Congress’ Standing Committee: Developing local self-government in
Belarus and transfrontier cooperation in South-East Europe
Strasbourg, 29.05.2009 – The Standing Committee of the Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will meet on 10 June
2009 in Brdo at the invitation of Slovenian authorities, currently
chairing the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
The Standing Committee will discuss ways of promoting territorial
self-government in Belarus and developing cooperation with Belarus’
authorities. The Congress is convinced that local democracy is a
foundation of any democratic system, and that promoting democratic
processes at grassroots level creates a solid basis for democratic
change.
Representatives of the two Belarusian organisations which enjoy observer
status with the Congress will participate in the debate on "Belarus:
progress of local and regional self-government and prospects of future
cooperation": Anatoly Rubinov, Vice-President of the Council for
Cooperation of Local Self-Government Bodies in Belarus (observer since
December 2008), which operates under the authority of the Council of the
Republic (upper chamber) of the Belarus National Assembly; and Miroslav
Kobasa, President of the Lev Sapieha Foundation (observer since June
2001).
Sinikka Hurskainen, President of the Subcommittee on Belarus within the
Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly, will speak during the debate, the Assembly Committee having
just recommended restoring the Special Guest status of the Belarusian
Parliament. Congress Vice-President Anders Knape (Swedent, EPP/CD) will,
for his part, make a presentation on the role of national associations
of local and regional authorities in territorial self-government.
The agenda of the Standing Committee also includes a debate on
transfrontier cooperation in South-East Europe, with the participation
in particular of Zlata Plostajner, Slovenian Minister for Local
Self-Government and Regional Development; and a presentation of
priorities of Slovenia’s Chairmanship by Damian Bergan, Head of the Task
Force of the Foreign Ministry. In addition, the Committee will discuss
the reports on observation of local elections in the "former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia" and the first-ever elections of the Mayor of
Yerevan (Armenia).
Meeting on the eve of the Standing Committee, on 9 June, the Congress
Bureau will examine in particular the follow-up to its recommendations
on, or new developments in, the situation of local and regional
democracy in Azerbaijan, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Russia and Turkey.
Press Release
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Communication Division
Ref: 432a09
Tel. +33 (0)3 90 21 49 36
Fax +33 (0)3 88 41 27 51
Internet:
e-mail: 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).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress