International Law and Public Administration: The European Charter of Local Self-Government

Abstract

This year, in October 2015, the European Charter of Local Self-Government celebrates its 30th birthday. This paper outlines the Congress of the Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and its historical institutional evolution. The focus is directed at its most important instrument to safeguard local and regional democracy in Europe: The European Charter of Local Self-Government. The paper illustrates core provisions of the Charter, questions of its implementation as well as the monitoring activities of the Congress, which aim at supporting the effectiveness and implementation of the Charter. This is exemplarily shown by drawing on the most recent report on local and regional democracy in Hungary since 2013. The paper concludes with an outlook on current needs and future challenges of local and regional democracy in Europe and especially envisions the ‘individualization’ of local democracy.