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Recommendation 1951 (2011) Final version
Follow-up to the reform of the Council of Europe
1. The Parliamentary Assembly reaffirms
its commitment to a politically relevant and effective Council of Europe
as a natural guarantor of “soft security” in a Europe based on the
fundamental values and principles of democracy, respect for human
rights and the rule of law. It supports the reform started by the
Secretary General, which is intended to revitalise the Council of
Europe and make it more political, more flexible and more geared
to the needs of Europeans.
2. In a spirit of a strengthened dialogue between the two statutory
organs of the Council of Europe, the Assembly is keen to share with
the Committee of Ministers the ideas, concerns and proposals contained
in its Resolution 1783 (2011) on follow-up to the reform of the
Council of Europe. In this context, it urges the Committee of Ministers, inter alia, to:
2.1. engage in joint discussion with
the Assembly on the need to hold a Council of Europe summit to give
the Organisation fresh political impetus, make its member states
more responsible towards it and, if need be, redefine its current
role;
2.2. give thought to the proposals on a grouping together of
the structures which support monitoring mechanisms and on the Congress
of Local and Regional Authorities contained in its Resolution 1783 (2011);
2.3. ensure that there is, within the Council of Europe, synergy
between decision makers, citizens and civil society;
2.4. take account of its previous proposals with a view to
the setting up of a “Strasbourg democracy forum”, as a generic structure
grouping together the various relevant activities on this subject,
so as to consolidate and make more visible the Council of Europe’s
democracy pillar;
2.5. increase the scope of the Council of Europe conferences
of specialised ministers and strengthen their link with and impact
on the Organisation’s day-to-day activities;
2.6. examine the idea of organising sessions of the Committee
of Ministers at the level of specialised ministers;
2.7. consider the possibility for the specialised ministries
to contribute to the financing of certain Council of Europe activities
in exchange for some of the Committee of Ministers’ powers being
delegated to them, notably with regard to the choice of priorities
for the Council of Europe’s intergovernmental activities, as proposed
in Committee of Ministers Resolution (89) 40 on the future role
of the Council of Europe in European construction;
2.8. call on member states to reinvest in the Organisation’s
activities the savings achieved on its functioning thanks to reform,
in order to help member states to implement reforms and comply with
their commitments and obligations.