The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has organised, in close co-operation with the Congress of Local Authorities from Moldova (CALM), a workshop “Mayors – Leaders for change” in Chisinau on 5-7 October 2015.

This workshop was designed for mayors in Moldova and aimed to provide a platform for exchange on local democracy. By involving members of the Congress and local authorities from Europe, mayors have shared best practices and d their knowledge of standards of local self-governance. They have been invited to reflect on how to lead change, how to enhance trust in local authorities and citizen participation in an ethical decision-making process.

This workshop is the first country-based event organised within the thematic programme “Strengthening institutional frameworks for local governance”. This programme is funded jointly by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, through the Programmatic Co-operation Framework (PCF) for 2015-2017 for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus. Targeted co-operation activities aim at reinforcing the capacity of Eastern Partnership countries to put domestic reforms into effect in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading human rights organisation. It comprises 47 member states, 28 of which are members of the European Union. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in its 47 member states. Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, it brings together 648 elected officials representing more than 200 000 local and regional authorities.

 

Moldova joined the Council of Europe on 13 July 1995 and ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government (ETS No.122) on 2 October 1997. Countries which have ratified the Charter are bound by its provisions. The Charter imposes compliance with a minimum number of rights, which are the European bedrock of local self-government. The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe ensures respect for these principles.