7 December 1994

Doc. 7200

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

Declaration on compliance with commitments accepted by member states of the Council of Europe

(adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 10 November 1994 at its 95th Session)

      The Committee of Ministers,

Bearing in mind :

-       the vocation of the Council of Europe to promote the reinforcement of democratic security in Europe, as stressed by the Vienna Summit (October 1993), where Heads of State and Government also resolved to ensure full compliance with the commitments accepted by all member states within the Council of Europe;

-       the commitments to Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law accepted by the member states under the Council's Statute, the European Convention on Human Rights and other legal instruments;

-       the importance of the strict compliance with these commitments by every member state;

-       the statutory responsibility incumbent upon itself for ensuring full respect of these commitments in all member states, without prejudice to other existing procedures, including the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly and conventional control bodies;

-       the need to facilitate the fulfilment of these commitments, through political follow-up, carried out constructively, on the basis of dialogue, co-operation and mutual assistance,

Decides as follows :

1.       The Committee of Ministers will consider the questions of implementation of commitments concerning the situation of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in any member state which will be referred to it either

-       by member states or

-       by the Secretary General or

-       on the basis of a recommendation from the Parliamentary Assembly.

When considering such issues the Committee of Ministers will take account of all relevant information available from different sources such as the Parliamentary Assembly and the CSCE.

2.       The Secretary General will forward to the Committee of Ministers to this end information deriving from contacts and co-operation with member states that are liable to call for the attention of the Committee of Ministers.

3.       The Committee of Ministers will consider in a constructive manner matters brought to its attention, encouraging member states, through dialogue and co-operation, to take all appropriate steps to conform with the principles of the Statute in the cases under discussion.

4.       The Committee of Ministers, in cases requiring specific action, may decide to

-       request the Secretary General to make contacts, collect information or furnish advice

-        issue an opinion or recommendation

-       forward a communication to the Parliamentary Assembly

-       take any other decision within its statutory powers.

5.       The Committee of Ministers will continue to seek greater efficacity in its procedures with a view to ensuring compliance with commitments, in the framework of a constructive dialogue.