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Congress Autumn Session: Consequences of the Georgian-Russian conflict
and local democracy in Armenia, Belgium and Latvia among the highlights

Strasbourg, 24.11.2008 – Local consequences of the Georgian-Russian
conflict, non-appointment of three mayors (bourgmestres) in Belgium, the
situation of non-Latvian speaking minorities in Latvia and local
democracy in Armenia will be among the highlights of the Congress’
Autumn Session in Strasbourg from 1 to 3 December 2008.

On Tuesday 2 December, in the morning, the Congress will hold a debate
on the consequences for local authorities of the conflict between
Georgia and Russia. The debate will include statements from Council of
Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg, President of the
Parliament of North Ossetia-Alania (Russia) Larissa Khabitsova, Mayor of
Tbilisi Gigi Ugulava, and a representative of the Council of Europe
Parliamentary Assembly, as well as from Mamuka Abuladze and Svetlana
Orlova, respectively Heads of the Georgian and Russian delegations to
the Congress. Congress Vice-President Dubravca Suica (Croatia, L,
EPP/CD) will present a draft resolution calling on local and regional
authorities of European countries to provide aid to their counterparts
directly or indirectly affected by the conflict, including both
immediate and long-term assistance.

Congress members will also have an exchange of views on local democracy
in Armenia with Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan. Lluis Maria de
Puig, President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, will
address the session, which will also include the signing of the
Cooperation Agreement between the Congress and the Council of Europe
North-South Centre.

On 2 December in the afternoon, the Chamber of Local Authorities will
debate a report by Michel Guégan (France, NR) and Dobrica Milovanovic
(Serbia, NR) on local democracy in Belgium, following their fact-finding
mission prompted by the non-appointment of three mayors (bourgmestres)
in municipalities in the Flemish region. On 31 October, the Congress’
Institutional Committee called for general monitoring of the application
of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Belgium. The three
non-appointed mayors will participate in the debate. Flemish Minister of
the Interior Marino Keulen has also been invited.

An exchange of views will also be held on the situation of
non-Latvian-speaking minorities in Latvia, with Latvian Special
Assignments Minister for Social Integration Oskars Kastens. Jean-Claude
Frécon (France, SOC) will make a report on the observation of
municipal elections in Israel on 11 November; Israeli Minister of the
Interior Meir Sheetrit expressed his interest in participating in the
discussion.

The Chamber of Regions, also meeting on 2 December in the afternoon,
will hold a round table on special statutes of regional autonomy in
Europe, with the participation of representatives of European autonomous
regions and regions with special status, including Sándor Egeresi,
President of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
(Serbia), Anatoliy Grytsenko, Chairman of Verkhovna Rada of the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine), Alberto Joao Jardim, Head of
Government of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (Portugal), and Valentin
Guznac, Minister of Local Public Administration of Moldova, who will
speak about regional autonomy in his country.

During the session, the new Congress’ Prize of the Regions will be
awarded for the first time to five regions from Germany, Poland, Serbia,
Turkey and the United Kingdom. Two special awards will go to regions
from Greece and Romania.

On Wednesday 3 December, the Congress’ Standing Committee will adopt
recommendations on the observation of local and provincial elections in
Serbia (11 and 25 May 2008), local elections in Armenia (28 September
2008) and local elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina (5 October 2008), as
well as a resolution on the Congress’ policy in observing local and
regional elections, presented by Veronique Moreira (France, R, NR).
Jean-Claude Colliard, member of the Venice Commission and of the Council
of Europe’s Council for Democratic Elections, will take part in the
debate.

These meetings are open to the press. The debates of 2 December will
also be broadcast live on the Congress’ website ().

PRESS RELEASE
Communication Unit of the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref:829a08
Tel: : +33 3 90 21 49 36
Fax : +33 3 88 41 27 51
congress.com@coe.int

The Congress has two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the
Chamber of Regions.
It brings together 318 full and 318 substitute members representing
more than 200 000 European territorial communities.

President of the Congress : Yavuz Mildon (Turkey, EPP/CD), President of
the Chamber of Regions: Ludmila Sfirloaga (Romania, SOC),

President of the Chamber of Local Authorities : Ian Micallef (Malta,
EPP/CD).
Political Groups : Socialist Group (SOC), Group of the European People’s
Party – Christian Democrats (EPP/CD),
Independent and Liberal Democrat Group (ILDG).