Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset held a bilateral meeting in Strasbourg on 28 May.
President Helgesen welcomed the Secretary General's leadership on the New Democratic Pact for Europe and outlined the Congress' contribution to the Pact, focusing on such key topics as elections, deliberative democracy, violence against politicians and the need to promote trust in politics and public institutions. She also presented the Congress action in support of Ukraine, implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights at local level, election observation, good democratic governance - including co-operation projects in 20 countries - as well as co-operation with the Belarusian democratic forces to develop local democracy in a future free Belarus.
Secretary General Berset underlined that the role of the Congress related to the local and regional dimension of the Council of Europe's work. "At a time of war, pressure on Ukraine and growing polarisation across Europe, strong local and regional democracy is essential. As the voice of Europe's municipalities and regions, the Congress has a key role to play in the New Democratic Pact for Europe, strengthening democratic resilience and bringing democracy closer to citizens," he said.
