On April 1, 2025, members of the delegations to the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe met at the office of the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO) in The Hague to discuss cooperation and strengthening each others role within the Council of Europe.
PACE delegation leader Rian Vogels emphasized the importance of good mutual relations: It is essential to know each other and to let the Dutch voice be heard in all its facets. Joris Bengevoord, chairman of the Congress delegation, was also enthusiastic: We are working on the same themes, such as democracy and human rights. This is a great step to strengthen cooperation. During the meeting, the situation in Turkey was discussed, where elected mayors are replaced by regime loyalists. The delegations emphasized the importance of the democratic values that the Council of Europe stands for, especially in times when these are under pressure.
From the Dutch PACE delegation, Tekke Panman (BBB), Saskia Kluit (GroenLinks-PvdA), Rian Vogels (delegation leader, VVD) and Theo Bovens (CDA) participated in this meeting. Representing the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities were Joris Bengevoord (chairman of the Congress delegation, mayor of Winterswijk), Elianne Demollin-Schneiders (BBB, Deputy Limburg), Peter Drenth (CDA, Deputy Gelderland), Eke Folkerts (BBB, Deputy Fryslân), Sigrid Sengers (Independent, Mayor of Druten), and Hilde Moerland (VVD, alderman Tholen).