Statement by Secretary of State (pol) of Finland

Statement by Secretary of State (pol) of Finland,
Mr Markus Lyra

116th Session of the Committee of Ministers
Council of Europe



Mr Chairman,

Last May the Heads of State of the Council of Europe member States decided in Warsaw that the Council of Europe will concentrate its activities on the core functions of the organisation, on the promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Today we are taking stock of the implementation of the Summit decisions so far and giving guidance on further follow-up.

In the coming months next year's budget for the Council of Europe will be negotiated. It is important that this budget fully reflects the Warsaw Summit decisions, and makes the implementation of these decisions feasible. Here I would like to point out specifically the campaign to combat violence against women. The realization of the decisions made at the highest political level of an organisation cannot depend solely on voluntary contributions but must be safeguarded in the regular budget.

Violence against women, including the important issue of domestic violence, is a serious challenge for the full realization of women's human rights in Europe, and the pivotal role the CoE can play here should not be overlooked. The Task Force to combat violence against women has been set up and now we need the means to realize the pan-European campaign according to the plan.

The Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights has developed into a key institution in protecting and promoting human rights in Europe, and Protocol No 14 will further underline the role of this Office. It is of outmost importance that the budget enables the strengthening and development of the Commissioner's Office as agreed by the member States.

Finland would like to welcome Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg in the Office and wish him success in his task as the Council of Europe critical watch dog.

Finland still considers the implementation of the Chapter V of the Warsaw Action Plan an urgent priority. We need new initiatives to increase the transparency of the organisation. The key European institutions need to be brought closer to citizens, and here an enhanced dialogue with civil society plays a prominent role. We are convinced that the CoE can find ways to make the most of the civil society's potential in different fields, for instance by regularly inviting NGOs to CoE meetings relevant to their expertise. The European Roma and Travellers' Forum constitutes a good example of how civil society could improve the political decision-making by providing valuable views on planned policies.

Mr Chairman,

The European Court of Human Rights is at the very core of the Council of Europe. Preserving the effectiveness of the Court is a key challenge facing the Council of Europe. Finland welcomes the interim report of the Group of Wise Persons concerning the long-term effectiveness of the Court's control mechanism. The interim report clearly indicates that many measures can be taken to reform the Court without jeopardising the right of individual application. We look forward to the final report.

While waiting for the more fundamental reforms the Court has to look into its own working methods with the view of finding permanent practices which bring more efficiency but do not jeopardise the quality of its judgements. In order to reduce the so called back-log of cases pending before the court as quickly as possible, temporary measures, such as streamlining the work of the Court and hiring of additional temporary legal staff, could be taken. An important element in alleviating the Court's situation is to secure that the European Convention of Human Rights is fully implemented in national judicial systems. The better the national courts work, the less applications the Court will receive.

To maintain the credibility of the Court, it is absolutely essential that all member States implement fully their treaty-based obligations and the Court's judgments.

Mr. Chairman,

The Warsaw Summit decided to enhance the co-operation between the CoE and the EU. Prime Minister Juncker of Luxembourg presented recommendations on how the develop the relations between the two organisations. Finland supports his views on enhancing the co-operation, and is convinced that it can be improved in many ways, above all in the fields of the European Neighbourhood policy and the stabilisation and association process. The enhanced co-operation must take into account the respective strengths and differences of both organisations. At this point a Memorandum of Understanding should provide an operational tool and a basic framework for enhancing the co-operation between the EU and the Council of Europe in key areas.

There is a need to improve dialogue between cultures both inside our societies and between our societies. Finland welcomes the CoE action to this effect and feels that it would be artificial to limit this dialogue only to the CoE member states. This dialogue must be based on human rights principles we have agreed upon. Fundamental rights cannot be compromised.

Finally, Mr. Chairman,

I wish to congratulate the Romanian Chairmanship on its success in carrying out the demanding task of presiding the Council in the spirit of Warsaw.

I wish to welcome Russia as the new Chairman of the Council of Ministers and assure Finland's full cooperation and support for the Chairmanship in striving for the common goal to build a Europe based on human rights, democracy and rule of law.