The Council of Europe signed joint agreements with twelve municipalities from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine on 1 March 2017. 

As stated by Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress, this will provide the mayors, as local leaders, with the “opportunity to break new ground and implement concrete actions to improve the quality of local democracy in your countries”. Mr Kiefer added that “we, at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, are proud to provide you with the political platform and operational framework to embark on this journey”. The agreements clearly show that the mayors “all share the same values – commitment to fighting corruption, and enhancing transparency and good governance in their administrations”, as highlighted by Jose Mendes Bota, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe. Previously in the day, the mayors had the opportunity to exchange views on their initiatives with peers, national associations of local and regional authorities and experts, inspiring them to be further engaged in the next steps. 

Photos are available here: 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/congress-of-local-and-regional-authorities/sets/72157680982056635/with/33222999815/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/congress-of-local-and-regional-authorities/sets/72157677459861773

Source: http://www.coe.int/t/congress/default_EN.asp?