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Ref. CG-PR011 (2017)

South-Mediterranean Partnership: the Congress will receive delegations from Morocco and Tunisia during the 32nd Session

Strasbourg, 27.03.2017 – In the context of its 32nd Session, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has invited delegations from the Kingdom of Morocco and the Republic of Tunisia. They will be participating in the context of the Congress’ South-Mediterranean Partnership (Sud-Med), whose activities are designed to accompany local and regional democracy reforms in these countries.

Mohamed BOUDRA, President of the Moroccan Association of Presidents of Municipal Councils (AMPCC), and Mokhtar HAMMAMI, Director, Directorate General of Local Communities, Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment, Republic of Tunisia, will address the members of the Congress at the plenary session in the afternoon of Tuesday 28 March 2017. In the morning of Wednesday 29 March, Saloua DEMNATI, President of the Committee on Cooperation, Partnership and Moroccans Worldwide within the Regional Council of Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, will address the Chamber of Regions during the debate on “Border regions facing migration flows”.

Moreover, on the eve of the session, the Moroccan and Tunisian delegations will take part in exchanges of views with Gudrun MOSLER-TÖRNSTRÖM, President of the Congress, Anders KNAPE, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities, Gunn Marit HELGESEN, President of the Chamber of Regions, and with the committee chairs and members of the Congress. These exchanges will provide the opportunity to explore possibilities of co-operation and, in particular, prospects for accession to the status of Partner for Local Democracy, which was adopted by the Congress in 2014 and entitles members of partner country delegations to attend its meetings.

The Moroccan delegation will comprise in particular Ahmed TOUIZI, Member of the Bureau of the House of Councillors at the Moroccan Parliament, Mohand LAENSER, President of the Association of the Regions of Morocco (ARM), Mohamed SADIKI, President of the City of Rabat, Said BENHMIDA, First Deputy Mayor of the City of Fez, Abderrahim KSIRI, Chair of the Commission of Advanced Regionalization and Rural and Territorial Development (CESE), Samir Mohammed TAZI, Director General for Local Authorities at the Ministry of the Interior, and other representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry responsible for Moroccans residing abroad and Migration Affairs.

The members of the Tunisian delegation also include Mohamed Naceur JBIRA, Chair of the   Commission for the organization of the administration and the affairs of the armed forces of the Tunisian Parliament (ARP), Saifallah LASRAM, Chair of the special delegation of the municipality of  Tunis, President of the National Federation of Tunisian Towns and Cities (FNVT), Fayçal KAABI, Deputy Mayor of Kairouan in charge of co-operation and international relations, and Nabil AZIZI, Member of the Governing Board of the Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), as well as representatives of several Tunisian institutions.

Partner for Local Democracy status

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Planning, Coordination and institutional Communication Unit

Tel: +33 (0)3 90 21 48 95

Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 27 51

[email protected]

www.coe.int/congress

The Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. It brings together 324 full and 324 substitute members representing more than 200 000 European territorial communities.

President of the Congress: Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, SOC), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Anders Knape (Sweden, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP-CCE)

Political Groups: Socialist Group (SOC), Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CCE), Independent and Liberal Democrat Group (ILDG), European Conservatives & Reformists Group  (ECR)