Congress of The Council of Europe - Role

Role

The Congress is the voice of Europe’s 200,000 regions and municipalities that provide the forum for their elected officials to discuss common concerns, share experiences and develop policies. It works to strengthen democracy and improve services at local and regional level. The Congress is dealing with such specific issues as citizens’ participation, urban security, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, migrants, sustainable development of territorial communities, culture and education, history and modernity, the fight against human trafficking, and many others. The Congress’ work aims to respond to the various challenges that local and regional authorities face in today’s Europe, as well as to promote cooperation among local and regional authorities of Europe. The Congress adopts recommendations and opinions on the issues of its concern and presents them to the Committee of the Ministers and/or the Parliamentary Assembly. It also adopts resolutions, presents them for local and regional authorities of Europe and applies itself to the local and regional election monitoring in member states. The Congress fulfils its objectives with the participation of partners: National associations, international associations, observers and other partners. Within the framework of the Local democracy monitoring mission, the Congress prepares mainly two different kinds of reports :

• Monitoring reports on local democracy, which are drawn up country by country in order to keep track of the local and regional democracy in the Council of Europe member States. The monitoring exercise provides an important basis on which to enter into a constructive political dialogue with the authorities of member states in connection with local and regional democracy issues. This enables the Congress to familiarise governments, parliaments, associations, elected representatives and the media with its main conventions and legal instruments concerning local and regional institutional issues. Numerous legislative reforms have been set in motion by member states in the light of the conclusions in these reports. A new procedure which enables the monitored member States to fasten the implementation of the recommendations, has been introduced. Henceforth the countries in question must notify in writing the Congress of the measures taken to implement the recommendations.
• General reports providing an across-the-board analysis of the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in member states and countries applying to join the Council of Europe. Within the framework of the general obligation to inform about the application of the Charter in the member States, the Congress prepares transversal reports.

Within the framework of the election observation exercise the Congress prepares observation reports. It regularly observes local and regional elections in member and applicant countries, a key factor in its objective of monitoring progress towards and the state of local and regional democracy in the countries concerned. Such observation (see election monitoring) always includes an analysis of the election campaign, not just the day of voting and involves discussion at the highest level with representatives of parties and group contesting the elections, election commissions, media and civil rights groups. The mission generally conclude with a press conference and the issue of a press release. They are followed by a report, usually submitted to the Bureau of the Congress, giving an evaluation of the campaign and the conduct of the poll and containing recommendation about what improvements might be made.