Council of European Municipalities and Regions facts for kids
CEMR logo
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| Formation | 1951 |
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| Type | Association |
| Location |
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Membership
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130,000 |
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President
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Gunn Marit Helgesen |
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Secretary General
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Fabrizio Rossi |
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Staff
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30 |
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the largest group for local and regional governments in Europe. It brings together 60 national associations from 41 countries. These associations represent about 130,000 local and regional authorities, like towns and cities.
CEMR is led by its president, currently Gunn Marit Helgesen. She is a councillor from Vestfold and Telemark, Norway. She is also the president of the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities. CEMR has about 30 staff members. They are led by the secretary-general, Fabrizio Rossi.
CEMR gets most of its money from membership fees paid by its national associations. About 15% of its funding comes from the European Commission. CEMR also acts as the European part of a global group called United Cities and Local Governments.
Contents
History of CEMR
CEMR was started in Geneva on January 28, 1951. It was first called the Council of European Municipalities (CEM). It was founded by a group of mayors from different European cities. Later, regions were also allowed to join. This is why the name changed to the Council of European Municipalities and Regions.
Who leads CEMR?
Gunn Marit Helgesen became the President of CEMR in December 2022. She is also a councillor in Vestfold and Telemark, Norway.
Some past presidents include:
- Stefano Bonnaccini, from 2016 to 2022
- Íñigo de la Serna, from 2015 to 2016
- Annemarie Jorritsma, from 2013 to 2015
- Wolfgang Schuster, from 2010 to 2013
- Michael Häupl, from 2004 to 2010
- Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, from 1997 to 2004
What CEMR Does
CEMR works to create a united Europe. It believes in strong local and regional governments and democracy. Its main goals are to:
- Help local and regional areas contribute to Europe's future.
- Influence European laws and policies.
- Share experiences between local and regional governments.
- Work with partners around the world.
More than 60% of policies in cities and regions are affected by European laws. CEMR works with its members to make sure their needs are heard. This happens when European policies are being created.
Key Areas of Work
CEMR focuses on five main areas. These areas affect people's lives and the local governments that serve them:
- Governance, democracy, and citizenship: How local governments are run and how people participate.
- Environment, climate, and energy: Protecting the planet and using energy wisely.
- International engagement and cooperation: Working with other countries and regions.
- Local and regional public services: Making sure services like waste collection and public transport work well.
- Economic, social, and territorial cohesion: Helping all areas of Europe grow and develop fairly.
CEMR also plays a big part in creating town twinning networks across Europe. Town twinning connects towns and cities in different countries. This helps people learn about other cultures. There are over 30,000 twinning projects in Europe today.
CEMR has also created important documents for local governments. One is the Charter of Local Liberties (1953). This inspired the Charter on Local Self-Government of the Council of Europe (1985). CEMR also launched the European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life in 2006. More than 1,800 local and regional governments have signed this charter.
Working with Workers (Social Dialogue)
CEMR represents local and regional governments as employers. It works with a trade union called EPSU. They discuss important topics for workers in public services.
This group was officially set up in 2004. It covers public services like local administrators, firefighters, and waste workers. This includes about 13 million workers across Europe.
This group helps improve public services. It shares information about jobs and influences laws about employment, training, and safety.
Promoting Gender Equality
In May 2006, CEMR launched the European charter for equality of women and men in local life. This charter asks local and regional governments to promise to work for equality between men and women. They agree to put the charter into practice in their areas.
The Charter is now available in 27 languages. Over 1,800 towns and regions from 36 European countries have signed it.
To check how well the Charter is being used, CEMR set up an "Observatory" in 2012. This helps them see the progress being made.
Town Twinning Projects
CEMR believes that town twinning is a great way to bring Europe closer to its citizens. It helps people connect across national borders.
In 2007, CEMR held a conference in Rhodes about "Twinning for tomorrow's world." Over 600 local government leaders discussed new ways to twin towns. They also talked about how twinning can help with social inclusion.
In 2011, CEMR organized a congress in Rybnik, Poland. This event focused on citizenship and twinning. Participants learned about new partnerships between local governments and citizens. They also explored how to encourage more "grassroots democracy."
See also
- Congress of the Council of Europe
- European Union Regional policy
- List of micro-regional organizations
