Regions within the Council of Europe and the establishment of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
Recommendation 1256
(1995)
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 31 January 1995 (3rd Sitting) (see Doc. 7220, report of the Committee on the Environment, Regional Planning and Local Authorities, rapporteur: Mr Pinto). Text adopted by the Assembly on 31 January 1995 (3rd Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. The Assembly refers to and reiterates its support for a greater role for regions in the Council of Europe, as expressed in particular in its
Recommendation 1021 (1985) on increased regional representation in the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE).
2. It also refers to the views repeatedly expressed in its opinions on the texts adopted by the CLRAE, especially with regard to fuller regional participation in national delegations to the Standing Conference.
3. The Conference on "Regionalisation in Europe: Evaluation and Perspectives", held in Geneva from 3 to 5 June 1993 on the initiative of the CLRAE, took stock of progress regarding regionalisation in the European countries and of participation by regions in European organisations, while recognising that regions now have an important political role.
4. In the declaration which they adopted at the Vienna Summit on 9 October 1993 the heads of state and government of the member states of the Council of Europe urged the Organisation to extend transfrontier co-operation between local and regional authorities to non-adjacent regions.
5. The Assembly reiterates its satisfaction at the setting up of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and at the creation therein of a Chamber of Regions enabling them to discuss their common problems among themselves.
6. The Assembly also considers that the field of local and regional authorities is sufficiently complex and significant to be entrusted to a specific committee.
7. It further notes that the regions have no possibility of contributing to intergovernmental activities even though they possess important and increasing powers at national level, whether those powers are shared or exclusive.
8. The Assembly, therefore, recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
8.1 take steps to permit participation by regions in the field of intergovernmental co-operation and advocate to governments that:
a representatives of regions should participate in conferences of specialised ministers alongside governmental representatives in cases where the regions possess powers in the field concerned;
b representatives of regions should participate in the work of the Council of Europe's intergovernmental committees, again in cases where the regions possess the relevant powers;
8.3 instruct the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Authorities (CDLR) to initiate or develop activities aimed at establishing regional entities in non-regionalised countries;
8.4 provide the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe with adequate resources, both human and budgetary, in keeping with its new status, bicameral structure and tasks.
