The 50th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe began today in Strasbourg and will run until 2 April 2026.

During the Session, the Congress will welcome new national delegations with a five-year mandate and elect a new leadership.

The agenda includes debates on russia’s war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction at the local and regional levels, and the territorial organisation of power in Ukraine.

The participants in the debate will include: Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine; Oleksii Kuleba, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine; and Dr. Michael O’Flaherty, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.

In parallel, a High-Level Dialogue on Decentralisation, Good Governance and Elections in Ukraine will be held on 1-2 April.

On the eve of the Session, Oleksandr Korniienko, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, held a meeting with the Independent and Liberal Democrats Group (ILDG) at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

According to Mr Korniienko, one of the key issues remains the preparation for post-war elections:

‘Security is the top priority. Together with all members of the Working Group, we agreed that appropriate security conditions must be in place for elections to be held.’

The session will also include an exchange of views with Bjørn Berg, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and Alexei Buza, Secretary General of the Government of the Republic of Moldova, who is representing his country’s chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.