Reply to Recommendation
| Doc. 12079
| 09 November 2009
- Author(s):
- Committee of Ministers
- Origin
- adopted
at the 1069th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (4 November 2009) 2009 - November Standing Committee
- Reply to Recommendation
- : Recommendation 1860
(2009)
- Thesaurus
2. It welcomes the interest of the Parliamentary Assembly in
e-democracy as a whole. It acknowledges the potential contribution
that e-tools and advances in the field of information and communication
technologies (ICTs) can make to promoting democracy and the rule
of law. In particular, they can strengthen the involvement and participation
of citizens in national, regional and local public life and decision-making
processes and encourage citizen initiatives. Public administration
and services can also be improved by making them more accessible,
responsive, user oriented, transparent, efficient and cost-effective,
thus contributing to the economic, social and cultural vitality
of society. With regard to the parliamentary dimension of e-democracy, the
Committee of Ministers agrees with the Assembly that, as it stated
in
Resolution 1653 (2009), ICTs have come to play an essential role in supporting
the work of legislative assemblies and in providing elected representatives
with unprecedented means of engaging in dialogue with their constituencies.
It encourages the Assembly to promote such developments in its work.
3. The Committee of Ministers notes that
Recommendation 1860 (2009) of the Parliamentary Assembly forms part of a growing
acquis of the Council of Europe
in this field. Instruments include the recommendations of the Committee
of Ministers to member states on e-voting (Rec(2004)11), on e‑governance
(Rec(2004)15), and on measures to promote the public service value
of the Internet (CM/Rec(2007)16). In addition, the Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has adopted
Recommendation 248 (2008) on “E-tools: a response to the needs of local authorities”
and
Recommendation 249
(2008) on “Electronic democracy and deliberative consultation
on urban projects”. The Committee of Ministers recently complemented
these standards by adopting Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)1 on electronic
democracy (e-democracy) on 18 February 2009. This recommendation
underlines the potential contribution of ICTs to democracy and society,
whilst fully respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, the
need to narrow the digital divide by means of an inclusive and non‑discriminatory
approach and the importance of empowering people through support
for education and training.
4. The Committee of Ministers welcomes the fact that work on
e-democracy by the different organs of the Council of Europe has
been a commendable example of extensive and mutually beneficial
transversal co-operation over a sustained period of time. In particular
it notes that the Parliamentary Assembly has participated actively
as an observer in the meetings of the Ad hoc Committee on e-democracy
(CAHDE).
5. The Committee of Ministers would also highlight the 4th Forum
for the Future of Democracy (Madrid, 15-17 October 2008) on “E-democracy:
who dares?”, which was a unique occasion for presenting and discussing the
different tools devised by the Council of Europe in this field and
in which members of the Parliamentary Assembly actively participated.
The Committee of Ministers encourages the implementation of the
proposals made in the conclusions which emerged from the Forum.
6. With regard to the detail included in the recommendation,
the Committee of Ministers would inform the Parliamentary Assembly
that at its 1049thmeeting on 18 February
2009, it took note of proposals by the CAHDE to the Committee of
Ministers on further conceptual and possibly standard-setting work
in the field of e-democracy which might include the regulatory dimension
of e-democracy, initiatives from the bottom upwards and the way
in which e-consultations can facilitate the increasing practice
of public consultations. It has also taken note that the Secretariat
will be organising biennial meetings for reviewing the application
of Recommendation CM/Rec(2009)1 on e-democracy. Any proposal for
future intergovernmental structures in the field of e-governance
will be duly examined by the Committee of Ministers.
7. Furthermore, the Committee of Ministers is aware that the
Secretariat has prepared a portable exhibition on the scope and
potential of e-democracy as a means for enhancing the involvement
of citizens in political life. Since September, this exhibition
has been shown at several events on issues related to democracy
at the Council of Europe and elsewhere and should be displayed during
a forthcoming session of the Parliamentary Assembly.
