Giving a voice to the territory

The “female quota” is assuming an official and compulsory character. The fifteenth plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, held in Strasbourg from 27 to 29 May, convened with a renewed composition: each delegation of the 47 member countries of the COE now includes a minimum percentage of 30% women. The Congress thus becomes the first political assembly in Europe to have fixed such a threshold as a condition for membership. The social dimension of integration. Established in 1994 as a consultative organ of the Council of Europe, the Congress now comprises 318 members divided into two chambers; it is “the mouthpiece of the interests of the regions and communes” and works for the building up “from the grassroots” of European democracy. This body was founded after the fall of the Berlin Wall to help new member states to turn local and regional self-government into an effective reality. The local, provincial and regional authorities of the old continent are represented in it. The deliberations of the three-day congress at the Palais de l’Europe were concentrated on the social dimension of integration: on the agenda were such issues as the “integration of migrants through local housing policies”, the social reinsertion of street children, the social approach to the fight against racism at local and regional level, youth and political participation, and intercultural and interreligious dialogue “as an opportunity for local democracy”. “A guardian of democracy”. In its opening session, the Congress voted to renew its leadership and in this case too there were surprises: delegates voted unanimously for the Turkish representative Yavuz Mildon, member of the People’s Party group, to assume the post of President of the Congress. The Romanian Ludmila Sfirloaga, of the Socialist group, was chosen to preside over the Chamber of the Regions, while the Maltese Ian Micallef (he too a member of the People’s Party group) was confirmed as President of the Chamber of Local Authorities. During his investiture speech, Yavuz Mildon declared: “The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is a unique pan-European structure. It is true watchdog of local democracy on our continent and a political partner in the dialogue with governments”. The new President then added: “With our renewed membership, we are better equipped to address our ambitious goals on developing transfrontier and inter-territorial co-operation, contributing to solving political problems and responding to major social challenges, and strengthening the role of the Congress in the European process”. Caring and “sustainable” cities. The Congress then approved the “European Urban Charter II: manifesto for a new urbanity”. Myriam Constantin, French delegate, and deputy mayor of Paris, who followed the debate on the Charter, explains: “The role of the cities is and will be increasingly important” in the global era and in response to the major demographic changes taking place (accentuated phenomenon of urbanization, immigration and ageing of the population): hence the need to realize “public actions and policies” for “a Europe in which cities are sustainable, caring and at the service of citizens”. According to Constantin, “this manifesto is an ambitious message for the elected representatives at the local level, citizens and all the parties involved in urban development”. The new Charter complements the one adopted in the 1990s, in view of the rapid changes registered in recent years in European society, in the continental economy and at the level of environmental awareness. “The Congress now invites local authorities and governments to translate the principles contained in this Charter into concrete actions”. Henk Kool, Dutch delegate, deputy mayor of The Hague, and vice-president of Eurocities (network to which 130 big cities in 30 nations belong), makes the point: “A manifesto alone is not enough. Cities need to commit themselves to realizing the contents of the Urban Charter”.Protection of minors, dialogue between cultures. A number of important debates took place during the Congress in Strasbourg. The main speakers included the General Secretary of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, and Vasyl Kuybida, Ukrainian Minister for Regional Development, who recalled the “value of the decentralization of powers” and the necessary “carrying out of reforms of local self-government” to overcome the delays in the implementation of democracy and economic and social development. The Congress also appealed “to civil society and to governments to adopt a real policy for the protection of street children”, who were being denied the fundamental conditions for their growth, education and adulthood, and who were also being submitted to various forms of violence. Guest speakers included the Governor of Nara (Japan), Shogo Arai, who underlined “the importance of dialogue between cities” throughout the world, to “discover and foster the diversity of life, cultures and histories” and to build peace at the international level.