130th Session of the Committee of Ministers (4 November 2020)
- It gives me great pleasure to extend my warmest congratulations on behalf of the European Union to Greece for our excellent co-operation during its chairmanship.
- The Athens Declaration issued by the Chairmanship today underlines the need for effective multilateral co-operation so that we are better prepared for future public health crises and other emergencies. The Council of Europe has once again proven its value by ensuring a values-based response to the COVID-19 crisis. Let me congratulate in particular the Secretary General for the very useful Toolkit published in a timely manner after the outbreak of the pandemic.
- Last May, the EU reaffirmed the need to pay special attention to the growing impact of the pandemic on all human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Emergency measures should not be used to restrict the work of human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations. Derogations must always be justified, time-limited and proportionate. Digital technologies that have the potential to help contain the pandemic should be used in full respect of human rights.
- During such a testing time, values-based organisations like the EU and Council of Europe must act as a political and moral compass for policy-makers and citizens alike. This is why the EU regards the Council of Europe as a key strategic partner. Our working together across the European continent shows how regional cooperation can effectively contribute to multilateral efforts at the global level.
- We are ever more committed to enhance and extend this cooperation in order to ensure coherence and complementarity in the field of human rights protection. The new EU priorities for cooperation with the Council of Europe and the Commission’s Rule of Law Report are a token of this commitment.
- As we celebrate the 70th birthday of the European Convention on Human Rights, we would like to pay tribute to the most important human rights instrument in Europe. The impact of the Convention on citizens has been enormous and the case law of the court illustrates the countless examples of rigorous human rights protection provided to individuals.
- We have just resumed the negotiations on EU accession to the Convention and our aim is to put in place a coherent legal framework of human rights protection throughout Europe. We are convinced that this will serve to help consolidate the rules-based international order and the promotion of high human rights standards across the continent.
- Finally, we could not agree more with today’s declaration on the role of the Council of Europe on the link between human rights and a healthy environment for future generations. This is one of the new highlights of our priorities for cooperation, along with the work on human rights and artificial intelligence.
- The EU’s work supporting democracy globally and the Council of Europe’s work in this area are complementary and reinforce each other. We should strengthen these common efforts at a time when democracy faces unprecedented challenges. Our work in the cyberspace would be such a field of future engagement.
- In closing, I would like to wish Germany every success for its chairmanship. The Council of Europe can count on the staunch support of the European Union in this time of crisis, through the recovery, and into the future.
