As the Heads of State and Government of 46 European countries members of the Council of Europe – the continent’s leading human rights organization – meet in Reykjavik for their 4th Summit on 16 and 17 May this year, the voice of cities and regions will play an essential role in advancing democracy in Europe.

Ahead of the Summit, seven associations and institutions of European regional and local authorities, including the European Committee of the Regions and the Council of Europe Congress, will make a Call for Action to the national governments, the first of its kind, to reinforce the role of local democracy and to reiterate the important message that greater unity both between States and within the States themselves starts at the level of cities, municipalities and regions.

The Council of Europe is holding this Summit because war has returned to Europe, with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine – and Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe as a result. The war’s horrific humanitarian, political, social and economic consequences have added to Europe’s many crises, including the growing threat from climate change.

Due in no small part to the Council of Europe, our continent represents probably the most decentralized political space in the world, owing to an early realization that a balanced distribution of power from top to bottom – to regions, provinces and municipalities – serves to prevent its excessive accumulation at one level and creates a democracy of proximity to citizens.

The European Charter of Local Self-Government – a key binding treaty adopted by the Council of Europe in 1985 and ratified by all the 46 member states – sets out the principles of local democracy and the rights of local authorities, that represent today a considerable asset for both national and European policy makers.

Today, self-governed cities and regions of Europe are an integral part of the system of checks and balances that must be further strengthened as a result of the Summit, to stop and reverse ‘democratic backsliding’. For example, in many cases the European Court of Human Rights finds member states in violation of rights for decisions taken at local and regional level.

Local and regional authorities are also major players in delivering effective responses to the challenges faced by our societies. They are integrating migrants and other minority groups and manage diversity; they act in support of women’s empowerment, gender equality and youth engagement; they are mounting local initiatives for the environmental protection, energy transition and climate action; they are key stakeholders in developing and implementing policies related to digitalisation and artificial intelligence. 

The common phrase “all politics is local” applies not only to winning elections, but also increasingly to the successful implementation of policies at the local and regional level.

If something does not work locally, it will not work nationally or globally. Two thirds of the 169 targets set for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the UN, are achievable only at local and regional level. Local authorities underpin worldwide action in support of the environment, biodiversity and transition to renewable energy sources, and the “greening” of the economy overall – another key theme to be discussed in Reykjavik. Take, for example, the province of Girona in Spain, which created an “energy community” from its 221 communes to promote transition to green sources, through subsidies and other incentives, with the help of eight Energy Transition Offices; over four years, its Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan had attracted more than €16 million in investments.

This is just one example from some 130 000 territorial communities of Europe which are represented at the Council of Europe by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, one of the two assemblies of elected politicians. The Congress not only gives the voice to cities and regions and provides a forum for their experience sharing, but also monitors the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, to advance decentralization and strengthen territorial democracy. This monitoring represents an important part of an “early warning” system to signal possible ‘democratic erosion’ in member states. This is equally one of the Summit’s expected deliverables and strengthening the Congress’ monitoring action would serve this purpose. 

Local and regional authorities will be heard at the upcoming Summit in Reykjavik, and their role in delivering democracy, human rights and the rule of law at grassroots level will be recognized. Europe’s leaders can count on local and regional representatives to do their part in implementing the important decisions to be taken at the Reykjavik Summit, to make European democracy more stable and more resilient, to the benefit of its citizens.

Leendert Verbeek (Netherlands), President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe