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Ref. CG-PR009 (2017)

32nd Session of the Congress to focus on migration, citizen participation and local and regional democracy in Europe

Strasbourg, 23 March 2017 - The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will focus its two 2017 sessions on “Decentralised policies for the successful integration of migrants”. In this context, the 32nd session, which is to be held in Strasbourg from 28 to 30 March, will include several debates focusing on the role of local authorities facing migration, the reception of unaccompanied child migrants and border regions facing migration flows.

In the context of its monitoring of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Congress will examine the state of local and regional democracy in Finland, the state of local democracy in Malta, Estonia and Iceland, as well as a report on the observation of local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (October 2016). In addition, following a fact-finding mission to Turkey in October and December 2016, members of the Congress will adopt a report on the situation in that country and, in particular, regarding the detention of elected mayors and their replacement by persons appointed by the Government. This session will also be an opportunity to review the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government by the 47 member states

Furthermore, Congress members will adopt a checklist for preventing the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes at local and regional level. This initiative is part of the Congress's roadmap to tackle corruption at the territorial level.

Also on the agenda are thematic debates on citizen participation, youth autonomy and access to employment, open data, human rights at local and regional level, as well as a debate on the fight against anti-Gypsyism. In addition, within the framework of the Southern Mediterranean Partnership, the Congress will host two delegations from Morocco and Tunisia.

The 32nd Session will also mark the 10th anniversary of European Local Democracy Week (ELDW), a pan-European event co-ordinated by the Congress, which has taken place every year since 2007. In 2017, the theme is “Citizen participation, consultation and commitment for a thriving local democracy”.

Guest speakers include Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Mihhail KORB, Minister of Public Administration of Estonia, Jón Gunnarsson, Minister of Transport and Local Government, Iceland, Eduardo Cabrita, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister of Portugal, Jari Partanen, State Secretary for the Ministry of Local Government and Public Reforms of Finland, Stefan Buontempo, Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government of Malta, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.

File 32^nd Session of the Congress

Accreditations

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Planning, Coordination and institutional Communication Unit

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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)