Print
See related documents
Recommendation 2060 (2015) Final version
The implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Council of Europe and the European Union
1. The Parliamentary Assembly, referring
to its Resolution 2029
(2015) on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding
between the Council of Europe and the European Union, notes with satisfaction
that co-operation has been strengthened and has become more structured,
strategic and political over the past seven years.
2. The Assembly strongly welcomes the comprehensive programme
agreement on the financing of European Union–Council of Europe Joint
Programmes for the period 2014-2020, which has strengthened the co-ordination,
impact and sustainability of the co-operation programmes, in a spirit
of shared responsibilities.
3. The Assembly stresses that the ultimate goal of the partnership
between the two organisations, based on each other’s acquis and comparative advantages,
is to pursue further the building of a common space for human rights
protection and to ensure coherence of standards and the monitoring
of their implementation in Europe. While welcoming the steps already
taken in the right direction, the Assembly recommends that the Committee
of Ministers:
3.1. enhance the role
of the Council of Europe as “the Europe-wide reference source for
human rights” by further strengthening its monitoring bodies in
the context of the ongoing reform of the Council of Europe;
3.2. strengthen regular, institutionalised dialogue with European
Union institutions, at all levels, especially on normative developments
in the fields of human rights, justice, the rule of law and home affairs,
and promote coherence of normative activities through consultations
at an early stage.
4. With a view to ensuring in-depth legal co-operation, enhancing
complementarity and coherence of legal standards and providing a
unique framework for human rights, democracy and the rule of law
in Europe, the Assembly asks the Committee of Ministers to:
4.1. resume, without delay, negotiations
on the accession of the European Union to the European Convention
on Human Rights (ETS No. 5) in the light of Opinion 2/13 of the
European Union Court of Justice and give high political priority
to this issue, in line with political commitments undertaken by
all parties involved, as reflected in the Lisbon Treaty;
4.2. promote and facilitate European Union accession to other
key Council of Europe conventions, monitoring mechanisms and bodies;
4.3. further enhance coherence and complementarity with the
European Union in the areas of freedom, security and justice, in
line with the new strategic guidelines for legislative and operational planning
within the European Union’s area of freedom, security and justice
for the period 2015-2020;
4.4. ensure active co-operation with the European Union in
the implementation of the new framework to strengthen the rule of
law in European Union member States;
4.5. continue developing appropriate synergies between Council
of Europe monitoring mechanisms and bodies and any new evaluation
mechanisms to be set up by the European Union;
4.6. actively contribute to future European Union colloquia
on the state of human rights in Europe and bring in the perspective
and expertise of the Council of Europe.
5. The Assembly asks the Committee of Ministers to raise public
awareness about the partnership and synergies being developed by
the two organisations in Europe, especially in the context of European
Union accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.
6. The Assembly, while agreeing with the Committee of Ministers
that the memorandum of understanding remains a sound basis to continue
guiding and structuring relations between the Council of Europe
and the European Union, wishes to reiterate that the current focus
of the European Union on human rights, democracy and the rule of
law should ultimately lead to the accession of the European Union
to the Statute of the Council of Europe (ETS No. 1), as also recommended
in 2006 by the Juncker report, “Council of Europe – European Union:
‘A sole ambition for the European continent’”.