Supporting and strengthening good local and regional governance, promoting the democratic participation of the citizens, including foreign residents in participatory processes. These are the basic points that have been brought to the fore by the fifteenth session of the Conference of the Ministers in charge of local and regional communities, which took place in Valencia on 15th and 16th October under the aegis of the Council of Europe. The meeting, to which delegates of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe had been invited, ended with the adoption of the "Valencia Declaration", "which illustrates their agreement explains a written message on many important proposals for promoting good democratic governance in Europe". The document explains the need for the States "to take measures to ensure an ethical behaviour by the local authorities and transparency in the management of public affairs". In addition, it contains an express invitation to "ease the inclusion of foreign residents in the local life", including their participation in public life. In the Spanish city, the Council of Europe then launched the "European Week for Local Democracy" to be held in October each year, which "aims at raising awareness of the importance of local democracy for European citizens and promoting their participation".
