The lowest tier of public administration within a state, local authorities often have responsibility in areas with significant human rights implications, such as education, health and housing. Many judgments at the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) concern the actions of local authorities, meaning that these sub-national actors have a role at the judgment implementation level. Yet organs of the Council of Europe, with the exception of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, tend only to speak to ‘states’. Are current efforts to enable local authorities as rights actors in the multi-level ECHR system sufficient?
Co-organisation:
Elisabeth LAMBERT, CNRS Research Prof., Strasbourg
& Matthew SAUL, Prof., Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences