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The European Civil Service Training Network (or ENTO) is a network[ when? ] which groups together the local and regional training establishments and programmes for nearly all 47 Council of Europe member states.
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The European Civil Service Training Network (or ENTO) is a network[ when? ] which groups together the local and regional training establishments and programmes for nearly all 47 Council of Europe member states.
While the idea for a European network such as this was first proposed by the Council of Europe, it became an independent association in 1995 and groups a wide variety of members together some with extensive experience and others which have been relatively recently created or organized. This diversity fosters a network with a wide range of abilities which facilitates the exchange of ideas and pools experience from various bodies in related fields.
One of the primary purposes behind ENTO lies in the strengthening of local democracy which is essential for democratic society. As a result of its work, fundamental reforms have been implemented in many European countries. These have created greater efficiency of officials and elected representatives at all levels of government starting at the local level. The reforms have also helped to support both the Council of Europe (more particularly the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe) and the European Union initiatives and efforts to improve public administration throughout Europe but particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. The training and availability of skilled staff ensures that duties and carried out professionally, lawfully, and democratically in each country.
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-localised and has limited powers. While in some countries, "government" is normally reserved purely for a national administration (government), the term local government is always used specifically in contrast to national government – as well as, in many cases, the activities of sub-national, first-level administrative divisions. Local governments generally act only within powers specifically delegated to them by law and/or directives of a higher level of government. In federal states, local government generally comprises a third or fourth tier of government, whereas in unitary states, local government usually occupies the second or third tier of government.
The European Union created a Committee of the Regions to represent Regions of Europe as the layer of EU government administration directly below the nation-state level. The committee has its headquarters in Brussels.
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany, often known in English as the East German Communist Party, was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic from the country's foundation in October 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Marxist–Leninist communist party, established in April 1946 as a merger between the East German branches of the Communist Party of Germany and Social Democratic Party of Germany.
Election monitoring involves the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or from a non-governmental organization (NGO). The monitoring parties aim primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and of international election standards. There are national and international election observers. Monitors do not directly prevent electoral fraud, but rather record and report instances of suspicious practices. Election observation increasingly looks at the entire electoral process over a long period of time, rather than at election-day proceedings only. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by the criticism of monitors, unless they are themselves seen as biased. A notable individual is often appointed honorary leader of a monitoring organization in an effort to enhance legitimacy of the monitoring process.
The Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), in support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications, is a non-governmental organisation and professional network which "aims to bring the views of students and young space professionals to the United Nations (UN), space industry and other organisations”. SGAC has a clear purpose to connect, inspire, engage and advocate; it works to raise awareness among the next generation of space professionals on a global scale. The SGAC network currently represents over 15,000 members across 150 countries - the world's largest network of students, young professionals and alumni in the space industry. SGAC operates in the six official languages of the United Nations, though the official working language is English.
In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary widely across jurisdictions.
The Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) is an autonomous, public agency responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico, that is, those related to the election of the President of the United Mexican States, the members of the Congress of the Union as well as elections of authorities and representatives at local and state levels. The agency's president is Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, appointed in 2014 for a 9-year tenure.
The Venice Commission, officially European Commission for Democracy through Law, is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. It was created in 1990 after the fall of the Berlin Wall, at a time of urgent need for constitutional assistance in Central and Eastern Europe.
The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is the largest organisation of local and regional governments in Europe. Its members are 60 national associations of towns, municipalities and regions from 41 countries that are part of the Council of Europe. Together these associations represent about 130,000 local and regional authorities.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is the pan-European political assembly representing local and regional authorities from the forty-six 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 Secretariat is located.
FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless, is the only major European network that focuses exclusively on homelessness at European level and receives financial support from the European Commission for the implementation of its activities. FEANTSA also works closely with other EU institutions, and has consultative status at the Council of Europe and the United Nations.
The North–South Centre, officially the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, is a Partial Agreement — of the Council of Europe, the oldest political organisation of European states.
The Liberal Democratic Party of Moldova is a conservative political party in Moldova. The party is led by Tudor Deliu. Until 2016, PLDM was led by Vlad Filat, who was Prime Minister of Moldova from 2009 to 2013, in two cabinets. Immediately after the 2014 parliamentary elections, with 21 seats in the Moldovan Parliament, PLDM was the largest of the three democratic pro-European parliamentary parties.
The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a non-governmental global association of professional city and regional planners. It was founded in 1965 in a bid to bring together recognised and highly qualified spatial planners in an international network. The first president of ISOCARP was its co-founder Prof. Sam van Embden (1965-1975).
Youth councils are a form of youth voice engaged in community decision-making. Youth councils are appointed bodies that exist on local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international levels among governments, non governmental organisations (NGOs), schools, and other entities.
Dosta! a Romani and Serbo-Croatian word meaning "enough", is a Council of Europe awareness raising campaign which aims to bring non-Roma closer to Roma citizens by breaking down the barriers caused by prejudices and stereotypes.
The Mediterranean Interregional Commission is one of the twelve Committees of the United Cities and Local Governments.
Party of Democratic Revival of Ukraine (PDVU) was a political party in 1990-96 that was created as an offshoot of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In 1996 along with number of other parties, it merged into the People's Democratic Party.
The World Forum for Democracy is a gathering each November in Strasbourg, France to debate the complex challenges facing democracies today and foster democratic innovation. The Forum is hosted by the Council of Europe and brings together members of civil society, political leaders and representatives of business, academia, media and professional groups. Past editions have revolved around themes such as "Bridging the gap: democracy between old models and new realities", "Re-wiring Democracy: connecting institutions and citizens in the digital age" and "From participation to influence: can youth revitalise democracy?".
The European Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion is an initiative from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The Alliance currently gathers 130 Cities and Regional authorities from 29 countries.