the current priorities and work of the Congress and possible synergies with the work of the Committee of the Regions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Agreement between our two bodies provides for annual meetings of the two Presidents, assisted by Secretaries-General, to set the agenda for our common action, and it was a great pleasure for me to meet President Mercedes Bresso in January this year to discuss co-operation priorities. It was a 3^rd bilateral meeting between the Presidents, and we have decided to build synergies in several areas. I am looking forward to our next meeting early in 2012.

The Contact of Group of the Congress and the Committee of the Regions, which follows the implementation of co-operation activities, met most recently in Brussels at the end of November. I chaired this meeting, which took stock of the current work in these areas of co-operation, which I would like to present in greater detail.

ELECTION OBSERVATION

First of all, local and regional elections observation. Here, I must say, we welcome the active participation of Committee members in election observation missions of the Congress. This participation allows both institutions to assess electoral processes in our member states – which are always a litmus test of the state of local and regional democracy – and therefore agree our common position. Let me stress that I very much appreciate the participation of the Committee of the Regions’  in monitoring local and regional elections in Europe, and I am pleased that the Congress’ experience in this field serves as a source of inspiration. The Congress will continue to share this experience also through training sessions which we organise for Committee members. I am convinced, this will be pursued in the coming years.

However, a new strategy on observation of elections by the Committee of the Regions is needed. On the one hand, by inviting the CoR election observers to attend Congress debates on the reports and recommendations which are addressed, in line with the Council of Europe legal basis, to the governmental authorities concerned. On the other hand, if the CoR considers the possibility of presenting the same observation report in its relevant Commission or other structures, the Congress Rapporteur should be invited to this presentation.

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AND THEMATIC ACTIVITIES  

Another co-operation priority identified for this year was local and regional democracy in the Eastern Partnership countries. I can recall in this regard a successful and very useful meeting between our respective rapporteurs on these countries in 2010, which lay the ground for this new form of co-operation. We in the Congress are convinced that regular exchanges of our rapporteurs on common issues should be pursued and enhanced in scope. I am thinking, for example, about our rapporteurs on the countries which are part of the enlargement process or the neighbourhood policy.

I welcome in this regard the co-operation of our respective rapporteurs on the situation of Roma, and of that oif the Assembly of European Regions (AER) in particular in the framework of the Summit of Mayors on Roma, organised by the Congress on 22 September in Strasbourg.

These types of exchanges should be continued on a regular basis, and they could – and should – also involve exchanges with rapporteurs and chairs at the meetings of Congress committees and CoR commissions with corresponding mandates. This is one area where we could give further reflection on how to deepen our co-operation and improve synergies.

As far as the Eastern Partnership is concerned, we are also pleased to have participated in the launching of the Conference of the Regional and Local Authorities for the Eastern Partnership, CORLEAP. I am convinced that the Congress can play an active and strategic role in this new entity. We stand ready to develop our co-operation with CORLEAP and contribute to its work, also due to the fact that 13 members of CORLEAP are at the same time members of the Congress, which will help create synergies in our work.

Allow me to speak briefly about three other areas singled out for co-operation this year:

• Euro-Mediterranean cooperation and new neighbourhood policy;
• fight against corruption and public ethics at local and regional level;
• and multi-level governance.

EURO-MEDITERRANEAN CO-OPERATION AND NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICY

Speaking about Euro-Mediterranean co-operation, I would like to point out that the Council of Europe is in the process of elaborating its own neighbourhood policy, which will reach out to our neighbours in North Africa, in the Middle East and in Central Asia, and which will focus on providing assistance upon request to these countries – in particular in North Africa.

The Congress stands ready to accompany the changes in the Southern Mediterranean, in particular in Tunisia and Morocco. We are currently preparing a report which will highlight the opportunities for local and regional democracy presented by the Arab Spring, and the way in which the Congress can seize these opportunities, thus contributing to the Council of Europe neighbourhood policy. This contribution can also be channeled through the Congress’ participation in the North-South Centre and the Euro-Arab Cities Forum co-organised by the Congress.

In this regard, the Congress and the Committee could reflect on their co-operation in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly, ARLEM. Needless to say, it is quite certain that our co-operation in this area will continue next year.

FIGHTING CORRUPTION

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We should also create more synergies in the work for stronger public ethics and high ethical standards for public officials and elected representatives, and in particular in fighting corruption at local and regional level. We should draw on the results of the conference on the subject in Messina last year, organised jointly by our two institutions. Corruption remains indeed a major challenge for both democratic and economic development of European countries, and action to combat this scourge must necessarily involve all levels of governance. In this regard, I am pleased to say that fight against corruption has been included as among areas of common action between local and regional authorities and national governments, which was endorsed by European Ministers responsible for local and regional government at their Conference in Kyiv in November this year.

MULTI-LEVEL GOVERNANCE

Last but not least, the Congress has been actively promoting the concept of multi-level governance in Europe, focusing on the need to foster the establishment of this new system, in line with the proposals of the Committee of the Regions. The Congress fully supports the Committee’s initiative to draft a European Charter of Multi-level Governance. As I said at a conference on the subject organised by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions yesterday, it is our conviction that the European Charter of Local Self-Government must be the basis from which we can proceed building this new system. The Charter was indeed the first treaty to set forth the clear definition of competences for each level of governance and the principle of subsidiarity, and applying its principles to the European level, using them as a basis for a European Charter of Multilevel Governance would be a logical continuation of the evolutionary process.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In conclusion, I would like to give you a brief overview of the priorities of the Congress for 2012.

We continue with our main focus on advancing local and regional democracy through monitoring and election observation as two complementary aspects of assessing its situation. We are strengthening dialogue with national governments for post-monitoring and post-observation assistance in addressing the identified problems. We are also streamlining our thematic activities to ensure a targeted response to the challenges faced by territorial authorities, in line with the Council of Europe priorities. Last but not least, we give a particular priority to promoting human rights and human rights awareness at local and regional level, because the conditions necessary for the full exercise by our citizens of their rights are an integral part of good local governance.

One particular area in which the Congress and the Committee of the Regions had good collaboration this year was our action to address the situation of Roma as a challenge for local and regional authorities. As I have already mentioned, the Congress organised the Summit of Mayors on Roma in September this year; the CoR Rapporteur, Mr Alvaro Ancisi, addressed the Summit and participated in a round table on obstacles to Roma inclusion. The Summit has decided to establish a European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion, and the Congress is now working on implementing this decision. The first meeting of the Core Group to build the Alliance took place last Friday 9 December. I would like to use this opportunity to call on you and your communities to join this co-operation framework, which will deal with the practical implementation on the ground of both Congress’ and Committee of the Regions’ proposals. In this regard, I would add that the Congress adopted in October a comprehensive resolution on the situation of Roma and a recommendation to member states.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As you can see, a range of issues of common interest for the Congress and the Committee of the Regions is truly vast. I could also add to this list the impact of the economic crisis on local and regional authorities, which is likely to have a prominent place on the Congress’ agenda next year.

All these issues call for a closer and more practical co-operation between our two institutions. This co-operation gives us possibilities to present our ideas and proposals in each other’s institutions, coordinate our positions and increase the impact of our action. This co-operation is also part and parcel of a broader framework of common action between the European Union and the Council of Europe, established under the Memorandum of Understanding between these two larger entities.

I am confident that our co-operation will be strengthened further in the coming years, and I thank you once again for this opportunity to address you today.

I want to extend the invitation to the CoR President to come back to the Congress to Strasbourg again as well.

Thank you.