696 meeting – 3 February 2000
Item 6.1
Aspects of urban policies in Europe
a. CLRAE Recommendation 19 (1996)
on "Aspects of urban policies in Europe"
b. CLRAE Recommendation 51 (1998)
on "Social cohesion in towns"
(CM/Del/Dec(96)574/9.1; (97)602/7.1; (98)623/9.1;
GR-SOC(99)3, CM(97)6 and 217)
Decisions
The Deputies adopted the following reply to CLRAE Recommendation 19 (1996) on "Aspects of urban policies in Europe" and CLRAE Recommendation 51 (1998) on "Social cohesion in towns":
"The Committee of Ministers has considered with interest Recommendation 19 (1996) on "Aspects of urban policies in Europe" and Recommendation 51 (1998) on "Social cohesion in towns". It welcomes significant work done by the CLRAE in the field of urban questions and finds the present arrangements whereby the Congress periodically attends specific meetings of Council of Europe bodies, which are of mutual interest, satisfactory.
The Committee of Ministers can subscribe to the proposal by the Congress to replace the establishment, in the Council of Europe, of an intersectoral Commission on Town by the periodic organisation, under the aegis of the CLRAE, meetings of representatives of other bodies of the Council of Europe with an urban component in their respective programmes.
Concerning the proposed campaign "Year 2001 - A Springtime of Towns", the Committee of Ministers cannot but regret the lack of resources for the organisation of such an important event, and, in this context, appreciates the revised proposals of the Congress to replace it with a limited number of events organised by the CLRAE itself, within the ceiling of its expected budget.
The Committee of Ministers would like to draw attention to the project "Social policies and the city" started by the Steering Committee on Social Policy (CDPS) in 1997. It welcomes the fact that CLRAE representatives are already participating in the meetings of the Group of Specialists on Innovatory Social Policies in the City (PS-S-INNO).
This is only one aspect of the Council of Europe's work on social affairs, focusing on the respect for individuals and their rights, as well as the protection of vulnerable groups and the elimination of social exclusion. In 1998 an in-depth project on Human Dignity and Social Exclusion was completed and, as a direct follow-up to its conclusions, a new European Committee for Social Cohesion (CDCS) was established.
The CDCS was created as a multidisciplinary strategic steering committee. Its remit covers activities in the following fields: social security and access to social rights, to employment and housing, policies for children, quality of life of elderly persons and social policies in the city. In drawing up a European strategy for social cohesion, the CDCS is particularly interested in defining innovative approaches to social problems. On the basis of criteria established by the above-mentioned Group of Specialists (PS-S-INNO) a network of correspondents was established, a number of innovative projects are being identified and a consultant is finishing the preparation of an analysis of the projects.
In November 1999, a seminar on innovative social policies in the cities was organised in Strasbourg at the request of the PS-S-INNO with the aim of clarifying what was happening at grassroots level and, at a later stage, of using the information collected for drafting recommendations to the Council of Europe member States.
The project's final Conference is scheduled to be held in Oslo in June 2000. The issues under discussion will be participatory democracy; new relationships between administrations and citizens; new intervention and integration policies, particularly their social and economic aspects. The results of the Conference will constitute one of the important foundations for the work of the CDCS from 2000 onwards.
Another important event is the 12th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Local Government. It will be held on 6-7 April 2000 in Istanbul, Turkey, and will concentrate on the role of local authorities in the field of local social services."