(AGENPARL) – Mon 28 July 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG047(2025)
The Council of Europe Congress has issued a legal opinion on the establishment of a Unified State Register of Acts of Local Self-Government in Ukraine
While the document refers to the issue included in a draft law No. 13150, “On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Ensuring Legality in Activities of Local Self-Government Bodies and Officials” (No. 13150 of 3 April 2025), it neither examines this draft law nor refers to any of its provisions.
There are no European standards that specifically recommend for or against introducing such a database and the experience of European states in this respect varies considerably. While there is a trend towards greater transparency and accountability in the activities and decision-making processes of all levels of government, including local ones, and the introduction of this Register could be seen as following this trend, the Opinion notes that, if it is not created properly, the Register could conflict with some of the obligations undertaken by Ukraine when it ratified the European Charter on Local Self-Government.
Therefore, should the decision be made to introduce a register, the Opinion advises the Ukrainian authorities to:
· Make publication in this Register automatic. If there were any possibility for central authorities or other bodies to block or delay publication, this could represent an ex ante supervision and could violate the Charter.
· Make such publication a very simple and easy process for local authorities.
· Ensure that the proportionality principle enshrined in Art. 8.3 of the Charter is observed. The frequency and depth of supervision should depend on the importance of the interests that supervision is supposed to protect, rather than on how easily information concerning local decisions can be accessed.
Moreover, the Opinion recommends that:
· If the Register is created, the obligation to publish local decisions in it should replace the obligation to transmit them to the supervisory authority.
· The content and management of the Register should align with the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
· Supervisors should undergo proper training, capacity building and oversight to prevent any abuse of power.
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: Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities: Bernd Vöhringer (Germany, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD).
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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