ACTIVITY REPORT (mid-April – mid November 2016) PREMS 001017 ENG Communication of the Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities At the 1272nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies 30 November 2016 CG31(2016)27 30 November 2016 Activity Report of the Congress (mid-April to mid-November 2016) Communication by the Secretary General of the Congress at the 1272nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies 30 November 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS Communication by Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress ............ 5 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 8 I. POLITICAL AGENDA ...................................................................................... 9 II. ACTIVITIES OF THE CONGRESS BODIES ................................................. 12 A. 31st SESSION OF THE CONGRESS ....................................................................................................... 12 B. THE BUREAU .......................................................................................................................................... 13 C. THE CHAMBERS..................................................................................................................................... 15 D. THE COMMITTEES ................................................................................................................................. 17 III. MONITORING OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY ........................ 19 A. MONITORING ACTIVITIES ..................................................................................................................... 19 B. POST MONITORING DIALOGUE............................................................................................................ 21 C. OBSERVATION OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL ELECTIONS ................................................................... 22 IV. THEMATIC ACTIVITIES ................................................................................ 24 A. INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE / FIGHT AGAINST RADICALISATION ................................................... 24 B. REFUGEES AND MIGRANTS ................................................................................................................. 25 C. YOUTH PARTICIPATION ........................................................................................................................ 27 D. CHILDREN’S RIGHTS ............................................................................................................................. 27 E. FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION ............................................................................................................ 28 F. GENDER EQUALITY ............................................................................................................................... 28 G. INCLUSION OF ROMA AND TRAVELLERS / EUROPEAN ALLIANCE OF CITIES AND REGIONS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ROMA AND TRAVELLERS .................................................................................. 28 H. SOCIAL INTEGRATION .......................................................................................................................... 29 I. EUROPEAN LOCAL DEMOCRACY WEEK ............................................................................................ 29 J. WORLD FORUM FOR DEMOCRACY 2016 ............................................................................................ 30 K. MISCELLANEOUS................................................................................................................................... 31 V. INSTITUTIONAL CO-OPERATION WITHIN THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE .. 31 A. THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL SECTOR ................................................................................................ 31 B. THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY ...................................................................................................... 31 C. THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW (VENICE COMMISSION) ....... 32 VI. EXTERNAL COOPERATION AND PARTNERSHIPS ................................... 32 VII. COOPERATION PROGRAMMES AND ACTION PLANS ............................. 35 APPENDICES .......................................................................................................... 40 APPENDIX 1: 31ST SESSION (19-21 OCTOBER 2016) ................................................................. 40 APPENDIX 2: COMMUNICATION OF THE OUTGOING PRESIDENT JEAN-CLAUDE FRÉCON – 19 OCTOBER 2016 .................................................................................................. 42 APPENDIX 3: COMMUNICATION OF THE NEWLY ELECTED PRESIDENT GUDRUN MOSLER- TÖRNSTRÖM – 20 OCTOBER 2016 ....................................................................... 44 APPENDIX 4: CONGRESS PRIORITIES FOR 2017-2020 ............................................................. 46 Communication by Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress 30 November 2016 The 31st Congress Session (19-21 October 2016) was very representative of the Congress’s raison d’être: - a forum of exchange for local and regional politicians on topics of great relevance to the Council of Europe’s activities - a place to promote concrete co-operation among local and regional authorities - a consultative body for the Committee of Ministers - a monitoring body - an operational secretariat - a relay for the Council of Europe’s Campaigns and Action Plans The theme of the two Congress sessions in 2016 was “Ethics and transparency at local and regional level”. In this respect, the Congress co-operates closely with GRECO, with the Network of Courts of Auditors of regions (EURORAI) and with NGOs such as Transparency International. We will give a concrete follow-up on this in our priorities and work programme over the coming years. An “Ethics and Transparency Package” was adopted during the October Session which includes the revision of the European Code of Conduct for the political integrity of local and regional elected representatives, the organisation of a joint conference with the Committee of the Regions in February 2017 and the preparation of several reports for the 2017 sessions on the misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes, public procurement, transparency, conflicts of interest, the protection of whistle- blowers and on nepotism. In October 2016, a second 4-year mandate of members of national delegations began (members’ mandates were two years until 2012). The process of renewal went smoothly in most member States. This process includes consultations among the national associations and co-ordination bodies of local and regional authorities and with the national government. The national ministry concerned forwards the proposal for the new members to the Council of Europe. I would like to thank all ambassadors and their teams for their support in this process of renewal of national delegations, which enabled us to ratify the credentials of delegates from all 47 member States. As of 29 November, there are 26 vacant seats (6 full members [representatives] and 20 substitutes), that is, 4%. We look forward to receiving the missing nominations soon, as full representation in the Congress is in the interest of the countries concerned. Before the next renewal session in 2020, the rapporteurs on credentials will prepare a “reference list of mandates” that will clarify for local, regional and national authorities which mandates, either electoral or with an individual accountability to a directly elected assembly, are eligible for Congress membership. The new leadership of the Congress was also elected for two years at this October Session: - Congress President: Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, SOC, Austria - President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Anders Knape, EPP/CCE, Sweden - President of the Chamber of Regions: Gunn Marit Helgesen, EPP/CCE, Norway The Congress has adopted, since 2008, a quota of “at least 30% of the under-represented sex”. In its new composition, the Congress includes more than 40% of women. In all, 11 out of 17 Bureau members are women. A full list of the members of the Bureau, chairpersons and vice-presidents of the committees are reproduced in this activity report (p.12 and 14). 5/58 During our last session, we had very interesting exchanges of views with the Minister of Interior of Estonia, Hanno Pevkur, representing the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Development of Armenia, David Lokyan, and the Council of Europe Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland. There was also a very active participation of youth delegates. I would like to thank all ambassadors for supporting the participation of ministers and national delegations and of the youth delegates in the session. Among others, the Congress members held debates on the follow-up to the Congress Strategy to combat radicalisation, on “Preventing corruption”, on “Misuse of administrative resources during electoral processes”, on the situation of mayors in Turkey. They also adopted an important “Rule of Law Checklist” (prepared with the Venice Commission) and a study on “Trends in Regionalisation in Council of Europe Member States” as well as reports on the observation of local elections in Armenia and Serbia and on the situation of local democracy in Cyprus and Croatia. The most relevant report for the future work of the Congress is the “Congress priorities for 2017- 2020”, also adopted during the October Session. The full text is appended