CLRAE
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe
Detailed Information

Grass-roots democracy
The Council of Europe has always recognised the overriding importance of democracy at local and regional level. After all, freedom is a neighbourhood issue as well as a national one. Local self-government must meet the needs of all Europeans, in towns and villages, central and peripheral regions and across borders. The Council took its first step towards local authority representation in 1957, and since then its work has extended from Iceland to Russia and from Norway to the Balkans.

In 1994, the Council of Europe established the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) as a consultative body to replace the former Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities.
The Congress helps new member states with practical aspects of their progress towards establishing effective local and regional self-government.

The role of the Congress
The Congress:
- is the voice of Europe’s regions and municipalities;
- provides a forum where local and regional elected representatives can discuss problems, pool their experience and express their views to governments;
- advises the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on all aspects of local and regional policy;
- co-operates closely with national and international organisations representing local and regional government;
- organises hearings and conferences to reach a wider public whose involvement is essential to a working democracy;
- prepares regular country-by-country reports on the state of local and regional democracy in all the Council’s member and applicant states and monitors, in particular, how the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government are implemented.

Its changing role
The emergence of new states from varying political and economic bases has necessitated reappraisal and reformulation of the Congress’s objectives to include:
- promoting effective local and regional government structures in all Council of Europe member states, especially in the new democracies;
- examining the state of local and regional democracy in member and applicant states;
- developing initiatives to enable citizens to participate effectively in local and regional democracy;
- representing the interests of local and regional government in the shapingof European policy;
- encouraging regional and transfrontier co-operation for peace, toleranceand sustainable development;
- observing local and regional elections.

A two-chamber assembly
The Congress is divided into two chambers: the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. The two-chamber assembly comprises 306 titular members and 306 substitute members, each of whom is an elected representative from one of over 200 000 local and regional authorities in the Council’s member states. The chambers alternate to elect the President of the Congress for a two-year term.

The Congress meets once a year in Strasbourg and welcomes delegations from approved European organisations and some non-member states as special guests or observers.

The Standing Committee, drawn from all national delegations, meets between the Congress plenary sessions.

The Congress organises its work around four statutory committees:
- the Institutional Committee, which has the particular task of preparingreports on the progress of local and regional democracy in Europe;
- the Culture and Education Committee, for media, youth, sport and communication;
- the Committee on Sustainable Development, for environmental affairs and spatial and urban planning;
- the Committee on Social Cohesion, for issues concerning employment, citizenship, inter-community relations, public health and equality between women and men.

The Chief Executive of the Congress is responsible for day-to-day management with the support of the Secretariat, drawn from the Council of Europe staff.

Practical help

European Network of Training Organisations for Local and Regional Authorities (ENTO)
This provides expert help and training for central and east European nations lacking managerial experience and technical skills. The ENTO network promotes co-operation between local and regional government training centres, linking national organisations with their counterparts in other countries.
Special support programme for local and regional democracy in central and eastern Europe. This programme gives priority to assistance in drafting local government legislation. It offers training and expert guidance in local institutional reform and includes workshops, study visits and courses on health care in cities, fiscal independence and local government funding.

Local Democracy Agencies (LDAs)
Established in 1993 as part of the peace process in the former Yugoslavia, LDAs form a partnership between a particular authority in the region and local authorities elsewhere in Europe. They promote respect for human beings and democracy, the establishment of civil society and confidence-building measures between different population groups.

Prix Europa
In a cultural context, the Congress supports the Prix Europa competition, which promotes the best of European television across national boundaries, illustrating Europe’s cultural diversity and encouraging programme exchanges.

Participation in the Stability Pact
The Congress plays an active part in the projects for strengthening local democracy and cross-border co-operation in South-Eastern Europe set out in the Council of Europe programme for the Stability Pact, launched in June 1999.

The Congress’s role in Kosovo
From the outset, the Congress has been part of the international presence in Kosovo. Its activities include:
- helping to recruit international administrators in Kosovo’s 30 municipalities;
- helping to draft legal texts (known as “regulations“) on municipalities and elections;
- observing the municipal election process;
- co-operating with the Venice Commission (see section on “Legal co-operation“) to study Kosovo’s temporary status on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244;
- organising visits by the President of the Congress and maintaining dialoguewith representatives of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),
the OSCE and local Albanian and Serb political parties;
- supporting initiatives with municipalities in Kosovo;
- co-operating with the ENTO in helping the OSCE to set up a local government training institute.

Clear legislative guidelines and policies
The European Charter of Local Self-Government (1985) specifies that effective local self-government is essential to democracy. The Charter serves as a model for legislative reform in new democracies. Some states have already incorporated its principles into their constitutions.

The European Outline Convention on Transfrontier Co-operation (1980) and its two Additional Protocols recognise the right of local and regional authorities to co-operate across frontiers in providing public services and environmental protection.

The European Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level (1992) puts forward the principle of progressively granting civil and political rights to foreign residents, including the right to vote.

The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992) aims to preserve regional and minority languages as a unique component of Europe’s cultural heritage, extending their use in law, in schools, in public, cultural, economic and social life, and in the media.

The European Urban Charter (1992) defines citizens’ rights in European towns. It provides a practical guide to good urban management, covering housing, urban architecture, transport, energy, sport and leisure, pollution and street security.

The Charter on the Participation of Young People in Municipal and Regional Life (1992) sets out guidelines to encourage young people to share in decisions affecting them and to be active in social changes in their neighbourhood, municipality or region.

The European Landscape Convention was adopted in Florence in October 2000. It sets forth the requirement for public authorities to adopt policies and measures at local, regional, national and international level for protecting, managing and planning landscapes throughout Europe.

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is currently examining the draft European charter of regional self-government, as a counterpart to the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

Member states and their representation
Albania (4), Andorra (2), Armenia (4), Austria (6), Azerbaijan (6), Belgium (7), Bosnia and Herzegovina (5), Bulgaria (6), Croatia (5), Cyprus (3), Czech Republic (7), Denmark (5), Estonia (3), Finland (5), France (18), Georgia (5), Germany (18), Greece (7), Hungary (7), Iceland (3), Ireland (4), Italy (18), Latvia (3), Liechtenstein (2), Lithuania (4), Luxembourg (3), Malta (3), Moldova (5), Netherlands (7), Norway (5), Poland (12), Portugal (7), Romania (10), Russian Federation (18), San Marino (2), Slovak Republic (5), Slovenia (3), Spain (12), Sweden (6), Switzerland (6), “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia“ (3), Turkey (12), Ukraine (12), United Kingdom (18).

Select documentation

Council of Europe Publishing

Linguistic diversity: a challenge for European cities and regions - Proceedings, Rovinj, March 2001 (Studies and Texts No. 74)
(2002), ISBN 92-871-4980-1

Urban crime prevention - A guide for local authorities
(2002), ISBN 92-871-4943-7

Cities and regions: cultural diversity - A precondition for a united Europe - Proceedings, Innsbruck, December 2000 (Studies and texts No. 76)
(2002), ISBN 92-871-4811-2

Linguistic diversity for democratic citizenship in Europe - Proceedings, May 1999
(2000), ISBN 92-871-4384-6

European Landscape Convention - Firenze, 20.X.2000 (ETS No. 176)
(2000), ISBN 92-871-4499-0

What participation by foreign residents in public life at local level ? - Proceedings, Strasbourg, November 1999 (Studies and Texts No. 71)
(2000), ISBN 92-871-4533-4

Draft European Charter of Mountain Regions
(Recommendation 14 (1995))

European Urban Charter
(1993), ISBN 92-871-2345-4

Charter on the participation of young people in municipal and regional life
(Resolution 237 (1992))

European Outline Convention on transfrontier co-operation between territorial communities or authorities (ets No. 106)
(1989), ISBN 92-871-0021-7

European Charter of Local Self-Government (ets No. 122)
(1985), ISBN 92-871-0804-8

The Bulletin - CLRAE Newsletter
(5 issues per year)

CLRAE “Studies and texts“ series
For further information, please contact

Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
Council of Europe
F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Tel.: + 33 (0)3 88 41 20 00
Fax: + 33 (0)3 88 41 27 51 or 37 47
E-mail: webcplre@coe.int
www.coe.int/cplre