The Congress Governance Committee, welcomed by Jan Markink (Netherlands, ILDG) and chaired by Jelena Drenjanin (Sweden, EPP/CCE), took place on 1 June 2023 in Arnhem (Gelderland province, Netherlands).

The members of the Governance Committee approved the draft information report on “The role of second parliamentary chambers in Europe in enhancing the representation of regions and local authorities” presented by co-rapporteurs Mr Benoît Pilet (France, ILDG) and Ms Doerte Liebetruth (Germany, SOC/G/PD) as well as the draft “European Urban Charter III (2023) : Urban living in the era of transformations”, presented by rapporteur Anne Colgan (Ireland, ILDG). These reports will be debated for adoption during the Congress session in October 2023.

Rich exchanges took place on circular economy, reviving small towns and rural areas and integrity and prevention of corruption as well as on the elaboration of a training module on hate speech and fake news.

On 2 June, the Committee meeting was followed by a “Governance Talks” Conference on digital empowerment for European municipalities and regions. Dutch Minister for Digitalisation, Alexandra van Huffelen, underlined that the Dutch government’s digital agenda is profoundly human centric. “Everyone can participate in digital life, everyone can trust the digital world, everyone has control over his/her digital life … and we work value driven and transparent for all” she emphasised. 

More here.