Workshops and visits to the local institutions, in today’s schedule at the Democracy School, the closing workshop of the eleven "politics schools" established by the Council of Europe in eleven Eastern countries (Russia, Croatia, Moldavia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania…). This week, the 500 participants listened to the lectures of some political figures of the old continent, enlivened the debate, saw the Final Declaration that will be focussed on the main subjects of the workshop: participatory democracy, the defence of human rights, social and political education for the young, the "European project", governance. In his speech at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasburg, the Secretary General of the CoE, Terry Davis, urged the participants to take up the equal opportunities issue and added that "women are seriously underrepresented in political and public offices". According to Giovanni Di Stasi, ex president of the Committee that represents the local authorities within the CoE, "the best governance takes place when the actions are performed closest to the citizens". Tomorrow will be the final school day, attended by some leading figures of the Council of Europe, the Mayor of Strasbourg, Fabienne Keller, and Peace Nobel Prize John Hume.
