Statement by Michel Barnier, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France,
on the occasion of the first part of the 2005 Ordinary Session,
of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(Strasbourg, 24-28 January 2005)

26/01 2005

(extract of the verbatim)

Mr BARNIER (Minister for Foreign Affairs of France) was touched by the introduction. He had enjoyed working with Mr van der Linden to further the European cause. The Government of France was proud that the Council of Europe was based on French soil.

In his five years as a European Commissioner he had developed policies on economic and social cohesion across the European Union. He paid tribute to the delegates and their commitment to the democratic values that brought the Assembly together on this day.

The Warsaw Summit was the time to make a commitment to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law. It would be an opportunity to take stock of achievements and to generate fresh momentum to further transform Europe. Other regions of the world were hesitant in making progress and some of these regions had fallen into violence.

The example that the Council of Europe was setting was considered to be a reference point around the world. It was for this reason that Mr Yushchenko had come to address the Assembly during this part-session.

It was time for the Council of Europe to take stock at this important stage in its history when it had nearly achieved its goal of enlargement. The time was coming to reflect on the activities, successes and difficulties of the organisation – how it had risen to its challenges, and how it had made links to other European institutions. The summit would give fresh impetus to the Council of Europe. It must turn to the future with determination but also learn from history. Tomorrow he would be at Auschwitz; last Monday he had attended the commemoration of the liberation of the camps at the United Nations in New York. On behalf of his government he was grateful to have had the opportunity to express his duty to remember and be vigilant.

The Council of Europe was the first European response to the liberation of the camps. In the same spirit, the Assembly should become the active forum for vigilance. It should address the difficult issues of democracy and the new rise in racism and anti-Semitism.

The Council of Europe had a special responsibility for the future. It played an irreplaceable role in the European building process: it was the foundation stone. A building could not stand up without foundations.

There were several prerequisites that needed to be met. The Council of Europe should build on its existing strengths and excellences: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Warsaw summit should aim to preserve the important role of the European Court of Human Rights. That Court would have to rise to the challenge of an unprecedented number of applications. The Council of Europe would have to sustain the financial resources going to this important institution. He commended the Commissioner for Human Rights for his remarkable work.

Human rights and democracy were not set in stone. They faced constant new challenges. For example, the European Court of Human Rights had had to take on board the rise of cybercrime, and the challenges posed by terrorism.

The second prerequisite was better co-operation between the Council of Europe and outside organisations, particularly the OSCE and the United Nations. It would also have to work with the European Union as it moved to a decisive point in its constitutional history. With the new European constitution, the roles of the Council of Europe and the European Union would remain complementary. He looked for a greater number of opportunities to engage with the wider community. The Council of Europe would have to open itself up to the rest of the world: the media, universities and NGOs.

The Council of Europe should offer a unique forum for dissemination of good practice. It was a place to train national representatives and to meet to share problems. He counted on the Polish presidency to make the Council of Europe function as effectively as possible. He thanked Terry Davis for his excellent work. France was committed to helping the Council of Europe to develop.