International Organisations

The first congress of local authority officials from the member states of the Council of Europe was held in 1956, and these congresses have since been a regular part of the councilŒs operations. Iceland has participated in this work in recent years by attending meetings of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), which discusses matters of common concern to most of the organizations. At a meeting of European political leaders held in Vienna in October 1993, it was decided to strengthen the CLRAE and to admit as members those Central and Eastern European states that met the conditions of its charter. The congressŒs charter has been amended in accordance with this decision, and it now consists solely of elected members of local and regional authorities. The congress operates in two divisions, one of which is composed of local authority representatives, the other of the representatives of regional authorities. 239 principal representatives occupy the congress, with the same number of alternates, from the 34 member states.

Further information about the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) can be found on the congresses website: www.coe.fr/CPLRE.