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Recommendation 2113 (2017)
Call for a Council of Europe summit to reaffirm European unity and to defend and promote democratic security in Europe
1. The Parliamentary Assembly refers
to its Resolution 2186
(2017) on the call for a Council of Europe summit to
reaffirm European unity and to defend and promote democratic security
in Europe, in which it expresses its concern about the numerous
challenges currently threatening the European continent and its unity.
Against this background, and for the reasons given in its resolution,
the Assembly believes that the Council of Europe and the values
it upholds are today more necessary than ever.
2. In order to preserve and further strengthen the pan-European
project in a Europe which has changed profoundly since the last
summit held in Warsaw twelve years ago, the Assembly calls on the
Committee of Ministers to convene a 4th Summit of Heads of State
and Government of the Council of Europe. This would offer a unique
opportunity for member States to reaffirm, in the strongest possible
terms and at the highest political level, their commitment to the
ideal of European unity and the common values and principles of democracy,
human rights and the rule of law upheld by the Organisation.
3. The Assembly recommends that the 4th summit be focused and
provide political impetus for a number of specific initiatives suggested
in a non-exhaustive manner in its resolution. It should also offer
a fresh and timely opportunity to define, at the highest political
level, the role to be played by the Council of Europe in the overall
European political architecture and address outstanding challenges
in its relations with the European Union, in the light, inter alia, of the 2006 report entitled
“Council of Europe–European Union: A sole ambition for Europe”,
in the interest of European citizens.
4. Although the primary responsibility for the organisation of
a summit lies with the Committee of Ministers, the Assembly underlines
that an efficient preparation of the summit would require the development
of synergies between all sectors of the Organisation, co-ordinated
by its Secretary General, and more significantly between its two
statutory organs. The Assembly therefore asks the Committee of Ministers
to:
4.1. closely associate the Assembly
in the preparation of the draft agenda and draft declaration of
the 4th summit;
4.2. consider its proposal, as part of the preparatory work
for the summit and for the reasons and according to the modalities
described in its resolution, to engage in a procedure aimed at harmonising jointly
the rules governing participation, representation and responsibilities
of member States in both statutory organs, while fully respecting
the autonomy of these bodies.