UCC Law student off to Europe

BALLINEEN law student Liam O’Driscoll has been chosen as the Irish Youth Delegate to the 32nd and 33rd sessions of the Congress on Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.

The Congress takes place between March 26th and 30th and October 16th and 20th, respectively, in Strasbourg in France. Liam is a first-year law student in UCC.

‘The Council of Europe is an international organisation focused on protecting human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe,’ he explained. ‘Founded in 1949, it has 47 member states and covers about 820 million people. Ireland is a founding member of the Council and it is not to be confused with the European Union.’

The Congress on Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe is a pan-European political assembly and its 648 members hold elective office  – they may be regional or municipal councillors, mayors or presidents of regional authorities – and represent over 200,000 authorities in the 47 European states. 

‘As the Irish Youth Delegate, my job is to advise the Congress on youth participation regarding local and regional government, ie how best can we engage young people in local politics and local decision-making,’ said Liam. Between now and the end of the year, Liam plans to consult with as many young people, youth groups, politicians, decision makers, and business leaders as possible, to ensure the voices of Irish young people are heard at a European level. He can be contacted at [email protected].