I have decided to concentrate my remarks today on one single and simple message. I ask for the broadest possible support of the local communities represented in the Congress for a key priority of the Council of Europe, namely the fight against intolerance and all forms of discrimination.

The contribution of the Congress to this aspect of the Council of Europe’s work dates back a long time and the list of policy recommendations on issues such as citizenship, social cohesion, public safety and the problems of specific social groups is a long and impressive one. Your work has already helped to make a difference, but together we can, and must, do more and better.

This issue is of special importance because it links all three priority areas of the Council of Europe’s mandate, namely democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Let me explain.

The biggest challenge our democracies are facing today is the need to encourage and motivate citizens to participate actively in the political process. There is a substantial part of the electorate which is simply no longer interested. That is dangerous because democracy cannot function without voters.

At the same time, a growing number of people, dissatisfied with mainstream politics, seek answers in fringe, populist and often extremist politicians, who shamelessly cater to their frustration, fears and prejudices. In most cases, these politicians seek political profit from pitting one human misery against another, without any regard for the consequences and with absolutely no interest in genuine solutions. Obviously this too is a dangerous development.

You are best placed to know the issues which are of the most immediate interest to people living in the villages, towns, cities and regions which you represent. But as I see it, most of their concerns are related to human and social rights such as employment, health and housing. If we do not respond to these concerns, and if the gap between the legitimate expectations and the responses of the authorities – in the broadest sense of the word – is too wide, people become frustrated. They start to complain, sometimes reasonably, sometimes less so, and they start looking for a guilty party. And we all know who the usual suspects are when it comes to that: immigrants, ethnic minorities and other vulnerable groups in the society.

In responding to this dangerous situation, we must all assume our responsibilities. When people complain that others have profited at their expense, we cannot simply tell them that they are wrong, or that they are asking the wrong questions. There are no wrong questions, only wrong answers. If we do not provide the right answers, populist and extremists will provide the wrong ones.

In many European countries including my country of origin, the United Kingdom, access to housing is one of the biggest problems of today - causing friction between different social groups.

Education, awareness-raising and mediation are all crucially important, but none of them will work if, simultaneously, we do not provide more housing. It is as simple as that.

Local authorities have a major responsibility in this respect, but they rarely have the means to meet these responsibilities or the right to decide how much to allocate. Of course, you must do your best with what you have, but when it is not enough, you owe it to the people you represent to say loudly and clearly why you cannot do more and who is responsible for it. National governments should not be let off the hook and leave you to deal with the consequences.

But of course, politicians are not only spenders and paymasters. We can shape and influence attitudes and opinions through what we do, what we decide and what we say. This is a huge responsibility. As an example, I ask you to consider the refusal by some local authorities to authorise public gatherings of gay and lesbian people. Of course it is wrong to make sweeping judgments, and the organisers of marches and demonstrations owe it to their fellow citizens to be reasonable and agree on arrangements which do not disrupt traffic and cause inconvenience to other people. However, sometimes it is clear from what has been publicly said by the people responsible for the refusal of permission for a demonstration that the motive for the refusal is prejudice and the decision is discriminatory.

Full text of the speech is available at the Council of Europe's website:

http://www.coe.int/T/DC/Press/news/20060531_disc_sg_congres_en.asp