'Elected representatives have a duty to uphold high ethical values in their conduct,'' stressed Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström during the conference on 'The role of local and regional authorities in preventing corruption and promoting good governance' held in Brussels on 28 February 2017.

In this context, Ms Mosler-Törnström referred to the European Code of conduct for the political integrity of local and regional elected representatives, adopted by the Congress in 1999. This code sets out general principles governing public duties and specific obligations of elected representatives during the taking, holding and relinquishing of office. Although the Code of conduct has proven to be a major instrument for promoting public ethics, it is “a child of its time', pointed out Congress rapporteur on the revision of the Code, Manuela Bora. It is widely recognized that the Code needs to be revised to fully embrace the new challenges that have arisen in the past 20 years. 'A lot of the pressure for this revision is coming from the new social media and the young generation, which take transparency for granted and produce new forms of civic and political engagement' Ms Bora added. 

Source: http://www.coe.int/t/congress/default_en.asp