Visit by Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

As part of the monitoring of the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, ratified by Monaco in 2013, a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe visited the Principality on 16 and 17 May 2017.

Monitoring of the situation of local and regional democracy in Council of Europe member states is the focus of the Congress’s policy work and activities. It aims to establish an open and constructive dialogue with local and national authorities in each country.

With an acute awareness of the major role played by local and regional mediators and ombudsmen in the relationships between public authorities and citizens, the delegation was keen to visit the Office of the High Commissioner, an independent entity responsible for protecting rights and liberties, to discuss issues relating to local governance, the administration of citizens, and the place of human rights at the local level.

After giving a general presentation of the institution and the various areas in which cases are referred to the High Commissioner, Anne Eastwood focused more specifically on the complaints dealt with in municipal areas of competence, while underlining that these are very few in number, a testament to the attention paid by Monaco City Hall to the quality of local services delivered to Monegasque nationals and residents. In these discussions, Mrs Eastwood hailed the excellent collaboration developed with both the Council of the Commune and the City Hall teams themselves to satisfactorily resolve situations referred to the High Commissioner.