MEDIA INVITATION
5. 6. 2009
Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities in Brdo pri Kranju in the framework of the Slovenian
Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers
In the framework of the Slovenian Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee
of Ministers the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities, set up by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers
as an advisory body, will be held on 10 June 2009 in Brdo pri Kranju.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities helps the new Member States in their
efforts for the establishment of effective local and regional autonomy. The meeting
in Brdo pri Kranju will be an opportunity to exchange views on the activities of the
Council of Europe and the Congress in the area of local and regional selfgovernment.
The meeting will start at 9.30 a.m. in the Congress Center in Brdo pri
Kranju, Hall Grandis.
Minister Zlata Ploštajner will address the participants and present the Slovenian
view on cross-border cooperation and the benefits it brings to local and
regional authorities of South Eastern Europe. The presidents of both the
representative associations of slovenian municipalities, namely the Community of
municipalities of Slovenia and the Association of Municipalities of Slovenia, who also
strongly support the meeting, will address the participants.
The Slovenian delegation in the Congress will also attend the event.
Photo session: 10.00.
Press statement of the minister Zlata Ploštajner will be held in the hall of
the Congress Center between 10.20 and 10.40.
http://www.svlr.gov.si/si/coe/
www.coe.int/cm-chairmanship
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is the voice of
the European regions and municipalities and a forum where the elected
representatives of local and regional authorities can exchange views on various
issues, exchange their knowledge and experience and present their views to the
governments.
Congress advises the Council of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe in all the aspects of local and regional policy, closely cooperates
with the national and non-governmental organisations, which represent the local and
regional governments, and organises debates and conferences for the information of
the general population, as its participation is of immense importance for a successful
democracy.
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe prepares regular
reports on the state of local and regional democracy in each individual Member State
and candidate countries and monitors the implementation of the European Charter of
Local Self-Government.
The Congress, which meets annually in Strasbourg, is divided into two chambers,
namely the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions. Such twochamber assembly has 318 permanent members and 318 substitute members all of
who are elected representatives of one of more than 200,000 local and regional
communities in the Council of Europe Member States. The two Chambers take turns
is electing the President of the Congress for a two-year term.
The Standing Committee, which includes the representatives of the delegations of all
the Member States, acts during the plenary sessions of the Congress.
The Congress acts in four committees established by the Statute:
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Institutional Committee which prepares reports on the progress of local
and regional democracy in Europe
Culture and Education Committee has media, youth, sport and
communication in its remit
Committee on Sustainable Development is responsible for environmental
concerns and town and country planning matters
Committee on Social Cohesion is in charge of all questions relating to
employment, citizenship, migration, inter-community relations and also gender
equality and solidarity
Slovenian representatives in the Chamber of Local Authorities are Izidor
Jekovec (deputy mayor of Žirovnica) and Cveta Zalokar Oražem (municipal councillor,
Domžale); their substitute is Uroš Brežan (mayor of Tolmin). Slovenian
representative in the Chamber of Regions is Miro Koželj (mayor of Šenčur); his
substitutes are Bernardka Krnc (mayor of Šmarješke toplice) and Bogdan Barovič
(mayor of Trbovlje).
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