(AGENPARL) – ven 20 ottobre 2023 Image
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Ref. CG036(2023)
Election of a new President, Russia’s war against Ukraine, local democracy in Estonia, Ireland and the Slovak Republic, violence against mayors, climate change among the themes of the 45th Congress session
The role of local and regional authorities in ensuring accountability in the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine is on the agenda with a debate on the International Register of Damage. The situation of political activists under pressure in Russia will also be discussed.
“Violence against local and regional elected representatives”, “The role of regions in energy transition”, “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: regional experience and lessons learned”, “Local and regional media: watchdogs of democracy, guardians of community cohesion” are the themes of the reports that will also be discussed at the session.
Among the invited guests are the Minister for Environmental Protection and Regional Development on behalf of the Latvian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, Inga Berzina; Minister of State with Responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Ireland, Kieran O’Donnell; Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of Estonia Madis Kallas; Executive Lead, Local News Partnerships, BBC, Matthew Barraclough ; Secretary General of the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), Antonella Valmorbida.
The Congress plenary session will be held in the building of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and access to journalists to the venue will be limited.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Institutional Communication Unit
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 46 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Leendert Verbeek (Netherlands, SOC/G/PD), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Harald Sonderegger (Austria, EPP/CCE).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR).
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