20/03/2023 Political Affairs and Democracy | President
“The parliamentary dimension of the 4th Council of Europe Summit, taking place in Reykjavik on 16 and 17 May next, will be assured as there will be an extraordinary meeting of the Standing Committee of our Assembly,” PACE President Tiny Kox said today, addressing a meeting of the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee in Paris.
The Standing Committee, which will meet in Reykjavik on 15 May 2023, the day before the Summit, will discuss two main themes: the Council of Europe as a key actor of multilateralism and its role in relation to the new generation of human rights, the President announced. Overall, “the programme will be slightly different from traditional Standing Committees, and the participation of the Prime Minister of Iceland and UN officials, as well as youth and civil society representatives, is expected”. In addition, a round table will be organised on the morning of 15 May, he also announced.
The consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will be at the centre of the Summit’s agenda, the PACE President underlined, with a natural focus on accountability and the practical means of ensuring it. There are also “ambitious expectations”, he said, regarding the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Summit will probably also address many other topical issues, he concluded, such as the need to reinforce the Council of Europe’s capacity to carry out its mandate, and upholding the new generation of human rights, notably in the fields of the environment and artificial intelligence.