The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold its 49th session from 28 to 30 October 2025 in Strasbourg. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the European Charter of local self-government, opened for signature on 15 October 1985, the session will be held under the theme "Four decades of promoting local self-government in Europe".
Russia's war of aggression on the agenda
The session's agenda features a debate on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and a just peace for Ukraine, with the participation of Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine Oleksii Kuleba and Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi, as well as a debate on preparing European cities and regions for security crises, with the participation of Mayor of Kyiv and President of the Association of Ukrainian Cities Vitaliy Klitschko and Minister for Home Affairs, Local Government and Regional Development of Thüringia in Germany, Georg Maier.
Another debate will focus on the role of Ukraine's regional authorities in facing war-related challenges, with the participation of Oleksandr Prokudin and Oleh Synehubov, heads of, respectively, Kherson and Kharkiv Regional State (Military) Administrations, as well as the Chair of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Mykola Lukashuk.
Secretary General and other important speakers
Congress members will exchange views with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset and Parliamentary Secretary for Local Government of Malta Alison Zerafa Civelli on behalf of her country's Committee of Ministers' Presidency.
Also addressing the session will be Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony, United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of peaceful assembly and of association Gina Romero, Minister of the Interior of Greece Theodoros Livanios and Slovenia's State Secretary in the Ministry of Public Administration Jure Trbič. Among other invited guests are Governor of Thessaly Region, Greece, Dimitrios Kouretas, Mayor of Morlaix, France, Jean-Paul Vermot and Mayor of Berchem Sainte-Agathe, Belgium, and President of the Association of Cities and Municipalities of Brussels Christian Lamouline, as well as Lucien Colliander on behalf of the Swiss acting chair of the Pompidou Group and Nadim Ahmad, Deputy Director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Centre for entrepreneurship, SMEs, regions and cities.
Wide-ranging debates include housing crisis and rights
Other highlights include debates on freedom of assembly and on attacks on freedom of speech in political assemblies; the adoption of the revised European Charter on youth participation in local and regional life, including a round-table discussion on youth participation.
Addressing the housing crisis in European cities and regions, tackling drug-related challenges at local level, co-operation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in strengthening regional policy for resilient places, and the relationship between regional and local authorities are among other themes of session debates, as are the Congress strategy on the rule of law at local and regional levels and reform of the European local democracy week, a Congress initiative since 2007.
The Congress will also debate reports on the application of the European Charter of local self-government in Greece, Republic of Moldova, Poland and Slovenia; and on the observation of county and local elections in Finland on 13 April 2025 and state elections in Hamburg in Germany on 2 March 2025.
Watch the session live (from 28 October 2025)
The Council of Europe's work on Russia's war in Ukraine
Malta's Presidency of the Committee of Ministers
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
