T +33(0)390214895        www.coe.int/congress        [email protected]

Ref. CG-CP040 (2017)

Monitoring visit by the Congress to Switzerland

Strasbourg, 20 January 2016 - A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will carry out a monitoring visit to Switzerland from 23 to 25 January 2017. The delegation will examine the situation on local and regional democracy in the light of the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, ratified by the country in 2005. Co-rapporteurs on local democracy M. Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) and M. Dorin Chirtoaca (Republic of Moldova, EPP/CCE), will focus on the developments in the field of local democracy occurred since the last Congress monitoring visit in May 2009.

High level meetings are scheduled, in particular with the Federal Councillor of Department of Finances, Ueli Maurer and the President of the Council of States of Switzerland, Ivo Bischofberger.

The delegation will also meet representatives of local and regional authorities of the cities of Bern, Zurich and Oetwil an der Limmat as well as representatives of the Canton of Zurich and the Canton of Jura, in particular with M. Alec Von Graffenried, Mayor of Bern, Mrs. Corine Mauch, Mayor of Zurich and vice-chair of the Swiss Union of Cities and Towns, M. Paul Studer, Mayor and Chair of the municipality council of Oetwil an der Limmat and Mrs. Nathalie Barthoulot, President of the Government of the Republic and Canton of Jura and Minister of Interior.

Meetings are also scheduled with representatives of the Swiss Parliament, the Federal Department of Justice and Police and Federal Department of Home Affairs, the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, as well as representatives of Federal Department of finances.

This monitoring visit will result in a report to be submitted at the 32nd session of the Congress, from 28 to 30 March 2017.

Switzerland ratified the European Charter of Local Self Government in 2005. The countries which have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter requires compliance with a minimum number of rights, which form the European bedrock of local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities makes sure that these principles are observed.

Programme

Contact:

Stéphanie Poirel
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Secretary of the Monitoring Committee
Sté[email protected]

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)