• Home
  • About
    • Governance & Structure
      • The AER Executive Board
    • The AER Secretariat
    • Statute & Strategies
      • AER Statute
      • AER Procedures
    • The History of AER
  • Members
    • Who are AER’s members?
    • Member Directory
    • Join AER!
  • Mutual Learning
    • About Mutual Learning
    • The Knowledge Transfer Forum
    • Working Groups
      • Ongoing Working Groups
      • Past Working Groups
  • Advocacy
    • About Our Advocacy Work
    • The Bureau
    • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
    • AER Political Priorities 2020-2025
    • Intercultural Regions Network
  • Projects
    • About Our Projects
    • Ongoing Projects
    • Look for Partners
    • Completed Projects
  • AER Programmes
    • AER Eurodyssey
    • AER SUMMER ACADEMY
    • AER Youth Regional Network (YRN)
    • AER Observatory on Regionalisation
  • Events
    • AER events
    • Other events
  • AER stands with Ukraine

Assembly of European Regions

Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985

You are here: Home / News / Creating the conditions for effective regional democracy

Creating the conditions for effective regional democracy

2 March, 2005 By Editor

Facebooktwitterlinkedinmail
Share this!


A challenge for the States and Regions of Europe

Novi Sad, Vojvodina (SRB), 2 March 2005

‘European democracy must be built from the bottom-up. The regional and the local authorities are the levels of government closest to the citizen, providing key services and acting as the main interface between the citizens and the state. However, regions cannot operate effectively unless they are provided with adequate financial resources and a legal and constitutional framework that assists them in exercising their rights and carrying out their responsibilities in an optimal manner’, declared Riccardo Illy, President of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) and of Friuli Venezia Giulia-I.

This was the key message of the conference organised by the AER in partnership with the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in Novi Sad (Serbia and Montenegro), on 1 and 2 March. The conference, which also featured contributions from the Council of Europe, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), explored how an effective framework for regional democracy could be created in Europe. The focus was upon the financing of regional authorities, the elaboration of regional competencies and the national legal and constitutional framework for regional and local democracy.

The conference was attended by 120 top-level representatives of regions and other interested parties from 15 countries, who compared the effectiveness of the financial and legal frameworks for regional self-government in their respective countries. Specific emphasis was placed upon using best practice in Europe to improve the conditions for regional democracy in Serbia and Montenegro. President Illy met with Bojan Kostres, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of Vojvodina, and a number of preeminent academic experts and practitioners to discuss the way in which the Serbian Constitution can best protect and promote regional democracy. Drawing upon the expertise of the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s body of experts on constitutional matters, these key players were able to undertake an in-depth exploration of constitutional issues and explore ways in which the new Constitution can ensure the proper functioning of regional democracy in Serbia. Participants will now try to identify concrete ways in which to implement the recommendations developed during the conference.

‘Regions must be provided with adequate financial resources and a proper constitutional framework within which they can exercise their competencies and serve their citizens’ concluded President Kostres. ‘We have seen today that, both in Serbia and in the rest of Europe, regional democracy is the key to the creation of vibrant, democratic societies in which citizens can exercise their rights and participate fully in political processes’.

For more information: [email protected]

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Follow AER!
Facebooktwitterlinkedinrss

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Danube, Democracy, Regional development

← We need exemption of small airports from EU Guidelines The EU needs a new vision →

More articles on this topic

centurio
AER Centurio 2000: Results
Autumn Digest 2021: Funding Opportunities for EU and Non-EU Member Regions
Committee 3 Annual Report June 2019 – November 2020
Debating the Role of Regions in the Digital Era
Youth Mobility at the fore during the 2019 Eurodyssey Forum in Sardinia

AER. Connecting regions, inspiring Europe since 1985.

Follow our newsletter!




View previous campaigns.


  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Tweets by @europeanregions

Library

Statutory Documents
AER Strategies
Minutes
Media Kit
Activity Reports
Newsletters
European Regions Map

Join AER!

Become a Member

Job Opportunities

Sign up for our Newsletter

Search

Website map

Brussels · Strasbourg · Alba Iulia

A Network, a Partner and a Voice of European regions, since 1985 · Copyright © 2023 · Assembly of European Regions · [email protected] · Log in