Council of Europe (coe.int)
June 22 2005

Council of Europe

Communication from the Committee of Ministers by Diogo Freitas Do
Amaral, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Portugal and Chairperson of
the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

Mr President,

After meeting the members of your Standing Committee in Lisbon on 6
June, I am most honoured to address the Parliamentary Assembly today
in order to present to you the communication on the activities of the
Committee of Ministers since the last ordinary session in April.

It is also a great pleasure for me to address you here, as I am
returning to the Council of Europe after having held the Chair of the
Committee of Ministers once before, between November 1979 and April
1980.

Following its second Chairmanship between November 1989 and May 1990,
Portugal’s third term as Chair of the Committee of Ministers since
joining the Council of Europe in 1976 began on 17 May 2005. Along
with the reunification of Europe that began in 1989, the course of my
country’s development since the Carnation Revolution, which in some
ways foreshadowed the peaceful revolutions of more recent times, is,
in my view, one of the best possible illustrations of the huge
progress that has been made in building a democratic Europe over the
last thirty years. We owe that progress, among others, to the Council
of Europe also.

In addition to this crucial historic role, the Council of Europe has
a vital role to play in the future. I believe that this is the main
lesson to be drawn from the Third Council of Europe Summit, held in
Warsaw on 16 and 17 May 2005. I would also like to take this
opportunity to express here our gratitude to the Polish authorities
for the excellent organisation of the Summit and their unrelenting
efforts to ensure its success. The reassertion by the Heads of State
and Government, in the Warsaw Declaration, of the Council of Europe’s
essential role in protecting and promoting human rights, democracy
and the rule of law confirms more than ever before the relevance of
the work done and still to be done by our Organisation.

The implementation of the Summit texts, especially the Action Plan,
will be the very top priority for the Portuguese Chair. I can assure
you that my country will deploy all the energy and determination
needed to make sure that the policy decisions taken in Warsaw are
given practical effect as quickly and effectively as possible.

In view of the ambitious mandate assigned to the Council of Europe by
the Heads of State and Government, the task ahead of us is very
substantial. The urgent need to find solutions in certain areas,
especially concerning the long-term future of the European Court of
Human Rights control system, leads me to invite all member states to
join with the Chairmanship in its efforts.

Apart from the key role which governments will have to play in this
respect, your Assembly will also play a leading role in implementing
the Summit decisions. Naturally, this will primarily involve the
activities which the Assembly decides to undertake itself to follow
up the Summit. The Committee of Ministers looks forward with the
greatest of interest to the conclusions of the debate you will hold
on the subject tomorrow. Another major aspect, however, is the role
which individual parliamentarians can play in their capitals in
drawing attention to the decisions taken in Warsaw and the need for
their practical follow-up. Particularly important here is the
contribution which Assembly members can make to ensuring that
Protocol No 14 to the European Convention on Human Rights is ratified
without delay by those countries which have not yet proceeded with
ratification. For its part, Portugal is prepared to ratify the
Protocol shortly.

I will not go into the detail of all aspects of the Warsaw Action
Plan at this stage. However, I would like to draw attention to a few
points which the Portuguese Chair regards as essential, while
welcoming the proposals which the Secretary General made to the
Committee of Ministers last week concerning the implementation of the
Action Plan.

The first aspect, which I have already mentioned, concerns the
measures to be taken to guarantee the effectiveness of the system of
protection afforded by the European Convention on Human Rights, which
is unique in the world. In this connection, I am delighted that the
Ministers’ Deputies last week adopted a number of decisions with a
view to putting in place the Group of Wise Persons which the Summit
agreed should be set up to draw up a comprehensive strategy for
securing the long-term effectiveness of the system. On the basis of
candidatures for the Group of Wise Persons to be submitted by member
states by 31 July 2005, the Chair of the Ministers’ Deputies will
make proposals on the membership of the group at the Deputies’ first
meeting in September 2005. In drawing up the proposals, the Chair of
the Deputies will, of course, carry out all appropriate
consultations, including, I would stress, with the President of the
Parliamentary Assembly.

The second point in the Action Plan that I think should be mentioned
concerns the establishment of a Council of Europe Forum for the
Future of Democracy, which I know is of particular interest to your
Assembly. The Portuguese Chair will give priority to the launching of
the Forum. Input by the Parliamentary Assembly here will be
particularly welcome, besides the most useful proposal already made
by Poland.

In the third place, I would not wish to conclude my comments on the
Summit without referring to its decisions concerning the
strengthening of the partnership between the Council of Europe and
other international organisations and institutions, especially the
European Union and the OSCE. The drafting of the memorandum of
understanding to be proposed for signature by the Council of Europe
and the European Union will be one of our main priorities. Once
again, your Assembly will have a leading role to play in establishing
closer ties between Strasbourg and Brussels, in particular through
its contacts with the European Parliament, but also through its own
discussions such as its work on the implications of the European
Union’s neighbourhood policy for the Council of Europe.

Apart from the memorandum of understanding I just mentioned, another
important building block in the establishment of a new institutional
architecture at European level will, of course, be the report on the
relationship between the Council of Europe and the European Union
which the Heads of State and Government asked Mr Jean-Claude Juncker
to draw up in his personal capacity, following inter alia a proposal
by the Presidential Committee of your Assembly. On this subject,
which is also of great importance to you, I am convinced that Mr
Juncker, who showed the consideration which he has for your Assembly
by addressing the Session of April, will listen most carefully to
your views.

To conclude this section of my statement, I would add that the
Parliamentary Assembly and also the Congress of Local and Regional
Authorities of the Council of Europe will be involved, under
appropriate procedures, in the work of the ad hoc Committee of
Ministers committee that will supervise the follow-up to the
Declaration and implementation of the Action Plan adopted at the
Summit.

The Warsaw Summit documents are the focal point through which we must
carry further the tasks of the Council of Europe. The first is to
make sure that the member states comply with the Council’s principles
in terms of respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
>From this point of view, a particular area of attention in the months
ahead will be the South Caucasus region, given the major developments
expected in Armenia, with the forthcoming constitutional referendum,
and in Azerbaijan, with the parliamentary elections to be held in
November.

I note in this connection that your Assembly attaches the same degree
of importance to this area, as demonstrated by the Session order of
business. As far as the Chair of the Committee of Ministers is
concerned, these two polls will be tests of those countries’
willingness to fully honour the commitments they made on joining the
Council of Europe.

Another member state where key events are due shortly is Albania,
with parliamentary elections scheduled for 3 July. Here again,
compliance with the Council of Europe’s standards on free and fair
elections will be crucial.

The last member state that I would like to mention is Ukraine, which
is now receiving less public attention following the historic events
that occurred there at the end of last year, although it is still
waiting for assistance to carry out the democratic reforms which
President Yushchenko indicated he wished to implement when he
addressed you in January. I am delighted that the Committee of
Ministers on 15 June approved an Action Plan to help the new
Ukrainian authorities with the implementation of these reforms. The
Ukrainian authorities’ determination to move ahead with the reforms
will clearly be crucial to the success of the Action Plan.

I would wish also to mention the region of south-eastern Europe,
where important challenges lie ahead, concerning Kosovo’s future in
particular. From this point of view, the debate you held yesterday on
the situation in Kosovo was particularly welcome. More than ever
before, the Council of Europe has a duty to make sure that its
fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law are
fully complied with and implemented in the region as vital
preconditions for democratic stability.

With regard to the Council of Europe’s unrelenting, daily, sustained
efforts to protect human rights, I would return briefly to the
decisions taken at the Third Summit. Given the leading role played in
this area by the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Portuguese Chair
will do everything possible to ensure, in accordance with the Summit
Action Plan, that the Commissioner is provided with the necessary
resources for performing his relevant tasks to the full.

In this connection, I would also like to mention the work done by the
Committee of Ministers concerning the execution of the judgments of
the European Court of Human Rights. Just as it is determined to
secure the long-term effectiveness of the protection system of the
European Convention on Human Rights, Portugal will see to it as Chair
that the Court’s judgments are executed in full and without delay.
The very credibility of the Convention depends on that.

In conclusion, I would like to briefly outline some of the thematic
priorities of the Portuguese Chair. In simplified terms, they are
focused on the human dimension of our societies. This dimension,
which has always guided the Council of Europe’s action, remains more
than ever relevant in the face of growing criticism of technocratic
and bureaucratic constructions, far removed from individual people’s
concerns.

The first involves protecting children’s rights as a vital element of
the protection of human rights. Carrying on from the seminar which it
organised on the matter in Lisbon on 1 and 2 June 2005, Portugal will
seek in the months ahead to foster improved protection of children’s
rights, in particular through awareness-raising efforts.

Building on what had been already proposed under the Action Plan
drawn up by the Council of Europe and on which all member States
agreed during the recent Third Summit in Warsaw, the Portuguese
Chairmanship attaches great importance to gender mainstreaming and to
the balanced participation of women and men in public life. We
believe that the seminar on balanced participation in decision-making
processes that took place in Lisbon last week and that was organised
by the Portuguese Chairmanship has constituted a first approach
regarding this matter and that further discussions will inevitably
ensue.

Following the successful opening for signature in Warsaw of the
Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human
Beings, Portugal will seek to encourage efforts here by fostering
international co-operation and the protection of victims against such
a flagrant violation of human rights.

Aware of the importance of social cohesion to our societies, Portugal
will continue to foster the implementation of the Council of Europe’s
wide range of policy instruments concerning social cohesion. More
specifically, we will focus our attention on issues concerning
families and children.

Lastly, another priority will relate to the cultural sector. In a
world where there is great tension, promoting intercultural dialogue
is vital to building civil societies free of xenophobia and
prejudices and helping to prevent conflicts. Portugal attaches great
importance to this question, which I know your Assembly has also
considered. My country intends to take full advantage of the
potential which the North-South Centre in Lisbon offers for promoting
initiatives aimed at intercultural dialogue, in particular between
Europe and the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean.
At this point in history, an open and free dialogue between European
and Islamic countries constitutes an opportunity that we cannot miss.

We will also organise in Faro in October the Ministerial Conference
which will be the final stage of the reflection on the future of
European cultural cooperation conducted in the context of the 50th
Anniversary of the Council of Europe Cultural Convention.

We therefore have a lot ahead of us in the next few months. As I said
before, Portugal is counting on everybody playing their part over the
coming period. Unless we all become actively involved, it will not be
possible to secure in the long term the success achieved at the
Warsaw Summit. Without our shared commitment, the Council of Europe’s
efforts to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law will
not be fully effective. I will then conclude by appealing to our
sense of shared commitment.

I am now at your disposal to answer any questions you may want to
raise.