Attended by over 130 participants, the debate featured a panel with Stella Ronner-Grubačić, Deputy Managing Director for Values and Multilateral Relations and Ambassador for Diversity and Gender at the EEAS, Christophe Poirel, Director for Human Rights at the Council of Europe, and Bernard Guetta, Member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights. The event provoked an interesting exchange on the UDHR's importance in the contemporary world, the Council of Europe’s and the EU's contributions to the promotion of human rights, and the challenges that Europe and its citizens need to tackle in a complex and multipolar world. The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Russian Federation, Ms Mariana Katzarova, contributed to the debate as a guest. She reminded the audience of the courage of Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, physicist and human rights activist who inspired the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, and recalled the pioneering work of Eleonor Roosevelt, Chairperson of the drafting committee of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document celebrating its 75^th anniversary.

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In her opening remarks, the Ambassador of the EU to the Council of Europe, Ms Vesna Batistić Kos, stressed the need to remain inspired by the UDHR as a landmark document and she recalled the determination of the EU and the HRVP to defend the universality of human rights.

Ms Ronner-Grubačić highlighted that commemorating the anniversary of the UDHR is an opportunity for the EU to reaffirm its dedication to these shared values in its work in the EU and beyond. She also noted that the UDHR has a multi-layered importance for the EU. First, the legal foundation of the UDHR acts as a normative framework for the EU’s policy development. Second, together with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the UDHR guides the EU’s external relations in matters of human rights. Finally, the UDHR serves as an inspiration for the EU’s work with civil society.

Mr Christophe Poirel emphasised that in the nineties, the EU and the Council of Europe were often considered somewhat antagonistic but that the cooperation has qualitatively and quantitatively improved in the last ten years. Nevertheless, he stated that the EU and the CoE should cooperate even more closely as they are complementary, since both support and monitor states to advance the protection and promotion of human rights. He particularly underlined the significance of the EU’s political power to push member states to execute the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Bernard Guetta reflected on the double standards European states apply when balancing human rights concerns and economic interests. He also pondered the impact of authoritarian regimes on international relations and European democracies. Finally, Mr Guetta argued that the achievements and legal frameworks such as the UDHR or the ECHR remain anchors of the democratic systems despite the vast room for improvement regarding the implementation of standards of European states.

Mr Herbert Dorfmann, President of the European Parliamentary Association (APE) and Member of Parliament, closed the debate by stating that it is high time to discuss human rights and democracy, and by marvelling about how clear and bold the UDHR had already been at its time of creation in the late 1940s.

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