(AGENPARL) – Tue 28 October 2025 Image
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG073(2025)
Council of Europe Congress: Poland should pursue decentralisation, strengthen financing of local and regional governments
The rapporteurs, Anders Knape (Sweden, L, EPP/CCE) and Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, R, ECR) noted with satisfaction the adequate legal frameworks for local and regional self-government, the adoption of the 2024 Act on the revenues of local government units, and the reinstatement of a genuine consultation process with the national associations of subnational governments with the organisation of regular Joint Commission meetings.
However, the rapporteurs raised several concerns, including the re-centralisation of competencies, extensive central regulation, and the insufficient financial capacity of local and regional authorities to recruit high-quality staff. They also highlighted that the financial resources allocated to these authorities are not commensurate with their responsibilities, in addition to the lack of sufficient revenues from local taxes and charges under their control.
The Congress recommended that Poland avoid overregulation of both on own and delegated tasks and enable all tiers of government to establish local taxes, and encouraged regular monitoring of the implementation of the new Act on the revenues of local government units, along with necessary adjustments. The Congress also recommended that Poland sign and ratify the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self‑Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority.
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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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