41st session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) in Strasbourg

From the 25th to the 28th of October, the 41st session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) took place in Strasbourg in person for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Still in the context of the Covid crisis, the Congress held a debate on the different levers for a successful "Post-Covid Recovery" with Carlo Monticelli, appointed Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, and Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, Deputy Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). In addition, two debates examined migration issues: "Regions and Diaspora" and "Migration: Persistent Challenges for Cities and Regions", the last one with the participation of Ambassador Drahoslav Stefánek, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees.

At the meeting of the Bureau of the Congress, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric, the Luxembourg delegate Martine Dieschburg-Nickels invited the participants to reflect on the possible participation of young delegates in the sessions of other Council of Europe entities, as is already the case at the Congress, who has always been a pioneer in youth participation.

Other debates in the plenary session focused on issues around "Working conditions of elected representatives in times of hate speech and fake news on the internet”, “Home-sharing platforms: challenges and opportunities for municipalities", "Inter-regional and cross-border co-operation for better territorial integration in Europe” and "Lifelong education for lifelong employment of young generations: a challenge for the regions".

As part of its monitoring of compliance with the European Charter of Local Self-Government by Council of Europe member states, the Congress adopted monitoring reports on Albania, Cyprus, the Netherlands, North Macedonia and Spain. At the opening of the 41st session, Congress President Leendert Verbeek recalled the importance of the European Charter of Local Self-Government as "an unparalleled international treaty, unique in its kind at world level" which "testifies to the importance that the Council of Europe and its member states attach to local self-government". However, he warned of the impact of the decrease in the budgetary resources allocated to Congress to carry out its missions.

During the ceremony of the 7th edition of the Dosta! Prize, the prize was awarded to the municipalities of Torres Vedras (Portugal), Argostoli (Greece) and Salford (United Kingdom) for their initiatives to ensure the inclusion of Roma and Travellers. In terms of elections, the Chamber of local authorities.

_{Photo: © SYVICOL}