Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
Updated
2022-02-03
Local and regional democracy: a means of greater freedom
The Council took its first step towards local authority representation in 1957, and since then its work has extended from Iceland to the Russian Federation and from Norway to the Balkans.
In 1994, the Council of Europe established the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe as a consultative body to replace the former Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe. It works on the basis of Statutory Resolution (2000) 1 of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
The role of the Congress
The Congress:
- is the voice of Europe’s regions and municipalities in the Council of Europe;
- provides a forum where local and regional elected representatives can discuss common 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 at local and regional levels 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 states;
- monitors in particular the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government;
- helps new member states with the practical aspects of their progress towards establishing effective local and regional self-government.
