60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

ArmInfo
2009-05-05 11:52:00

‘In the first sixty years of its existence, the Council of Europe has
helped to reconcile a continent after decades of ideological divide,
created a Europe-wide court in which individuals can seek protection
of their human rights, outlawed the death penalty in Europe, and
produced an arsenal of more than 200 international treaties to defend
and extend the Council of Europe values of democracy, human rights
and the rule of law.

Political stimulus is provided through a Parliamentary Assembly which
also elects the organisation’s most important officials through an
open and competitive vote. Grassroot democracy is cultivated by the
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’, says the joint statement
by Secretary General Terry Davis, PACE President Lluis Maria de Puig
and Committee of Ministers Chairman Miguel Angel Moratinos.

‘From the ten founding members in 1949, the Council of Europe today
has 47 member states – all the European countries with one exception
. The last remaining State will hopefully soon embrace the Council
of Europe values and join the all-European family

The mandate of the Council of Europe has not changed,
but the circumstances in which we operate have changed
dramatically. Technological, scientific, political, social and
economic developments have brought about new opportunities,
but also new threats to democracy, human rights and the rule of
law. The mark of the Council of Europe is a combination of robust
and practical legal cooperation with strict respect for human rights
and fundamental freedoms combined with positive measures to promote
tolerance, dialogue and understanding between people. That is how
the Council of Europe has responded to threats such as terrorism,
organised crime, trafficking in human being, sexual exploitation of
children, cybercrime, violence against women and other threats to
individuals and societies as a whole. The new generation of Council
of Europe conventions is open to countries from other continents, and
we are determined to improve our cooperation with the European Union,
the OSCE, the United Nations and other partners in Europe and beyond.

In a week’s time, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
will meet in Madrid to commemorate the important Anniversary which
takes place this year and to chart the priorities for our future
work. We have no doubt that the Council of Europe will be up to the
task’, the statement says.

The Council of Europe press-service reported that on occasion of the
60th anniversary of the Council of Europe, the organization presented
a new website.