Congress of the Council of Europe Congress of the Council of Europe The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRA) is the pan-European political assembly representing local and regional authorities from the forty-seven member states of the Council of Europe. Its role is to promote local and regional democracy, improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities' self-government, according to the principles laid down in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. It is made up of two chambers, the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions and holds its plenary sessions twice a year at the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg, where its permanent
Council of European Municipalities and Regions linking towns from all over Europe. This process is improved through CEMR's close cooperation with the DG Education and Culture of the European Commission. Last but not least, CEMR is behind several political documents of significance to local and regional governance, such as the "Charter of Local Liberties" (adopted in 1953), which inspired the "Charter on Local Self-Government of the Council of Europe", adopted in 1985. It also launched the "European Charter for Equality of Women and Men in Local Life", which was adopted in 2006 and has been signed by more than 1,300 local and regional governments in Europe.