More democratic and inclusive local government can help promote youth engagement, stimulate socio-economic development, and improve public service.  In the land of discoveries, Portuguese local authorities discovered that by measuring their own performance against the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance they could strengthen democratic participation at local level and combat urban migration from their community.

At the award ceremony for the second cycle of the European Label of Governance Excellence award (ELoGE) in Portugal, the municipalities of Vila Pouca de Aguiar and Albergergaria-a-Velha discovered that the governance and management of their municipalities is considered by their citizens, elected officials, and peers to be in conformity with the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance.  They each received the ELoGE dodecahedron with one of the 12 Principles inscribed on each face.  

When the 2nd cycle of ELoGE was launched in Portugal in the summer of 2022, seven local authorities committed to implementing the Benchmark and promoting good democratic governance at local level.  Even though in the end only two communities completed the process, the feedback from those who embarked on the adventure was positive and they found that the exercise contributed to improvements in the management of their communities.
Alberto Machado, President of the Municipal Council of Vila Pouca de Aguiar, stressed the importance of involving citizens in designing and implementing policies that address their needs as key to good democratic governance.  Marcelo Delgado, President of the Associação dos Trabalhadores da Administração Local (ATAM), acknowledged the work of local officials in delivery good democratic governance, and noted that ELoGE is sign of good quality public service.  Stéphane Pintre, President of the European Federation of Local Government Chief Executives (UDITE) acknowledged the importance of Council of Europe standards and the readiness of UDITE to contribute to further dissemination throughout Europe.  

Participants were informed of the preparation of a draft Committee of Ministers recommendation on Good Democratic Governance that will establish standards to be respected by all member states at all levels of governance.  As a result, the ELoGE Benchmark will also be revised and updated to reflect feedback from implementation in over 20 member States across Europe.
ELoGE is currently implemented in Portugal by UDITE and their national member, ATAM.  Local government stakeholders in Portugal will now discuss preparing a new accreditation request to launch a 3rd cycle of ELoGE in 2024.

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