Local Government and Quality: from information to action

1. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform COUNCIL OF EUROPE Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs Directorate of Democratic Institutions Local Government and Quality: from information to action A Council of Europe perspective of Good Governance at local level

2. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Local Government and Quality: from information to action • Collecting information • Transforming information into knowledge • Transforming knowledge into skills • From skills to capacity: Council of Europe approach • Transforming capacity into action

3. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Information on local government in the Council of Europe • European Committee on Local and Regional Democracy (CDLR): information from central governments • Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe: information from local authorities • Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform: information on capacity-building tools and programmes

4. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Transforming information into knowledge: Council of Europe approach • Committee of Ministers adopts legal instruments: conventions and recommendations • CDLR adopts reports with guidelines and prepares draft CM conventions and recommendations • Congressadopts reports and recommendations • Centre of Expertiseidentifies and prepares programmes

5. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Transforming knowledge into skills • Initial training • Life-long training • Exchange of experience, conferences, seminars… • Learning by doing • Learning from the others

6. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Knowledge to skills: Council of Europe approach • Congress organises conferences, seminars, workshops… • Centre of Expertise may offer targeted training as part of its programmes

7. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Transforming skills into capacity • Prepare “tools” : model benchmarks and health-check lists, model performance management indicators… • Prepare “methodologies”: benchmarking, comparing to the best or the average, learning from the best, transforming indicators into performance management systems… • Adapt them to local circumstances • Give them to local ownership

8. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Skills to capacity: Council of Europe approach The Centre of Expertise prepares tools and methodologies, supervises their adaptation and implementation, gives them to local ownership: • Best Practice Programme: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Moldova, the Russian Federation and Serbia • Leadership Benchmark: Bulgaria, Croatia, the Russian Federation, Serbia and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” • National Training Strategy: Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Georgia, Moldova and Montenegro • Performance Management Programme: Bulgaria, Serbia • Public Ethics Benchmarking Programme: Spain (road test), Moldova and Ukraine • UNDP-CoE Toolkit “Towards a Modern Local Government Association”

9. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Transforming capacity into action • Create a climate where change is welcome • Motivate people • Obtain commitment • Help in the initial phases of change • Give recognition to the best

10. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Capacity into action: Council of Europe approach Most programmes of the Centre of Expertise integrate practical change: • Obtain commitment from local stakeholders • Evaluate (self-assessment or peer reviews); • Make recommendations for change • Prepare and implement Action Plans for change • New rounds of assessment (by peers) to measure change • Give recognition to the best

11. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform A Council of Europe Strategy for Innovation and Good governance • Identify essential elements of good governance at local authority level • Identify the main measures that stakeholders (local authorities, local government associations, central governments, Council of Europe) should take • Obtain strong commitment from all stakeholders

12. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform A European Label of Quality for Good Governance at Local Level • Recognise good governance • Obtain commitment from local authorities to improving governance • Allow learning from the others • Will be granted in a decentralised way by local partners • On the basis of criteria developed at European level

13. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform The Role of the Local Government Association • In preparing and implementing of national strategies (European Conference - Dec 07 / Jan 08) • In representing interests of local governments in front of central authorities • In providing local authorities with capacity-building services We want strong and responsible LG associations to meet their members’ expectations

14. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform The Toolkit on Modern Local Government Association • Joint initiative CoE and UNDP • Build on best European Experience • Uses modern methodologies • Self-assessment • Learning friendly • Long Term

15. Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform Directorate of Democratic Institutions DG Democracy and Political Affairs Council of Europe http://www.coe.int/local http://www.loreg.coe.int Sylvia Ivanova Tel: 00 33 3 90 21 52 93 E-mail: sylvia.ivanova@coe.int