21/04/2026 Session
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has reiterated that “democracy is still alive”, as shown by the recent elections in Bulgaria and Hungary, and called on parliamentarians to “build on this positive momentum at this challenging time” in a Q&A with the Assembly.
The Secretary General described the current moment as one of “profound geopolitical tension”, highlighting, in particular, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the terrible situation in the Middle East, and the growing pressure on democracy, security and the rule of law.
Specifically on the war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year since the full-scale invasion by Russia, Mr Berset outlined the support that the Council of Europe has led, urging Europeans not to forget the war amid crises elsewhere. He highlighted the progress towards the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, noting that the initiative now requires the commitment of the member states to be brought to fruition.
He also spoke about the forthcoming gathering of member-state foreign ministers in Moldova: “The ministerial session in Chișinău next month will be such an important moment for our organisation. It will be also advance key priorities, from support for Ukraine to migration and foreign information manipulation and interference, in full respect of the Convention system and the values we stand for.”
Answering a question from Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC) on the independence of the European Court of Human Right in discussions over migration.
Secretary General Berset said: “The independence of the Court must be untouchable. This is why we need to act. One third of all the members of the European Union put the independence of the Court in question. This is a serious matter. We could not act as if nothing was happening. My goal was to take back this discussion to Strasbourg and to channel this discussion at the political level, where it must be dealt with, and not to accept pressure on the Court.”
He added: “We can expect from the future political declaration on the Court, that the Court can read this and take it into account in its work. The European Convention on Human Rights will remain the most important text that we have.”
Secretary General Berset also took questions on, among other subjects, support for Ukraine, Armenia’s elections, the arrest of two mayors in Türkiye, reforms of the Council of Europe, Serbia and Kosovo, multilateralism, and Cyprus.