Ilsur Metshin has been re-elected to the Committee of the Council of Europe

(KZN.RU, November 7). Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, has been re-elected as deputy chairman of the Committee on topical issues of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. Delegates have adopted the corresponding decision by secret e-voting during the XXXV plenary session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

The political forum takes place in Strasbourg from 5 to 8 of November. The Mayor of Kazan represents the country at the forum as part of the Russian delegation in accordance with a presidential decree. The secret voting on the choice of the deputy chairman of the Congress was completed the day before. Representatives of major European countries (Italy, Austria, Great Britain, France, and others) were also elected to the posts of deputies. Elective posts were occupied by two representatives from the Russian Federation: Ilsur Metshin and Vsevolod Belikov, the head of the inner-city municipality of St. Petersburg “Finnish District”. The latter is elected to the post of deputy chairman of the Monitoring Committee.

The agenda of this conference is the integrity and ethical behavior of local and regional elected representatives. Participants in the Congress discuss topics such as conflicts of interest at the local and regional levels, the development of European Week of Local Democracy, transparency and open governance, the financial difficulties faced by local authorities and how to use territorial solidarity and regional self-government.

The leadership of the Council of Europe highly appreciated Ilsur Metshin’s professionalism, whose entire work activity is in the municipal service. In his speech, the Mayor of Kazan noted the main areas of activity: public security, intolerance to any manifestations of corruption, ongoing dialogue with the population, involving young people in solving local issues, working on strategically important documents (the Strategy-2030 and the Kazan General Plan). “We are constantly in developing, we take part in federal and regional programs and approve and implement ours”, said I. Metshin.

Working as a representative of the Russian Federation in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Ilsur Metshin expressed readiness to further promote the development of democratic foundations at the local and regional levels of the Council of Europe member states. “We managed to do a lot in order to promote European goals and principles at the local level”, he marked.

In general, the Russian delegates managed not only to strengthen their positions in the composition of the Congress, but also to improve them. The Mayor of Kazan was re-elected to the post of the deputy chairman of the Committee on topical issues of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRACE). In October 2016, the candidature of I. Metshin was also supported by delegates.

The CLRACE is a consultative body, which consists of the Chamber of Regions and the Chamber of Local Authorities. It includes 324 elected representatives of local and regional levels of government and the same number of deputies of the Council of Europe member states.

As one of the most authoritative and representative international intergovernmental organizations of the European continent, the CLRACE provides interstate dialogue on a wide range of issues. The main goal of it is the development of local democracy and the strengthening of cross-border and interregional cooperation in Europe.

I. Metshin joined the delegation of the Russian Federation to participate in the CLRACE by decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin №217-rp dated 07/21/2016. In addition, the Mayor of Kazan is a member of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Council of Europe and is included in the political group Independent and Liberal Democrats.

For reference

The Council of Europe is the oldest international political organization on the continent, established on May 5, 1949. Members of the Council of Europe are 47 states. The Russian Federation became a member state of the Council of Europe on February 28, 1996.

The main bodies of the Council of Europe include the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights.

According to the Charter of the organization, the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity between its members in the name of protecting and implementing the ideals and principles that are their common heritage and promoting their economic and social progress.