Public ethics at local level – model initiatives package: request by the Committee of Ministers for opinion
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Text
adopted by the Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly,
on 25 November 2003(see Doc.
9991, report of the Committee on the Environment, Agriculture
and Local and Regional Affairs, rapporteur: Mr Masseret).
- Thesaurus
1. The Parliamentary Assembly believes
that public ethics is a very important political aspect of democracy. It
also believes that the active and responsible involvement of local
elected representatives, local government employees and citizens
in the democratic process is a prerequisite for the proper functioning
of democratic systems. Voters’ lack of confidence in their elected
representatives and the resulting lack of interest in public affairs
pose a threat to the legitimacy of universal suffrage and to the
credibility and the very functioning of our modern democracies.
2. In this context, the Assembly recalls in particular its Resolution
1121 (1997) on instruments of citizen participation in representative
democracy, in which it stated that “a truly living democracy depends
on the active contribution of all citizens. Their participation
in political life and their co-operation within political institutions
are thus a decisive factor for the smooth functioning of democratic
institutions.”.
3. The Parliamentary Assembly, which was invited by the Committee
of Ministers to give an opinion on the Handbook of good practice
in public ethics at local level prepared by a group of experts appointed
by the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Democracy, supports
both the initiative and the proposals made.
4. The Assembly particularly supports the package’s aim of pooling
the best practices identified in the area of local democracy. This
work is part of the Council of Europe’s activities to combat corruption
in its member states.
5. It notes with great interest the examples of good practices
in different countries described in the handbook and believes that
they can and should help local and regional players to devise reforms
or policies aimed at ensuring higher standards of public ethics
and combating corruption.
6. The Assembly also believes that the package of initiatives
deals with an issue that is fundamental to democracy. It welcomes
the initiative of the Steering Committee on Local and Regional Democracy
and encourages it to continue this work.
7. The Assembly is therefore able to give a favourable opinion
on the handbook of good practice and recommends that the Committee
of Ministers adopt it. It also wishes to support the launching of
the handbook at the international conference on public integrity
to be held by the Council of Europe and the Netherlands Ministry
of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in The Hague in March 2004.
8. The Assembly wishes to give concrete political support to
the handbook and is ready to contribute to the debate on public
ethics at local level that will be launched by the model initiatives
package. It stresses that such a tool can only be useful if member
states make a substantial effort to disseminate the handbook among national
parliaments, regional parliaments where these exist, and local elected
representatives themselves.
9. The Assembly invites the Committee of Ministers to support
member states’ efforts in the dissemination of the handbook and
ensure that appropriate and efficient follow-up be given to this
initiative.
