15.04.2008
Communication from the Committee of Ministers
presented byJán KUBIŠ
Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic,
Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers
on the occasion of the second part of the 2008 Ordinary Session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(Strasbourg, 14-18 April 2008)
Mr President,
Mr Secretary General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am honoured to be in this distinguished Assembly again to address you in my capacity as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers on the progress of the Committee’s work over recent months and on forthcoming events.
As you are aware, the Committee of Ministers will be meeting in Strasbourg for its 118th Session in only a few weeks time. In his report on the relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker underlined that increased involvement of Foreign Ministers, particularly those of the EU member states, in the Council of Europe’s work, was highly desirable. They should attend ministerial meetings and ensure co-ordination of their countries’ policies in the two organisations.
I am glad to inform you that as a follow-up to this recommendation, their Deputies have recently adopted Guidelines for the organisation of future ministerial sessions with the purpose of increasing Ministers’ attendance at the sessions. The result should be shorter and more result-oriented meetings, including informal discussions by the Ministers of a topical political issue.
As I mentioned when we met in January, together with my successor, Mr Carl Bildt of Sweden, I am following the preparations for the May Session closely. In order to achieve the best possible attendance by Foreign Ministers, we addressed a letter to our colleagues inciting them to come and asking for their suggestions on a political issue for discussion.
The agenda will include items that follow from decisions taken at the previous ministerial session, grouped under the general item “The Council of Europe’s contribution to common stability and security - follow-up to the Warsaw Summit and decisions for future activities”.
The continued implementation of the decisions taken by Heads of State and Government in Warsaw is the main priority goal of Slovakia’s Chairmanship.
I recall that the following issues will be on the session’s agenda:
– co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union;
– consolidation of the Council of Europe's human rights protection system;
– follow-up given to other priorities resulting from the Warsaw Summit.
In an informal context the Ministers will discuss the situation in South-East Europe.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Slovakia is committed to achieving concrete results on a number of outstanding issues in time for the Session and on co-ordinating, with the incoming chair, the Organisation’s continued efforts in streamlining its activities in order to contribute to the fundamental objective of preserving and promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
The Slovak Chairmanship has also given priority to the reinforcement of dialogue and co-operation between the Council of Europe and its main European and global partners.
As regards relations with the United Nations, I addressed the high-level segment of the Human Rights Council on 3 March 2008 in Geneva. I highlighted some of the fields in which co-operation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe has been and could be developed in the future. I also underlined the Council of Europe‘s readiness to contribute to the Universal Periodic Review and to assist member states in the implementation of recommendations to improve the human rights situation that will result from this process. Finally, I recalled that Slovakia supports the broader framework of co-operation between the Council of Europe and the UN, set out in the regular bi-annual resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly and will work actively towards submitting another draft resolution to the 63rd UN General Assembly.
I will now to turn to our relations with the OSCE, with which I have a special relation, being its former Secretary General. Generally, the co-operation between the Council of Europe and the OSCE is developing well, although some fine-tuning is always possible. When I spoke to the Permanent Council of the OSCE in Vienna on 28 February 2008, I underlined in particular the need to pool the two organisations respective expertise and strengths in order that they reinforce each other: the Council of Europe with its unique role in the standard-setting field and the monitoring of the application of these standards, and the OSCE with its long-standing experience in the field. I pointed at a number of areas where co-operation works well, such as between the ODIHR and the Venice Commission in the area of electoral assistance and the day-to-day co-operation developed on the ground between the field missions.
This is also the case with respect to the four priority fields overseen by the Co-ordination Group: action against terrorism, protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, combating trafficking in human beings and promoting tolerance and non-discrimination.
Ladies and Gentlemen, you will agree with me that the Council of Europe’s relations with the European Union are paramount. The Committee of Ministers attaches great importance to the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding and to the follow-up to the Juncker report. I know that these issues are also a matter of priority for the Assembly.
Work is now progressing in the Ministers’ Deputies’ Rapporteur Group on External Relations on the preparation of a first report on the implementation of the Memorandum to be submitted to the 118th Ministerial Session. Thanks to the Memorandum, new areas of co-operation have been explored and existing areas consolidated and extended. I hope that this positive trend will be confirmed in the coming months and that more emphasis will be placed on the reinforcement of political dialogue between the two organisations that will also be reflected by high-level participation of both sides at common meetings. A report on follow-up to the Juncker report will also be presented to the Session.
At the political level, the 26th Quadripartite meeting between the Council of Europe and European Union, which took place in Brussels on 10 March, focused on pre-electoral assistance. The close relationship in respect of election observation established between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, was welcomed. The participants expressed their willingness to expand co-operation in respect of pre-electoral assistance further, with the objective in mind that all elections in Europe fully respect democratic norms and standards.
A second subject discussed at the Quadripartite meeting was co-operation in South-East Europe, which I recall will also be on the agenda of the Ministerial Session for informal discussions. On this subject, participants agreed that the Council of Europe and European Union should continue to support a peaceful, democratic and multi-ethnic environment throughout the region, striving for full respect for European values.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On another subject of great importance, the consolidation of the Council of Europe system of human rights protection, I can inform you that two reports will be submitted to the 118th Session. The first is a comprehensive report on the follow-up to the 2006 Declaration on sustained action to ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights at national and European levels and the second an interim report on the follow-up given to the recommendations of the Group of Wise Persons on measures to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the Convention control mechanism.
I deeply regret that Protocol No. 14, which was meant to alleviate the workload of the Court and which is the starting point for the Wise Persons’ Report, has still not entered into force. In the light of this fact, it will obviously not be possible for the Deputies to report to the 118th Ministerial Session on the first effects of the Protocol, as the Ministers requested in May 2007. As I already mentioned before this honourable body in January, I sincerely hope that the last ratification needed for the Protocol’s entry into force will come very soon. It is in the interest of all of us and of a better functioning of our Organisation in the future. I intend to discuss this issue during my planned visit to Moscow.
The consolidation of the Council of Europe system of human rights protection was also considered at a meeting of government agents before the European Court of Human Rights, which took place in Bratislava on 3-4 April 2008. The main aim of the seminar was to provide a discussion forum on the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. This was also discussed with Mr Jean-Paul Costa, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, and separately with Mr Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights during their visits to Bratislava some days ago.
On 8-9 April the Slovak Chairmanship commemorated the International Roma Day by organising the European conference “Education and training of Roma children and Youth: the way forward”. Experts from member countries met and actively discussed this important topic. They compared many models applied in different countries and tried to come up with helpful solutions. Beside that, we celebrated the International Roma Day also in Strasbourg, where the extraordinary exhibition of paintings of Roma children from a small village called Jarovnice in Eastern Slovakia was inaugurated.
Consolidating democracy is among the main priorities of the Slovak Chairmanship and another core objective for this Organisation. Emphasising the need for open and transparent government in a democratic society, Slovakia welcomes the draft Council of Europe Convention on access to official documents recently transmitted to the Deputies for adoption. In conformity with the usual practice, the text will be transmitted to the Parliamentary Assembly for an opinion.
The work on the Council of Europe White Paper on intercultural dialogue is in its final phase. Every effort is made for the adoption of this important strategic document according to plan, i.e. at the 118th Ministerial Session.
The “2008 Council of Europe Exchange on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue”, held last week under the able guidance of Mr Fiorenzo Stolfi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, brought together, inter alia, representatives of the religions traditionally present in Europe, of non-religious beliefs, of civil society and of member and observer states. The Exchange gave participants the opportunity to share their knowledge concerning the principles, concepts and aims of the educational mission, in particular in the field of democratic citizenship and the religious dimension.
In the social field, the report commissioned at the Warsaw Summit from a High-Level Task Force on Social Cohesion has now been examined by the Committee of Ministers. The relevant Steering Committees and the Secretary General have been invited to make proposals for activities on the basis of the report for the Programme of Activities of 2009 and beyond.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before concluding, I will address some political questions that have been on the Committee of Ministers’ agenda since we last met.
Starting with the South Caucasus, I can inform you that a delegation from the Committee of Ministers' Group (GT-SUIVI.AGO) responsible for assessing the progress made by Armenia and Azerbaijan in honouring their commitments, visited the two countries from 30 March to 4 April 2008. The current negotiations to settle the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh were at the centre of discussions, but also a number of other issues.
In Armenia, which I visited recently, the Group concentrated on the situation created by the events of 1 March 2008 from the standpoint of the Council of Europe's values and principles in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Discussions focused on ways of re-establishing dialogue between the various Armenian political forces and of continuing the democratic reform process. Close attention was also paid to the media and the steps needed to promote its independence and impartiality. As pointed out both by the Ago Group and the Commissioner for Human Rights in his recent report on Armenia, ensuring full respect for human rights and the rule of law is essential in the current political situation which Armenia is facing. The Committee of Ministers is willing to provide any assistance to overcome this difficult period.
In Azerbaijan, the visit concentrated on preparations for the presidential elections scheduled for October 2008, on freedom of expression and the media, and on the situation regarding alleged political prisoners. I would like to echo one particular point which was made by the Ago Group in Baku: “No one should be imprisoned for what he or she has written”. From this perspective, I sincerely hope that the case of the three journalists still in custody in Azerbaijan will soon come to a satisfactory end. I will continue discussions with the authorities on these and other subjects when I visit Baku in late April.
With respect to Georgia, the Ministers' Deputies approved an action plan in March to assist preparations for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 21 May. The plan focused on areas where shortcomings were reported by the international observers at the presidential elections on 5 January. Next week, the Ministers' Deputies' Rapporteur Group on Democracy will consider compliance with the obligations and commitments accepted by Georgia when it joined the Council of Europe.
Turning to South-East Europe, a new report on Serbia's compliance with its obligations and commitments was examined by the Ministers' Deputies in February 2008. They welcomed the progress made, inter alia, the ratification and entry into force of the European Charter for Local Self-Government, and recognised the readiness of the Serbian authorities to fulfil the remaining commitments. The forthcoming Parliamentary elections in Serbia will be an important moment in the political life of the country. I sincerely hope that Serbia’s orientation towards European integration will be confirmed.
I will discuss development in the country and in the region with the respective authorities during my forthcoming visit to Belgrade and Pristina at the end of April.
In February a compliance review was also made as regards Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Deputies noted that an improved political climate has emerged in the country, allowing a number of positive developments, notably on police reform. They called upon the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue to make progress towards the fulfilment of its commitments, in particular regarding the constitutional reform and the reform of the education system. I am glad, that the agreement on the police reform has paved the way for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s further progress on its way towards the EU.
Taking stock of Moldova's co-operation with the Council of Europe, the Deputies instructed the Secretariat to prepare, in consultation with the Moldovan authorities, a pre-electoral assistance programme in view of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in spring 2009. I would like to emphasize that the Secretariat was also asked to examine, with the Moldovan authorities, a possible contribution to the implementation of confidence-building measures in the context of the Transnistrian settlement process, in particular increased co-operation with civil society. I discussed all these topics with the top authorities of Moldova a week ago in Chisinau.
Before I finish, let me say a few words on Belarus. In February, the Ministers' Deputies took note of proposals made by the Slovak Chairmanship concerning activities regarding Belarus and authorised the Secretariat to continue implementing these activities. A meeting of experts on “The use of international instruments for protecting individual rights, freedoms and legitimate interests through national legislation and the right to legal defence in Belarus: challenges and outlook”, organised in co-operation by the Constitutional Court of Belarus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, the Venice Commission and with the active contribution of the Slovak Chairmanship, will be held on 24 April 2008 in Minsk.
We were less successful with regard to our plan to organise a conference on cooperation between the Council of Europe and Belarus – we had to abandon this plan during our Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe due to lack of agreement with Belarusian authorities. Nevertheless, we at least cooperated with a respectable Slovak NGO Pontis, that last week organised a conference in Bratislava, mobilising assistance to the civil society in Belarus.
Furthermore, negotiations on setting up a Council of Europe Information Point in Minsk, as a publicly accessible structure housed within the Belarus State University Faculty of Journalism are continuing. If all goes according to plan, an agreement on establishing the Information Point should be signed in the coming days. I note that your Assembly will debate the abuse of the criminal justice system in Belarus this afternoon. This debate will be followed with particular attention.
Last time I have informed you about my steps concerning the budget of the Council of Europe. I have received numerous replies to my letter, in which Ministers for Foreign Affairs made their comments and suggestions on the functioning of the organisation and its budget. I have also received a letter from President de Puig. All the letters are being transmitted to the Secretariat so as to provide guidance for preparation of the next budget of the Council of Europe. I intend to raise this issue also at the 118th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank the Secretary General Terry Davis and the Secretariat for the excellent cooperation and support extended to me and my country during the term of our Chairmanship.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me underline that the coming weeks will be marked by intensive preparations for the 118th Ministerial Session, to which your President will be invited in accordance with the usual practice. It will be for my successor to report to you on the results.
I thank you for your attention and for the excellent co-operation we have had during our Chairmanship.