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The “European Local Democracy Week”
(ELDW) is an annual European event with simultaneous
national and local events organised by participating
local authorities in all Council of Europe member
States. The purpose is to foster the knowledge of local
democracy and promote the idea of democratic
participation at a local level.

The week
including 15 October has been chosen as the European
Charter of Local Self-Government was opened for
signature on that date in 1985.

The ELDW is a
Council of Europe initiative. Its role is to co-ordinate
the European dimension of the project, whereas the
national and local implementation of the ELDW is being
supported in each participating country by the
correspondents designated by the national associations
of local authorities, listed on the
website.

Congress
and EU-Committee of the Regions join their forces for
Local Democracy Week
Congress President a.i. Ian
Micallef welcomed the decision of the European Union's
Committee of the Regions to join the European Local
Democracy Week (ELDW), the Council's programme of events
to raise awareness for grassroots policies in Europe.
'This agreement is an important step for the further
strengthening of the ELDW. The committment of the
Committee of the Regions, our partner organisation in
the EU, will contribute to make this concept one of the
major events on the calendar of the 47 Council of Europe
member states', concluded the political co-ordinator of
the Local Democracy Week, Keith Whitmore, on the fringes
of discussions about the ELDW during the Utrecht
Ministerial Conference.

Kathrin
Hilber: ''Local authorities need to prove that they are
serious about citizen participation''
Kathrin
Hilber (Switzerland, SOC) Head of the interior
department member of the government of the Canton of St
Gallen represented Switzerland at the Ministerial
Conference in Utrecht, on the challenges for good local
and regional governance in times of crises. In this
interview she expresses her views on the highlights of
the conference.
Interview

Ank Bijleveld-Schouten : ''The
European Local Democracy Week calls for innovative
methods to increase citizen participation''
Ank
Bijleveld-Schouten, State Secretary for the Interior and
Kingdom Relations in the Dutch Ministry for the Interior
and Kingdom Relations, participated in the Council of
Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Local and
Regional Government, in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 16 and
17 November 2009. In an interview, she speaks of the
importance of citizens’ participation and co-operation
between governments and territorial structures.
Interview

Vice-President Anders Knape
encourages towns and municipalities to join European
Local Democracy Week network
''The European
Local Democracy Week is becoming a consistent event on
the European landscape. These kinds of initiatives, if
they are to succeed, require constant involvement over
considerably long periods'', stated Congress
Vice-President Anders Knape introducing a debate on
grassroots work in the framework of Congress
celebrations of the Council of Europe 60th anniversary,
on 13 October. ''During three years, we had the chance
to witness the significant advancement of this new
event, with over a thousand activities organised in
numerous municipalities of the 47 Council of Europe
member states'', he stressed inviting Congress members,
who have not yet joined, to become ambassadors of the
“Week” in their towns and municipalities.
Speech

Video

The Congress highlighted the 2009
edition of the European Local Democracy
Week
During the Congress plenary session, which
was held from 13 to 15 October 2009, a series of events
were organised to promote the 2009 European Local
Democracy Week (ELDW). Keith Whitmore (United Kingdom,
ILDG), political co-ordinator of the ELDW and Chair of
the Congress’s Institutional Committee, officially
launched the Week on Monday 12 October and inaugurated
the information stand on the ELDW. On Tuesday 13
October, debates in the framework of the Council’s 60th
anniversary programme focused on the ELDW and, more
specifically, on the role of young people in local
democracy. Congress also took part in a round table on
foreign residents and local democracy organised by the
City of Strasbourg with different stakeholders on 14
October.
Special
file
Photo
Gallery

About the "Week"

What
is the "European Local Democracy Week" ?
The
European dimension of local democracy

You are a local authority ?

Why
take part in the ELDW ?
What
activities can be carried out ?

2009 edition

Registration
form
Programme
of the activities

Previous editions

Activities
2008
Participants
in the 2007 ELDW

Download

Booklet
Posters
Logo
Factsheet

Web resources

Resolution 238 (2007) of the Congress
supporting the ELDW
Congress website
CDLR website

Contacts

ELDW
European coordination
ELDW
National Coordinators
Partner
organisations

contact : [email-masked]