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BENNIS Hamza
In Employment, Employment, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Press, Public services, Public services, Publications

Revision of written statement directive 

Social Dialogue - News 2021

New obligations on short-term contracts could burden local employers 

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As the European Commission considers revising the Written Statement Directive (91/533/EEC) to reflect the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) calls for a balanced and flexible approach that takes into account the realities of local and regional government employment. 

In its official response to the Commission’s first-phase consultation of the social partners, CEMR acknowledges that the Commission has correctly identified many relevant issues. However, it expresses concern that expanding the scope of the directive, particularly to cover all atypical and short-term work contracts, could result in disproportionate administrative burdens for local authorities. 

“The introduction of written statements for contracts under one month or eight hours would place a burden on employers that is not proportionate to the benefits for employees,” the response notes. 

CEMR stresses that: 

  • Most local government staff already fall under the existing rules; 
  • Local authorities need flexibility in handling casual and supply contracts, especially in sectors like education; 
  • Contractual elements should remain a matter for national decision-making, not EU regulation; 
  • There is a risk in conflating very different work arrangements, such as traineeships, digital platform work, and genuine self-employment. 

While supportive of fair and transparent working conditions, CEMR does not currently support new EU-level legislation in the areas identified and advises further analysis of the impact on public employers. Should EU-level social partners initiate negotiations under Article 155 TFEU, CEMR affirms its willingness to support the process. 

Read the position paper here 

For more information, contact: 

BENNIS Hamza
In Employment, Employment, Gender equality, Gender equality, Impact community Labour, Impact community Labour, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Migration and inclusion, Publications

Strengthening work-life balance 

Work Life - News

Improving equality, labour participation, and social cohesion through better policies on leave, childcare, and flexible work 

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Work-life balance remains one of the most pressing challenges in Europe, with direct implications for gender equality, labour market participation, and social cohesion. Despite progress in recent decades, women remain underrepresented in employment, face higher risks of poverty, and continue to carry a disproportionate share of care responsibilities. Addressing these issues is not only a matter of fairness but also an economic necessity, as women’s employment is a key driver of growth. 

Policies that support better reconciliation of work and family life are crucial to close the gender employment gap. Several measures stand out: ensuring high-quality and affordable childcare, promoting equal sharing of parental leave, developing flexible working arrangements, and adopting gender-sensitive budgeting practices. 

Childcare plays a central role in enabling equal participation in the labour market. Meeting the “Barcelona objectives”, with at least 90% of children between the ages of three and school age having access to childcare, is essential. Investment in childcare infrastructure reduces the burden of informal care, often borne by women, and creates conditions for greater economic independence. 

Equally important are leave provisions. While maternity leave remains a cornerstone, extending its duration may sometimes hinder women’s reintegration into the workforce. Alternatives such as affordable childcare, telework options, or flexible work schemes can provide more balanced solutions. Paternity leave, especially when non-transferable, is vital for promoting equal responsibility between parents, while parental leave policies must go further in encouraging fathers’ participation. Carers’ leave also deserves attention, particularly as ageing populations increase the demand for informal care. 

Flexible working arrangements, including telework, temporary reductions in working hours, and adaptable schedules, can further support families. Properly implemented, they improve retention, motivation, and productivity, while helping both women and men manage family responsibilities. 

Finally, transparency in pay structures and the regular monitoring of gender equality measures at all levels can help reduce persistent wage gaps and ensure progress is visible. Sharing good practices and setting benchmarks allows countries and regions to learn from one another and target actions where they are most needed. 

Work-life balance is not just a matter of private concern but a cornerstone of social and economic development. By strengthening childcare, modernising leave policies, and encouraging flexible and equal working arrangements, societies can ensure greater gender equality, reduce poverty risks, and boost long-term growth. Achieving these goals requires commitment across all levels of governance, with local and regional authorities playing a decisive role in turning principles into everyday realities. 

Read the position paper here 

For more information, contact: 

GRIFFON Axelle
In Climate, Climate, Energy, Energy, Environment, Environment, Governance, Governance, Impact community Climate, Impact community Climate, Local finances, Local finances, Press, Publications

State ofplay – energy union

Energy Transition - News

Becoming More Energy Efficient: CEMR’s Key Messages for the EU’s Legislative Review on Energy

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As the European Union prepares to revise its energy legislation, the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is calling on the EU and national governments to place local and regional authorities at the heart of the energy transition.

Cities and regions across Europe are already taking bold steps to become more energy-efficient, reduce emissions, and build climate-resilient communities. But to succeed, they need enabling legislation, access to funding, and recognition of their existing efforts. The forthcoming reviews of the Energy Efficiency Directive, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and the Renewable Energy Directive are key opportunities to strengthen local involvement and accelerate the green transition.

Four Key Messages from CEMR

1. Governance: Empower Local and Regional Authorities

CEMR urges EU institutions to embrace a shift towards inclusive, multi-level governance. Local and regional governments are no longer just implementers, they are now co-drivers of the energy transition. The EU must ensure that subnational authorities are directly involved in preparing and implementing national energy and climate plans. A bottom-up approach is not only more democratic but also more effective in engaging citizens and delivering tangible results on the ground.

Many local governments have already developed Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans through initiatives like the Covenant of Mayors. These efforts show that local leadership is essential to reaching EU targets for 2030, including a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 27% share of renewable energy.

2. Regulation: Promote Flexibility and Policy Integration

CEMR advocates for flexible regulations that acknowledge the diverse realities across Europe. While energy efficiency goals are shared, the path to achieving them must be adaptable to local contexts. The principle of subsidiarity must guide legislation, allowing local governments to balance economic, social, and environmental priorities.

Local authorities must also retain discretion in public procurement, especially when it comes to energy performance requirements. Instead of imposing rigid obligations, the EU should provide guidance and incentives, for instance, by supporting the use of life-cycle costing and encouraging innovation in decentralised energy systems.

3. Financing: Ensure Access to Funding

Ambitious targets demand robust financial support. Cities and regions need accessible and flexible financing tools to renovate public buildings, deploy renewables, and invest in low-carbon infrastructure. CEMR stresses the importance of tailored financial mechanisms, such as off-balance sheet financing and favourable loans supported by the European Investment Bank or Member States.

The EU must also address legal and procedural barriers to joint procurement and bundled investments across municipalities. Initiatives like the CITYnvest project show how collaboration can unlock innovative financing and accelerate energy-efficient renovation.

4. International Cooperation: Strengthen Global Partnerships

CEMR, together with its PLATFORMA partners, champions international cooperation among local and regional authorities. Building on the legacy of strong local governance, these partnerships support low-carbon development worldwide.

CEMR also plays an active role in global advocacy through forums like the UNFCCC COPs and Habitat summits. The international community is increasingly recognising the value of local action, and European cities are leading the way.

Conclusion

CEMR stands ready to support the EU’s energy transition, but success hinges on empowering local and regional governments. With the right governance, flexible regulation, accessible financing, and global collaboration, the EU can deliver a just, effective, and locally driven pathway to a sustainable energy future.

Read the position paper here

For more information, contact:

BORDELOT Federica
In Gender equality, Impact community Society, Press, Publications

Women Leadership

Women - News Section

Women leadership at the local level: a requirement to fight against climate change

“As a woman leader I encourage us all to take development challenges into our own hands,” said the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, at the meeting on women’s leadership in development organised by our global association (UCLG), on 6 December, in the city hall of Paris.

Organised in the margins of the COP21 negotiations, the event gathered local elected representatives worldwide to put forward the gender equality approach in the fight against climate change, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to shape sustainable urban policies.

Read a full article on the event on the website of the Charter of the Observatory for equality of women and men in local life.

BORDELOT Federica
In Gender equality, Impact community Society, Press

Gender Equality Policies

Gender Equality - News Section

European institutions should support towns and regions to plan, monitor and evaluate gender equality policies

The Observatory on the European Charter for equality of women and men in local life (the Observatory) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) call on the European institutions to support towns and regions to implement initiatives to advance gender equality at the local level. 

Today, 1500 towns and regions from 32 European countries are already taking action towards gender equality, for instance, by promoting gender diversity in municipal professions, like bus drivers, or by offering training programmes in schools to prevent gender-based stereotypes. This is why, in October 2015, the Observatory launched a toolkit to support these towns and regions to plan, monitor and evaluate gender equality policies. The new tool includes a set of 76 indicators covering areas such as employment, decision-making process or social care.

Despite local government efforts, several challenges remain, such as the lack of financial and human resources or non-adapted national institutional framework. To overcome these challenges, EU institutions must support fully policies developed by towns and regions. Otherwise the risk is that initiatives undertaken by municipalities, cities and regions will diminish or even disappear. Using this tool will therefore provide a real chance to achieve this goal: “We must ensure that this new tool does not remain hidden away in a drawer,” said Ibon Uribe CEMR spokesperson for gender equality.

In addition, locally elected representatives should be included in the implementation of the EU’s future strategy for equality that will frame European actions and policies to improve gender equality over the next five years. 

The Observatory and CEMR call on towns and regions to use the tool

The new tool will make it easier to identify needs on the ground and to set up suitable projects, such as the establishment of public bodies to ensure gender equality or the promotion of women in decision-making positions at the local level.  

“The toolkit will constitute a common framework at European level for local and regional governments to monitor gender equality policies,” said CEMR spokesperson on gender equality. This is why it is important for CEMR’s associations to undertake their responsibility and support the implementation of public policies. “Now it is our role to ensure that this tool is disseminated and used. This is our collective responsibility, the European institutions, CEMR member associations and we as politicians and experts at local and regional level,” stated Ibon Uribe. 

BENNIS Hamza
In Governance, Governance, Impact community Society, Impact community Society, Press, Public services, Public services, Publications

TTIP: protect local autonomy

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CEMR warns trade deal must not undermine public services or local self-government

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As negotiations progress on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) urges the European Commission to ensure that any final agreement fully respects the autonomy of local and regional governments across Europe. 

While recognising the potential economic benefits of TTIP, CEMR underlines that free trade must not come at the expense of democratic governance, public service quality, or citizens’ rights. The organisation stresses that local and regional authorities (LRAs) must retain the freedom to shape and deliver public services tailored to their communities’ needs. 

Safeguarding Public Services 

CEMR calls for a clear, horizontal exemption of all public services from TTIP. Ambiguous definitions such as “public utilities” or “services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority” are inadequate and leave room for legal uncertainty. CEMR strongly opposes “standstill” and “ratchet” clauses that would make liberalisation irreversible, limiting future political choices at the local level. 

Local governments must remain free to organise, finance, and deliver services such as water, energy, transport, health and social care. These services are essential to social cohesion and territorial equality, and their regulation must not be constrained by trade rules designed for commercial markets. 

Rejecting Investor Privileges 

CEMR expresses deep concern over the inclusion of Investor-to-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms. Such provisions would allow corporations to sue public authorities outside national courts, threatening democratic decision-making and the general interest. In stable democracies like the EU and the US, robust national legal systems already offer sufficient protection for investors. 

Regulatory Cooperation and Standards 

While regulatory cooperation can reduce trade barriers, CEMR insists it must not lead to a lowering of European standards in areas such as environmental protection, health, safety, labour rights or data privacy. Instead, TTIP should provide opportunities to raise standards on both sides of the Atlantic. 

Moreover, local and regional authorities must maintain the right to set stricter rules where justified by the public interest. 

Transparency and Democratic Accountability 

CEMR criticises the lack of transparency in TTIP negotiations and the limited involvement of local authorities. As the agreement would have far-reaching implications for subnational governance, LRAs and their national associations must be meaningfully involved in the process, not merely consulted post-factum. 

CEMR calls for regular dialogue between EU negotiators and local governments, and for national parliaments and the European Parliament to have a real say in shaping the agreement. 

“Trade must never override democracy. Local authorities are not just economic actors – they are democratically elected institutions with a duty to serve the public good. TTIP must reflect that.” 
— Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) 

Read the position paper here 

For more information, contact: 

BORDELOT Federica
In Gender equality, Impact community Society, Local Insights

Gender Equality in Strasbourg

Strasbourg - News 2011

Strasbourg on the road to gender equality

The mayor of Strasbourg, Roland Ries, signed the European Charter for the equality of women and men in local life, on 18 January.

The signing of the charter was held at the Strasbourg city hall on the occasion of the meeting.

of the monitoring group of the charter chaired by Jocelyne Bougeard, President of CEMR’s Committee of Women elected representatives of local and regional authorities. French members of the European Parliament participated in the event.

An action plan will be implemented within two years, said city councillor in charge of gender equality, Mine Günbay. It will be based on three axes: first, within the administration, the second largest employer in the urban community of Strasbourg with 6 000 staff ; second, awareness and information campaigns will be organised among the population. ; finally, support will be given to local associations working in the field of gender equality.

The charter has been elaborated by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions. It aims to encourage local authorities in Europe to use their powers and partnerships to promote gender equality.

Strasbourg is the 65th French local government to have signed the charter.

– Website of the French section of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (AFCCRE)

THOMAS Carol
In Governance, Governance, Local democracy, Local democracy, Press, Publications

European charter of municipal liberties 

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How the 1953 European Charter of Municipal Liberties laid the groundwork for local self-government in Europe 

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In October 1953, more than one thousand mayors and local representatives from 16 European countries gathered in Versailles for a historic assembly. Out of their debates emerged the European Charter of Municipal Liberties, a pioneering text that recognised the essential role of municipalities in safeguarding democracy, peace, and citizen freedoms. Drafted and adopted under the auspices of the Council of European Municipalities, it was one of the first pan-European commitments to local democracy, years before the binding European Charter of Local Self-Government (1985). 

The Charter of 1953 marked a crucial step in Europe’s post-war reconstruction: ensuring that citizens had a say in shaping their communities, free from arbitrary authority, and rooted in centuries-old traditions of liberty and human dignity. 

The Charter of Municipal Liberties defined local self-government as the cornerstone of democratic societies. It emphasised that municipalities were the very foundation of nations, where citizens had the right and duty to participate in local life. 

Key principles included: 

  • Constitutional guarantees: Municipal liberties must be enshrined in law and safeguarded by independent courts. 
  • Autonomy in decision-making: Municipalities should decide on local matters, adapt national laws to local circumstances, and manage their own staff and administration. 
  • Financial independence: Local authorities should raise their own taxes and resources to meet citizens’ needs, with systems of compensation available for those with weaker resources. 
  • Checks and balances: Municipal decisions could only be controlled for legality, and boundaries could not be altered without consulting the affected population. 
  • International cooperation: Municipalities and their associations had the right to belong to international organisations to defend their interests and strengthen European unity. 

The Assembly also adopted a Resolution on Municipalities and European Institutions, declaring municipal self-government the “bulwark of personal liberties” and calling for local authorities to have a voice in the emerging European political community. 

The European Charter of Municipal Liberties (1953) was a visionary document that helped establish the principle that democracy begins at the local level. At a time when Europe was rebuilding from the devastation of war, it placed municipalities at the heart of political, social, and economic renewal. 

Though not legally binding, the Charter inspired decades of work to protect and strengthen municipal autonomy across Europe. It laid the moral and political foundation for the European Charter of Local Self-Government (1985), which gave these principles full legal recognition. 

Seventy years on, the 1953 Charter stands as a testament to the determination of Europe’s mayors and local leaders to defend liberty, democracy, and cooperation across borders, values that continue to shape Europe’s governance today. 

Read the charter here 

For more information, contact: 

THOMAS Carol
In Governance, Governance, Local democracy, Local democracy, Press, Publications

European charter of self-government 

SDG Implementation - News 2023

How the European Charter of Local Self-Government reshaped democracy in Europe 

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The 20th century witnessed the rise of local and regional democracy as one of the most important democratic innovations. At its heart lies the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the first binding international treaty to guarantee the rights of communities and their elected authorities. Adopted in 1985 under the Council of Europe, the Charter firmly established local democracy as the cornerstone of governance closest to citizens, ensuring that power is not only shared but decentralised in practice. 

The Charter was drafted within the Council of Europe after years of advocacy by the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, the predecessor of today’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. Opened for signature in 1985 and in force since 1988, it has been ratified by the overwhelming majority of Council of Europe member states. 

The Charter requires that the principle of local self-government be enshrined in domestic law or constitutions. It sets out clear democratic safeguards, including the right of citizens to manage public affairs through elected councils, the protection of local authority boundaries, and the free exercise of local elected representatives’ functions. 

A landmark principle of subsidiarity runs through the text: decisions should be taken at the level closest to the citizen. This decentralisation of power must be matched with adequate financial resources, ensuring local governments are able to act effectively. Safeguards against undue interference, guarantees of financial autonomy, and the right of local authorities to associate nationally and internationally further reinforce their role. 

The Charter is flexible, allowing governments to choose which provisions they accept, but also firm, requiring adherence to a core set of fundamental principles of local democracy. Monitoring by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ensures compliance and encourages states to respect and expand local autonomy. 

The European Charter of Local Self-Government remains the benchmark treaty for local democracy, affirming that democracy begins at the local level. It guarantees that communities have the autonomy, powers, and resources to manage their affairs, while protecting citizens’ rights to participate directly or through elected representatives. 

More than three decades after its adoption, the Charter has not only safeguarded local self-government but has become a foundation of European democracy. It continues to inspire reforms, guide constitutional principles, and strengthen the voice of local and regional authorities across the continent. In doing so, it secures what is perhaps democracy’s most vital truth: that governance is most effective when it is closest to the people. 

Read the charter here 

For more information, contact: 

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