The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted today a landmark resolution and recommendation on "The implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at local and regional levels". This followed an in-depth debate opened by President of the European Court of Human Rights Mattias Guyomar, who emphasised the pivotal role of subnational authorities in Europe's human rights framework. The debate was part of the Congress's contribution to the Council of Europe's New Democratic Pact for Europe.
Presenting the report, Congress Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Austria, L, SOC/G/PD) pointed out that "local and regional authorities are key actors in Europe's human rights system". "Local and regional decisions directly impact citizens' rights and well-being, affecting areas such as healthcare, housing, property rights, education, and the environment. It is time to move from principles to action based on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights", she said. She also highlighted common challenges, including issues related to child protection, social housing, property rights, environmental policies, freedom of expression and assembly, unlawful detention and the right to a fair trial, among others.
Turning to solutions, Deputy Standing Rapporteur Mélanie Lepoultier (France, L, ILDG) pointed out that the most frequent violations stem from inadequate legal procedures and a lack of expertise at local level. She suggested practical measures in the areas of multi-level cooperation, capacity building, human rights mainstreaming and international knowledge exchange, calling on Congress members to "continue to lead by example, learning and enforcing human rights in every village, town and region in Europe".
In its resolution and recommendation, the Congress invited members to strengthen collaboration with national institutions to improve access to expertise, systematically apply a human-rights based approach to local policies, and improve the enforcement of social rights. The resolution also called for promoting human rights-based budgeting to ensure that public expenditure supports human rights obligations, and for raising awareness of human rights standards at local level.
Local and regional authorities should be supported through information, training, financial assistance and legal guidance, the Congress said, calling on Council of Europe member states to provide them with sufficient resources to fulfil their human rights obligations and foster their greater integration in European and international human rights mechanisms.
Presenting Volume IV of the Congress Human Rights Handbook series, Deputy Standing Rapporteur Peter Drenth (Netherlands, EPP/CCE) highlighted that "freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are cornerstones of democracy, transparency and government accountability, but they are also under increasing pressure from restrictive national laws or barriers imposed by some sub-national authorities". He underlined that the publication offered practical examples of how to protect and promote these rights at local level.
The adoption of these documents is a significant step towards reinforcing the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at the most immediate level for citizens, responding to ongoing and emerging challenges facing both human rights and democracy in Europe.
