Speaking on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe celebrated by the Congress during its 37th session, Marc Cools, President of the ILDG, expressed his conviction that the re-enchentment of citizens for politics goes through the local level:

“Democracy is sick in Europe and in the world. Many our citizens have lost confidence in the political institutions. The electoral successes of populist, extreme right or extreme left movements pretty much everywhere is a symptom. This situation has multiple causes. Among them the on-going effects of the 2008 economic crisis and the feeling among many fellow citizens that our governments do not listen to the people any more.  It is on the local level, in towns and villages, that democracy is most vivid, and that the citizen can better participate in making the choices that matter”.