Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to Visit Georgia

A delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will carry out a monitoring visit to Georgia from 17 to 18 April 2018. The delegation will examine the situation of local and regional democracy in the light of the provisions of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, ratified by the country in 2004. 

Michail Angelopoulous (Greece, EPP/CCE) and Stewart Dickson (United-Kingdom, ILDG), rapporteurs on local and regional democracy, will focus on the developments in the field of local and regional democracy since March 19th 2013, the adoption of the last Congress recommendation.

A few of their noteworthy meetings will include those with the Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Maia Tskitishvili, the Minister of Finance Mamuka Bakhtadze, the Speaker of the Parliament Irakli Kobakhidze, the Deputy Auditor General Ekaterine Ghazadze and the First Deputy Public Defender Tamar Gvaramadze.

The delegation will hold discussions with the National Delegation of Georgia to the Congress and members of the executive board of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia (NALAG). The rapporteurs will also exchange views with the Mayor of Tbilisi, Mr Kakha Kaladze, members of Tbilisi City Hall, and the Chairman of the City Council of the Mtskheta Municipality, Mr Gela Bakradze.

They will also meet with representatives of the opposition.

The draft report and recommendation will be examined and submitted for approval at the Monitoring Committee at one of its next meetings before its submission for adoption by the Congress Session.

by Máté Földi

Photo: Council of Europe