624th meeting - 24-25 March 1998
Item 2.1
CURRENT POLITICAL QUESTIONS
a.
Activities for the development and consolidation of democratic stability
(CM/Del/Dec(98)622/2.1, CM(98)35, CM/Inf(98)10, GR-EDS(98)17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23,
DAP/PR/Inf(98)107, 112, 113, CLRAE Recommendation 28 (1997))
Decisions
The Deputies
1. adopted the following reply to CLRAE Recommendation 28 (1997) on the state of local and regional democracy in Albania:
- "The Committee of Ministers is concerning itself closely with the matters raised in Recommendation 28 (1997) on the state of local and regional democracy in Albania.
- Local democracy was one of the priority subjects raised in Tirana, notably with the latter’s Mayor, Mr Albert Brojka, of the Albanian Association of Mayors, during the high-level visit of Ambassadors (18-20 January 1998), in which the Chairman of the Deputies and the Chairman of the Rapporteur Group for Democratic Stability (GR-EDS) participated.
- The Committee of Ministers welcomes the fact that talks took place between Mr Haegi, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe and President Meidani of Albania during the Second Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (10-11 October 1997), and the invitation to visit the country sent by the Albanian authorities to the President of the Congress following the hearing of the Albanian authorities responsible in the field of local authorities by a working party of the Congress in Strasbourg on 30 January 1998.
- The 1998 co-operation programme in the field of local and regional authorities (LODE) puts the accent on providing expert legal advice on the functioning of the second level of territorial authorities and/or developing inter-municipal links, as well as on activities in the fields of local finance, management and functioning of associations of local and regional authorities and training.
- Recent appeals have been launched in February 1998 (617th meeting of the Deputies) and reiterated in March (622nd meeting) to all member States to consider the possibilities for additional voluntary contributions with a view to increasing the Council of Europe’s contribution to the consolidation and stabilisation of democratic institutions and the rule of law in Albania.
- The Committee of Ministers has also instructed the Secretariat to report regularly on the implementation of the cooperation programmes with Albania and to submit, in due course, proposals for their adjustment in the light of the conclusions drawn from the high-level mission of the Committee of Ministers. The Committee of Ministers will bear in mind the priorities identified in the above-mentioned talks in Strasbourg between President Haegi and President Meidani.
- A proposal for a third Council of Europe/European Commission Joint Programme for Albania, which includes projects supporting local government reform worth 115,000 ECU, is being considered by the European Commission.
- The European Commission has been invited to participate in the target-oriented Tripartite meeting, together with the United Nations and the OSCE, devoted to Albania, which will be organised by the Council of Europe Secretariat in Strasbourg on 3 April 1998.";
2. invited their Chairman to address a letter to the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a view to seeking assurances that the eventual establishment of the Human Rights Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the nomination of judges by the Committee of Ministers would in no way prejudice or diminish the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina under Annex VI of the Dayton Agreement, and would not entail financial consequences for the Council of Europe;
3. instructed their Rapporteur Group on Legal Cooperation to examine the question of the Human Rights Court of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a view to preparing a further consideration by the Ministers’ Deputies on the basis of the High Representative’s reply to the letter referred to under 2 above;
4. noted that their Rapporteur Group GR-EDS would invite the representative in Strasbourg of Bosnia and Herzegovina whenever matters concerning that country were discussed.