745^th meeting – 14 March 2001

Item 12.1

Current state of and prospects for regionalisation in Europe
CLRAE Recommendation 65 (1999)
Draft reply
(CM/Del/Dec(2001)744/1.1, GR-EDS(2001)CB5)

Decision 

The Deputies adopted the following reply to CLRAE Recommendation 65 (1999): 

“The Committee of Ministers studied CLRAE Recommendation 65 (1999) on the current state of and prospects for regionalisation in Europe with much attention. 

As regards item a. of the Recommendation, the Committee of Ministers wishes to inform the Congress of the activities concerning regional self-government it has foreseen in its Intergovernmental Programme of Activities for 2001: 

- drawing up of model forms of regional self-government, which may be included in a legal instrument on this subject; 

- preparation/up-date and publication of the national reports on the structure and operation of local and regional democracy in member states; 

- preparation of reports and guidelines or draft recommendations from the Committee of Ministers, inter alia, on the institutional dialogue between the State, regions, local authorities and their associations; 

- assistance, in particular to Central and Eastern European member and applicant states for the development of democratic institutions at local and regional level, such as assistance for the preparation of framework legislation for local and regional authorities and reinforcement of national and regional associations of local and regional authorities. 

The latter activity also meets the recommendation of the CLRAE under item b. of Recommendation 65. 

As regards the inclusion of regionalisation in the monitoring activity of the Committee of Ministers (item c.), the Committee recalls that local democracy is one of the themes it has selected for monitoring.  This includes regional democracy in countries where regional structures exist. 

As for item d., the Committee of Ministers wishes to inform the Congress that it has studied the opinion of the CDLR on the draft European Charter of Regional Self-Government and has given the CDLR terms of reference to “complete the groundwork for the elaboration of a legal instrument on regional self-government, on the basis of the principles, areas and elements on which the CDLR has reached preliminary agreement and, in particular: 

- to draw up model forms of regional self-government which may be included in a legal instrument as guidelines or as a basis of more precise standards; 

- to identify those principles which are common to all such models and which may constitute the core principles of a legal instrument designed to apply to all states wishing to establish or reform a democratic regional tier of government; 

- to draft a text, which could be the core of a legal instrument, presenting these principles and models and to report back to the Committee of Ministers.” 

The Committee of Ministers will be seized of the report of the CDLR in the course of 2002.”