(AGENPARL) – Mer 11 Novembre 2026 [Image]
PRESS RELEASE
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
Ref. CG078(2026)
AI is going local – but are municipalities in Europe prepared?
The Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities to launch on 17 November in Paris its first Academy on responsible AI governance at local level
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is the political assembly representing local and regional governments across the 46 member States, responsible for promoting and monitoring local
Artificial Intelligence increasingly shapes how public authorities design policies, manage services and interact with citizens. Local and regional authorities are becoming key actors in the practical use of AI systems in their communities. With European AI governance frameworks evolving rapidly, local and regional authorities play a crucial role in translating these frameworks into practice. Yet, many municipalities, in particular smaller ones, lack capacity in understanding and governing AI technologies.
“Local government is where people participate in and experience the impact of public decisions most directly. As AI becomes part of those processes, it is essential that its use be transparent, inclusive and accountable – and that local authorities have the tools to govern it responsibly,” underlined Congress Spokesperson on AI Markus Kleemann (Germany, EPP/CCE) ahead of the Academy’s opening.
Composed of two chambers – the Chamber of Local Authorities and the Chamber of Regions – and three committees, the Congress brings together 612 elected officials representing more than 130 000 local and regional authorities.
President of the Congress: Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities:Konstantinos Koukas (Greece, EPP/CCE), President of the Chamber of Regions: Cecilia Dalman Eek (Sweden, SOC/G/PD).
Political groups: Group of Socialists, Greens and Progressive Democrats (SOC/G/PD), Group of the European Peoples Party (EPP/CCE), Independent Liberal and Democratic Group (ILDG), European Conservatives and Reformists Group (ECR), Patriots for Europe (PfE).
Council of Europe/Conseil de l’Europe, Avenue de l’Europe, Strasbourg, . 67000 France
