Council of Europe. Directorate of Co-operation for Local and Regional Democracy's Books

This document presents the proceedings of a conference held in Moscow in October 2000 to discuss financial relations in federal and highly regionalised European countries. In particular, it focused on the problem of delegated functions and the connections between two or more administrative levels, and special attention was given to the budgetary relations between regions and municipalities in the Russian Federation.

Report of discussions -- Programme -- Monitoring of compliance with commitments entered into by Council of Europe member states: an overview -- Monitoring in relation to conflict prevention and the reduction of inter-ethnic tensions in Europe / by Max van der Stoel -- Council of Europe monitoring mechanisms: general introduction -- The role of OSCE/ODIHR in human rights monitoring / by Audrey F. Glover -- The review meetings: an instrument for assessing the implementation of OSCE commitments / by Benedict von Tscharner -- OSCE mission to Ukraine: report on monitoring of OSCE commitment implementation: case study: Ukraine / by P. Roman Lishchynski -- Statement / by Ambassador Sten Lundbo -- Summary of the statement / by Peter Leuprecht.

This publication contains papers presented at a conference, held in November 2004 in Barcelona and organised by the Council of Europe. The purpose of the conference (held to mark the end of the three-year integrated project "Making democratic institutions work") was to discuss issues relating to the challenges and opportunities facing governments in Europe to strengthen democratic reform and encourage greater public participation. Topics covered include: promoting inclusive elections; financing of political parties; popular initiatives and referendums; and how modern communication technologies can affect the democratic process.

The concept of urban rehabilitation encompasses sustainable economic and social aspects of regeneration strategies, as well as highlighting heritage issues and cultural diversity. This publication sets out guidelines to assist local, regional and national authorities in devising strategies for local development and action plans for successful rehabilitation policies. This book is based on Council of Europe reference texts relating to the integrated conservation of heritage, social cohesion and human rights, and draws on the experiences and best practice in local development strategies and urban conservation.

This report is the proceedings of a colloquy held in Riga, 9-11 September 1999. The colloquy examined the conditions and results of the integration of biological and landscape diversity conservation, as well as the socio-economic aspects of tourism development programmes in western, central and eastern Europe. The colloquy focused on three pilot studies conducted by the Council of Europe on sustainable and balanced tourism development in Latvia, Ukraine and Romania.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe publishes a volume of adopted texts for each of its four part-sessions and Standing Committee meetings. The Assembly, or the Standing Committee on its behalf, can adopt three different types of texts: opinions, recommendations and resolutions. Opinions are mostly expressed by the Assembly on questions put to it by the Committee of Ministers, such as the admission of new member states to the Council of Europe, but also on draft conventions, or the budget. Recommendations contain proposals addressed to the Committee of Ministers, the implementation of which is within the competence of governments. Resolutions embody decisions by the Assembly on questions which it is empowered to put into effect or expressions of views for which it alone is responsible. They can also be addressed to national parliaments. References to committees: the Bureau of the Assembly decides whether communications - in particular from the Committee of Minister

This study summarises the discussions at a meeting, held in April 2002 and attended by representatives of European local and regional authorities, to consider key issues in relation to cities and regions in South-east Europe, including: economic needs and priorities; the promotion of small and medium sized businesses; transfrontier co-operation; and the role of local democracy associations.

Illegal immigration has been near the top of the political agendas of the member states of the Council of Europe for almost two decades. They are worried about the scale of the problem and frightened that it might exacerbate existing social tensions. This report, which was discussed at the 7th conference of European Ministers responsible for Migration Affairs in Helsinki in September 2002, surveys the problems and offers some recommendations on future policy. After defining illegal immigration, it discusses the organised traffic in human beings and the measures to control and deter settlement. It then examines the particular problems of the enlargement of the EU and Community policy before looking at the underlying demographic and economic trends and their effect on the labour market. The recommendations focus on a desire for a transparent system, which harmonises asylum and immigration policy and allows a positive regulation of labour migration.

This publication details the activities of the Council of Europe during 2005, including the work of the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the European Court of Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights. The highlight of the year was the third Summit of Heads of State and Government, held in Warsaw in May 2005, and four main themes emerged from the summit: to further promote common fundamental values (human rights, the rule of law and democracy); to make Europe a safer place by eradicating torture and inhuman and degrading treatment; to eliminate all forms of discrimination thus creating a more inclusive Europe; and to foster co-operation with other international and European organisations and institutions.

The Institutional Capacity Building Plan is the first of three components in the Regional Programme for Cultural and Natural Heritage in South East Europe that was launched in 2003. As part of this plan, a "translational theme-based debate" was held, the structure of which was based on an assessment of requests from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and Kosovo. The results of this debate have been published across three volumes in the European Heritage series. The first volume concerned current heritage policies and legislation; the second covered the tools for integrated management of cultural and natural heritage, in the broad sense of the term (the concept of "cultural environment"). This third volume examines how the enhancement of cultural and natural heritage can contribute to the implementation of sustainable development projects. The participants' reports and presentations on European best practices should inspire institutions to define rules and guidelines for structuring their national heritage policies so that they can also contribute to regional and local development strategies.

T-Kits ( = Training kits) are a product of the Partnership Agreement on European Youth Worker Training run by the CoE and the European Communities Commission

This report outlines the forms, resources and objectives of youth participation in the social transformation of the societies of post-cold war Eastern Europe. It examines how the forms of have changed ten years after the dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the symbolic reunion of the two parts of Europe. It considers whether the opportunities for youth involvement have expanded with the move towards political pluralism and a market economy, and how the current processes of European integration have affected youth activism in Eastern Europe. Includes a bibliography.

What laws should states enact to protect and promote their cultural heritage, and what administrative systems can they put in place to manage their cultural heritage policies most effectively? This revised and expanded guidance document aims to provide authoritative information on good practice in three primary areas: - the architectural heritage; - the archaeological heritage; and - the movable heritage. Consideration is given to integrated approaches to conservation, in particular those which take into account the global concept of sustainable development and the need for community involvement in formulating legal and institutional mechanisms. This publication is part of a series launched in 2000 on topics of general interest, based on experience acquired through pilot projects in different countries, and made available to all those involved in heritage in the member states of the Council of Europe.

T-Kits (Training kits) are a product of the Partnership Agreement on European Youth Worker Training run by the CoE and the European Communities Commission

This international review of Hungarian national youth policy is the fifteenth in the series started in 1997 by the Directorate of Youth and Sport of the Council of Europe. Like preceding reviews, it aims to fulfil three distinct objectives: - to advise on national youth policy; - to identify components which might combine to form a harmonised approach to youth policy across Europe; and - to contribute to a learning process in relation to the development and implementation of youth policy. Hungary, at its own request, embarked on an international review to benefit from ten years of reviewing experience and to contribute to the European exchange of information on youth policies. This report includes information gathered by the international review team as well as its analyses and recommendations concerning the development, perspectives and challenges for the future of youth policy in Hungary.

This publication is part of a series of reviews of national youth policies carried out by the Council of Europe, in collaboration with researchers, non-governmental youth organisations and governmental agencies responsible for the development and implementation of youth policy. The review comprises of a national report produced by the individual country, together with a critical analysis of national policy and practice undertaken by a team of international experts in the subject. This report is the 10th in the series and focuses on national youth policies and programmes in Norway.

During 2001 the Council of Europe continued to consolidate democratic change and to assist the applicant countries in facilitation of their accession. Indeed, Armenia and Azerbaijan joined the Council on 25 January bringing the total member states to 43. At the same time it remained true to its original aim of achieving greater unity through cooperation. Areas discussed include: political affairs;strategic planning; legal affairs and local democracy; human rights; social cohesion; education, culture, youth, sport. Appendices include the texts adopted by the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, and the judgements delivered by the European Court of Human Rights.

he Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe publishes a volume of adopted texts for each of its four part-sessions and Standing Committee meetings. The Assembly, or the Standing Committee on its behalf, can adopt three different types of texts: opinions, recommendations and resolutions. Opinions are mostly expressed by the Assembly on questions put to it by the Committee of Ministers, such as the admission of new member states to the Council of Europe, but also on draft conventions, or the budget. Recommendations contain proposals addressed to the Committee of Ministers, the implementation of which is within the competence of governments. Resolutions embody decisions by the Assembly on questions which it is empowered to put into effect or expressions of views for which it alone is responsible. They can also be addressed to national parliaments.

T-Kits ( = Training kits) are a product of the Partnership Agreement on European Youth Worker Training run by the CoE and the European Communities Commission

European wood heritage is a living tradition still in use in some regions of Europe but also represents one of the most threatened forms of cultural expression. This publication contains a number of papers presented at a series of transnational meetings organised by the Council of Europe to examine traditional building methods and compare experience and techniques on preserving this form of cultural heritage. It seeks to raise awareness of the social and economic value of wooden traditions in local communities throughout Europe.

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