Celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, in Ukraine

Strasbourg, 15 December 2015

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Regional Development, Construction and Communal Services of Ukraine organised a celebration of the 30^th anniversary of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, in Kyiv, on 14 December 2015, with the participation of Vyacheslav Nehoda, Vice-Minister of Regional Development, and Anders Knape, President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress.

“The fundamental contribution of the Charter is to offer guidelines on how to organise a democratic state. It is a treaty which provides a guarantee for local authorities that the state has undertaken to implement” stated Anders Knape.

Opened for signature on 15 October 1985 and coming into force in 1988, the European Charter of Local Self-Government (CETS No. 122) is ratified by 47 member states of the Council of Europe. The Charter is the first international binding treaty that guarantees the rights of communities and their elected authorities.

On this occasion, representatives from the Ukrainian government, Parliament, Congress members, representatives of local self-governments as well as of the three national associations of local and regional authorities shared their views on the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and practical aspects of the reform in Ukraine. Specific focus was given to the possible outcome of the Constitutional amendments and the required legislation to ensure the effective implementation of decentralisation.