MINSK, 29 April (BelTA) – Belarus is making progress in the relations with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in the area of local governance, Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus Mikhail Myasnikovich said at a meeting with representatives of the congress, BelTA has learned.
“We welcome our good relations with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the fact that they become traditional. We hope that this will promote the dialogue between the united Europe and Belarus in general,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
In 2018, the president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, then this post was held by Gudrun Mosler-Tornstrom, visited Belarus for the first time. During the visit she met with Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko to discuss areas of possible cooperation in local governance. The roundtable which was held then was attended by representatives of national and local bodies of public administration and local governance, public organizations and also representatives of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe from France, Italy, the Netherlands, Greece and Romania. In December 2018 the Council of the Republic, jointly with the Council of Europe, organized a seminar on the development of associations of local councils of deputies. In February 2019 the meeting in Kirovsk District, Mogilev Oblast, with the participation of experts from the Council of Europe, covered the issues related to the development of associations of local councils.
“Belarus is doing its best to implement the agreements we have reached,” Mikhail Myasnikovich said.
The current visit will promote expansion of cooperation between the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the Council for Cooperation of Local Self-Government Bodies at the Council of the Republic and will also help adopt the best European practices, including the training of personnel for local and regional authorities, development of cross-border cooperation, bolstering ties between regional and local authorities, the organization of work of associations of local authorities.
The delegation of the Congress is led by President Anders Knape. According to him, Belarus and the Congress have made serious headway in bilateral relations.
Anders Knape added that he was impressed by Minsk, its cleanness, the quality of roads, and also its people. He expressed confidence that in the future the Belarusian capital can not only become a city interesting for cooperation and development of relations, but also a promising travel destination for European countries. “This city has a lot to be proud of,” he said.
On 30 April, the meeting of the Council for Cooperation of Local Self-Government Bodies at the Council of the Republic with the participation of representatives of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will cover the action plan (roadmap) to improve legislation that regulates issues of local governance for the sustainable development of territories. Its implementation will result in the development of proposals to improve the legislation and, in particular, the law “On Local Governance and Self-Government in the Republic of Belarus”. Legislative development is one of the main areas of work of the Council of the Republic and its Council for Cooperation of Local Self-Government Bodies. The goal of this work is to improve living standards, address important economic, social and environmental issues. These include the creation of new jobs, improvement of the business climate, affordable and quality healthcare, education, and utility services. Special attention is paid to de-bureaucratization, administrative process streamlining, improvement of cooperation between local authorities and people.
