The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement today:
"Following the end of the boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), steps can now be taken to reconstitute the Northern Ireland Assembly and thus restore regional government, which I welcome and encourage.
"Reconstitution of the Northern Ireland Assembly, elected in May 2022, will be in accordance with both the Good Friday agreement and the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which the Congress monitors in the 46 member States of the Council of Europe and which the United Kingdom ratified in 1998.
"I hope the necessary steps will follow without delay to allow a functioning, democratically elected regional government in Northern Ireland."
