© European Commission

On 16-17 May, in Reykjavík, we witnessed a historic Fourth Council of Europe Summit pledge unanimous commitment to protect and promote the cornerstone values of the organisation: human rights, democracy and the rule of law, while reaffirming solidarity with Ukraine. Calling for a just peace and ensuring accountability for Russia’s aggression were the topics at the very heart of the Summit. The major outcome of the gathering is, in that regard, the newly established register to record and document evidence and claims of damage, loss or injury caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a first step towards a broader international mechanism of compensation. The EU has joined the register as an associate member and announced voluntary contribution worth €1 million to help launch the new structure.

As the Council of Europe’s main institutional partner, the EU reiterated its commitment to further reinforcing this cooperation in light of growing contestation of our values. Its leaders pointed to the annual EU rule of law report and the accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Istanbul Convention, now in their advanced stages.  In their final Reykjavík Declaration, the Heads of State and Government welcomed the provisional agreement reached at technical level, in March this year, on the revised accession instruments to the ECHR and expressed commitment to its timely adoption.

Check out our video to better understand why the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights is so important ?