Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney, and Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, have joined Council of Europe leaders today in welcoming the publication of a report on the future of the Council of Europe by a High-Level Reflection Group chaired by Ireland’s former President Mary Robinson. Ireland currently holds the six-month Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The report presents thirty recommendations to enable the Council of Europe to respond effectively to the challenges presented by the war in Ukraine by redoubling investment in the organisation’s core competencies – the promotion of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law – and enhancing pan-European cooperation, above all with the European Union and the United Nations.
Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Minister Coveney, said: “Ireland is proud to have advanced the High-Level Reflection Group during our Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. While our Presidency lasts only six months, this work will help shape the future of this organisation for years to come. We fully support the report’s key message that now is the time for the Council of Europe to recommit to delivering on its core remit, notably, the implementation of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights. I urge all 46 member states to act on the group’s recommendations to respond effectively to the challenges presented by war on our continent. In particular, I echo the group’s call for a Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council’s member states to be convened at the earliest possible opportunity in order to put political impetus behind this vital work.”
Presenting the report to the Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg earlier, Mary Robinson said: “We need political decisions at the highest level to navigate the dark times we are living in. Europe and the world are not in a good shape right now. We hoped that realities like those we have seen in Ukraine belonged to our past. We were wrong. This is a “wake-up call” for Europe. The ongoing war in Ukraine is not the only challenge facing Europe and the world. Democratic backsliding, undermining the rule of law, and challenges to our human rights protection system are on the rise. The good news is that we have, with this report, the tools to tackle the multiple and complex crises we are facing. What we need is the political will to do so.”
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić stated: “This report reflects its authors’ vision for the future of the Council of Europe and of our Continent. We now need political commitment at the highest level to translate its recommendations into reality.” President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, remarked: ”I am confident that the report will provoke a meaningful discussion about the 4th Council of Europe Summit, its aims and outcomes, and will lead to important decisions that will both underline the continuing relevance of our organisation and reinforce its capacity to respond to the current challenges in Europe. I welcome this report and look forward to a decision to formally convene a Summit, to which the Assembly will contribute to the best of its abilities, including on the basis of its own reflection process currently led by our Bureau and our Political Affairs Committee”.
Ahead of a forthcoming visit to Strasbourg, Minister Byrne added: “The report of the High-Level Reflection Group represents an opportunity for the Council of Europe’s 46 member states which we should embrace. “Next week I will travel to Strasbourg to address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where I will make a strong case for agreement on a Summit and delivery of this report’s key recommendations. As President Robinson and her fellow Group members have made clear, we have the tools – it is now up to each of us to ensure that they are used to build a better Europe”.
Irish Presidency welcomes publication of report on the future of the Council of Europe