Newsletter

“LOCAL DEMOCRACY FOR THE TRUST OF CITIZENS"

Date(s) the 03/04/2019


“It is clear that in these years there has been a loss of confidence among citizens in the capacity of the democratic system to respond adequately to their concerns".
This was said by Xavier Cadoret (SOS), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities, during the debate in the 36th  Congress Session on the future of the Council of Europe and the next Ministerial meeting in Helsinki.
"We are convinced - Cadoret stressed - that the mayors and the local and regional elected representatives are today an essential bulwark against the dysfunction of the system. They are the guardians of the social fabric of our communities and the basis for democratic renewal.
 For this reason the Council of Europe and its member states must invest in local and regional collectivities and the Congress is the tool to promote and strengthen local democracy.
“The universal suffrage - said Fassino, President of Socialist Group - is an indispensable achievement, but today it is not enough to call citizens to vote every 4/5 years. We can and must respond to the crisis of confidence that affects political institutions by enriching representative democracy with forms of participatory democracy".
“We need – stressed Fassino- forms and instruments of participation that allow citizens to "feel part of it", to contribute to the choices that affect their lives and to recognize themselves in the institutions. And it is in the Municipalities and the Regions - the institutions closest to the citizen - that one can experiment and implement forms of participatory democracy capable of regaining the trust of citizens ”.
"For this - concluded the President of the Socialist Group - the Council of Europe needs to recognize the central role of local democracy and guarantee Congress the tools and resources to promote a season of participatory democracy".