Council of Europe Monaco Attends the 34th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Patrice Cellario, Minister of Interior, speaking at the Council of Europe ©DR

On Wednesday 28 March 2018, Patrice Cellario, Minister of Interior, took part in the Council of Europe's 34^thSession of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (in Strasbourg), which was also attended by a delegation from the City Hall, headed by Georges Marsan.

At this session, reports on local democracy in the smallest States of the Council of Europe (Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein and San Marino) were adopted. In this context, Mr. Cellario took part in a debate on the specific challenges facing small States in the implementation of the European Charter on Local Autonomy.* During his speech in the hemicycle, the Government Minister welcomed the overall positive assessment by the delegation from the Congress following its monitoring visit in May 2017 concerning the local situation of democracy in the Principality. He also pointed out Monaco's special characteristics, in particular the superposition of the concept of the City and the State, due to the small size of the territory, and reiterated the Government's wish to ensure efficient collaboration with the City.

At a side event of this meeting, Patrice Cellario, accompanied by H.E. Mr. Rémi Mortier, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Monaco to the Council of Europe, met with Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe. At this meeting, the Council of Europe's activities in the fields of sport, education and combating terrorism were discussed, as well as the Prince's commitment in this regard.

* In 2013, like the 46 other member States of the Council of Europe, Monaco ratified the European Charter of Local Self-Government, an international benchmark treaty that affirms the principle of the independence of local authorities and their role as the first level of the exercise of democracy. The Charter calls for the respect of a number of basic principles to which States undertake to adhere in order to protect the rights of authorities and citizens at the local level.

The role of the Congress is to ensure respect for the principles set out in the Charter by regularly monitoring the situation of local democracy in Europe. It thus contributes, at a territorial level, to the Council of Europe's basic objectives of advancing democracy and human rights.