Council of Europe to define its future role

Press release 150/2005
10 May, 2005

The European heads of state will convene in Warsaw, Poland on 16 and 17 May to define the role of the Council of Europe for the coming years. The Finnish delegation will be headed by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen.

The main theme of the Summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government will be a Europe without dividing lines. The goal is to strengthen the unity of the continent in the new situation following the great political and organisational changes in Europe. This unity has been built upon pan-European values: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Council of Europe has played a central role in this work. Finland’s aim is that the Summit would confirm the commitment of the member states on the basic mission of the Council of Europe.

In the course of the preparation process for the Summit Finland has also taken initiative in order to strengthen equality between the sexes as well as to reduce violence against women, particularly domestic violence. Supported by the other Nordic Countries and the Baltic Countries, Finland has strongly promoted development of the Council of Europe into a more open and transparent organisation. In this respect Finland considers interaction and cooperation with the civil society important. The Finnish initiatives have evoked wide response, and it seems that they would become approved in the Summit.

The Summit will discuss possible ways to ease the situation of the European Court of Human Rights where handling of applications has been seriously delayed. Finland supports swift execution of already agreed reforms and basing the consideration of future measures on keeping the core of the system – the individual’s right to submit applications – unchanged.

Protecting the status of minorities is also among important themes for Finland. Finland wants to promote intercultural dialogue with full appreciation of human rights as the foundation.

The key task of the Summit is to define the role of the Council of Europe in relation to the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Updating the current relations between these three actors has become topical, as the EU has enlarged significantly and both the EU and OSCE have increased their activities in human rights issues.

Finland underscores the need for closer cooperation between the Council of Europe, the EU and the OSCE. Their activities should be coordinated so that they would complement each other and unnecessary duplication could be avoided. For instance, the EU could seek to benefit much more from the Council of Europe’s expertise in human rights issues than it is doing right now. The OSCE and the Council of Europe, on the other hand, are trying to enhance their joint efforts against terrorism, trafficking in human beings and racism, and for protection of minorities.

The Council of Europe still plays a significant role as architect of pan-European standards. During the Summit, the Council will open three newly drafted Council of Europe conventions for signature. Their purpose is to combat trafficking in human beings, terrorism and financing of terrorism.

The Summit in Warsaw will be the third in the history of the Council of Europe, established in 1949. In the previous summits in the years 1993 and 1997, the European heads of state set as their goal expansion of the organisation across the whole continent, a goal made possible by the end of the Cold War. The goal is now almost achieved. There are 46 member states, Belarus being the only non-member.

The Council of Europe is an inter-governmental political organisation tasked with securing and promoting stability and security in Europe by means of binding standards concerning human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It also monitors the member states’ compliance with these standards. The organisation’s field of operations is very extensive. It defines standards for, and has several cooperation programmes also, for example, in the arenas of culture, health, education, youth activities and sport. These activities support fulfillment of the basic mission of the Council of Europe. Being practical in nature, this work also brings the goals of the Council of Europe close to the everyday life of the citizens of Europe.

Finland joined the Council of Europe in 1989. Finland has been a very active member of the organisation. For instance, it was Finnish initiatives that lead to establishment of the post of Commissioner for Human Rights as well as the European Roma Forum.

Alongside the Summit of Council of Europe, Warsaw will also host a Youth Summit on 15 and 16 May. The event will bring together about one hundred participants from European youth organisations from all member states. The main theme of the Youth Summit is consolidation of democracy. The Summit will also launch a youth campaign promoting greater dialogue between the cultures.

Additional information: Director Johanna Suurpää, Unit for Human Rights Policy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 1605 6551, johanna [email protected]