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mardi 24 janvier 2023 après-midi

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Ouverture de la séance n° 4

Discours : Communication de la Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

15:36:24

Dear colleagues, 

Let us continue our good work in this hemicycle. 

I first will announce the results of the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights.

First, with regard to the election of a judge to the Court of Human Rights for Iceland. 

The total number of members who voted in this election was 186. There were two spoilt or blank ballot papers. The absolute majority of the votes cast is therefore 93. The number of valid votes is 184.

The results are Ms Arnardóttir 145 votes, Ms Guðmundsdóttir 22 votes and Mr Þórhallsson 17 votes. That means that Ms Arnardóttir, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is the elected judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of nine years, which shall be commenced no later than three months after this election. Congratulations, Ms Arnardóttir.

With respect to a judge to the European Court of Human Rights for Denmark. Here, we had the total number of members voting 189. We had three spoilt or blank ballot papers. The absolute majority of the votes cast is 95. The number of valid votes is 186. The results were as follows: Mr Mohammad Ahsan has 10 votes, Ms Anne Louise Haahr Bormann 139 votes and Mr John Aspen and Mr Jon Esben Hvam 37 votes. That means that Ms Anne Louise Haahr Bormann having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast is elected judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of nine years, which shall commence no later than three months after her election. I congratulate Ms Anne Louise Haahr Bormann with her election in our Court of Human Rights.

Having done this part of the business, we now go further with the next point of our item of business and that is the Presentation of our Secretary General, Ms Marija PEJČINOVIĆ BURIĆ. At the beginning of a year of her vision of the future of the Council of Europe and what is at stake. And afterwards, she will take questions. We have 1 hour for this item on the Agenda.

Madam Secretary General, you have the floor.

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

15:39:14

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Parliament,

It is a pleasure to address you in what will be an important year for Europe.

I think it is fair to say that since I became Secretary General of this organisation, our continent has faced challenges not seen since the creation of the Council of Europe: a pandemic that has killed millions and required enormous changes to our way of life, the return of military aggression on a scale that many thought impossible, and the terrible consequences that have flowed from this. First and foremost, the dreadful suffering of the Ukrainian people, who continue to meet injustice with bravery and strength.

The Council of Europe, including this Parliamentary Assembly, was united around the decision last year to exclude the Russian Federation on the basis of its brutal, illegal and ongoing aggression. That decision was swift and it was just; Russia has broken with the values that underpin and unite this European family, and it has no place here.

Our priority right now is to support  our member state, Ukraine. We are doing this in every way possible, by providing expert assistance to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General as evidence of Russia's war crimes is gathered, by helping our member states to welcome, support and integrate the Ukrainian refugees who have come in search of to safety and security, and by putting together the new Joint Action Plan for Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction that will help put Ukraine on the firmest possible footing, now and whenever the violence ends.

Accountability. Fundamental rights. A European future. We owe Ukraine these things. Every part of our strong and united Council of Europe is committed to delivering them. Our Committee of Ministers, this Parliamentary Assembly, the Court, the Congress, the Commissioner for Human Rights, our Development Bank... We will be there for Ukraine for as long as it takes.

There is, of course, a broader context. The Russian Federation's aggression is the most extreme example of a terrible trend: rabid populism and nationalism have returned to parts of Europe. The scapegoating and targeting  of minorities. The rise of anti-rights movements. The bellicose voices that seek to undermine the institutions that underpin our democratic societies, our democratic civilisation. All of these run counter to the values and standards that we exist to uphold. So, rather than see the consequences of Russia's aggression in isolation, we should instead view them as a terrible example of where this breakdown ends.

In the thousands of Ukrainians who have been raped, wounded and killed, and the millions more who have lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones. In the Russian Federation itself, whose people have lost the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights, being placed under ever tighter control, and being denied access to the basic facts about what their government is really doing and the terrible consequences that come from it.

Throughout our continent, many countries now face greater hardship and they fear for their own security, while watching the price of food, fuel and other goods soaring, making vital services unaffordable and sinking people's standard of living: this is the reality of geopolitics in Europe today. Fundamental, political and social rights, – human rights – are being denied. Citizens are suffering. All of this must stop.

That, after all, is what the Council of Europe was established to ensure, with a mandate and a common legal space like no other in the history of our continent or anywhere in the world.

So how should we respond? Not just to the current violence on our continent, but to the broader trend this represents. What more must we do? What actions must our member states take to be certain that human rights, democracy and the rule of law will be remembered, not as a 20th century curio, but recognised as the bedrock for dignity, security and prosperity in this century and beyond? These are questions that must be addressed at the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe.

I have been clear for some time that this Summit must happen, and I am grateful that the Committee of Ministers, Italian, Irish and Icelandic presidencies, have paved the way ensuring to its taking place in Reykjavik this May. Its precise agenda is, of course, for the Member States to decide, but I have no doubt that it will be informed by the conclusions of High Level Reflection Group, which published its report last autumn and by the report you will adopt this afternoon. I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the debate.

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

15:46:57

Certainly, and as a starting point, Reykjavik will provide national government national leaders with the opportunity to respond to current events by recommitting to our European values and standards.

The European Convention must be implemented. The judgments of the European Court of Human Rights must be executed always swiftly and in full by all our member states.

Our range of instruments must continue to do their good work in tackling everything: from the rights of national and language minorities to preventing violence against women and domestic violence, to ensuring the rights of children, Roma and travellers, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and LGBTI people.

But I am clear, as I'm sure that you are too, that while this Summit must re-state governments' commitment to our values, it cannot take a business as usual approach.

Given the reality is around us, it must be more ambitious than that.

Ukraine must take centre stage at the Summit. Accountability of the death and destruction caused by the Russian aggression is vital. There can be no sustainable peace without justice. At the Council of Europe we are ready to play its part.

In addition, member states must now acknowledge, hold and reverse the democratic backsliding that has been a hallmark of recent years, and which is the root cause of violence, discrimination and suffering for so many. There is a range of ways in which they can do this.

They can strengthen and complete the human rights architecture that maintains our common standards by reinforcing institutions at the national level, of course. But also, by taking steps at the international level. Not least in completing the European Union's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, on which so much good work has been done by both the European Union and the Council of Europe working together.

Member states can also push forward with the application of our values to the new and evolving challenges facing our modern societies so that environmental standards are strengthened and artificial intelligence improves our lives without undermining our fundamental rights.

Of course, Reykjavik will also give member states a chance to say what they will do to restore the specific rights, freedoms and features of democratic life that are in decline across our continent.

Will they take proactive steps to guarantee freedom of expression at a time when the media [are] often targeted, restricted and curtailed for political purposes?

Will they act to protect, nurture and expand the civic space that gives such meaning, legitimacy and colour to our democratic life, but which is often shrinking along with civil society organisations with her?

Will they further apply such thinking to the situation on our doorstep too?

Specifically, will they bring forward new thinking on how we can better engage with civil society from Belarus and the Russian Federation, where individuals and organisations who share our outlook are in danger of being more isolated than ever?

Co-operation between their governments and this organisation has been rightly curtailed because of the aggression against Ukraine. But member states have already stated their wish to see engagement with democratic forces and civil Society without putting activists in danger. There have already been important developments on this front.

Most obviously, the Council of Europe Contact Group on Relations with Belarus, whose second meeting will be held this week and will agree on concrete practical support the Council of Europe can provide to the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society.

The Contact Group is a unique forum, and I'm proud that the Council of Europe is breaking new ground here, helping its membership to advance their thinking and ideas. Their governments disregard their wish for a better future – we never will.

On this subject and all subjects, progress will be made possible by the strength of political will in the lead-up to the Summit, at the event itself, and in the follow-through to the decisions taken there.

At our recent meeting, the Icelandic prime minister said something very important. She said that she would like her country to host a summit whose declaration deepens member states commitment to the Council of Europe and to the Council's values, and does not simply reaffirm them. That it should show an organisation created in the aftermath of World War II, but relevant to the challenges of today.

I fully agree.

Ongoing events on our continent show the need for governments to correct course and to reinvest their faith and their efforts in peace and in the Council of Europe which is fundamentally a peace project. Peace underpinned by the values and standards into which so much time, work and faith have been invested since 1949.

We, all of us in this organisation, are ready to play our part to deliver on the promise of a better and peaceful future for Europe.

That is the challenge to which we must rise.

Thank you very much.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

15:54:12

Thank you very much, Madam Secretary General for your introduction at the beginning of this new and most challenging year.

 

Now we are going to give the floor first to the speakers on behalf of the political groups and then to others to ask questions to you.

Questions must be limited to 30 seconds.

And the first question comes from Mr Stefan SCHENNACH from Austria. And Stefan speaks on behalf of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group.

M. Stefan SCHENNACH

Autriche, SOC, Porte-parole du groupe

15:54:44

Dear Madam Secretary General,

Today, the German foreign minister named Osman Kavala. Before I ask you, I want to thank Mr Ahmet YILDIZ  that our rapporteurs could go and visit Kavala in prison. But this is not enough, and what will the Council of Ministers do to fulfil the judgment of the European Court on Human Rights regarding Kavala?

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

15:55:23

Thank you, Stefan.

Madam Secretary General?

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

15:55:27

Well, let me start by saying that I deeply deplore the decision of the Regional Court of Appeal on 28 December which upheld the judgment from an Istanbul Court sentencing Osman Kavala on life imprisonment, disregarding ECHR judgment. And I only can say that this is another step in the wrong direction.

I know that Mr Kavala has appealed to this judgment, so at least in judicial terms there are still avenues which can correct this wrongdoing, I would say, and wrong taking.

It was clearly said also you mentioned the speech of the Federal Minister Ms Annalena BAERBOCK and I can only repeat: execution of European Court judgments is not optional.

Every country –so that includes Turkiye– who signed the European Convention on Human Rights, must abide by its judgments.

So, with this I can only say that, while we are looking on this traditional front what may happen, following the logic of the convention, I can only say I think what also was the meaning of the Federal Minister's speech, that I call for authorities to release Osman Kavala immediately, because the court was very clear in its judgments that this was the way how he was judged and the evidence was really not valid and that Osman Kavala should be freed.

Now, for the supervision of the judgments, it is clear the mandate of the Committee of Ministers that already for some time the Committee of Ministers has stepped up its work in this case, which means that at every meeting, not only at the human rights meeting, four times a year or less in some cases, non-executed judgments are reviewed.

So at each meeting of the deputies this is the case, it is on the table.

So this is certainly one important step.

The Committee of Ministers also took another step which is forming a liaison group of ambassadors that would assist chair in liaising with the authorities in Turkiye.

You mentioned the Parliamentary Assembly monitoring Mr John HOWELL and Mr Boris Cilevics who went to Turkiye and I think it was very good that they have opportunity to meet with Mr Kavala. My understanding is that his message was very important that we really keep insisting on what is the way to proceed with this and I can only say that it was a very important message that also was was given through the media.

And I can only commend that the Parliamentary Assembly went on on that step.

So what more can be done?

There was also a meeting on a more technical level, but a high-level technical level, so to see how we can proceed with that. And of course, the Committee of Ministers in its human rights meeting in December asked from all of us, including me, to step up our actions, whichever they may be, towards our member State Turkiye to release Osman Kavala and to execute the judgment.

So, from my part of course, I have been doing that in the past in my meetings with the foreign minister and I will of course continue to do so. But it remains one of these unfortunately flagship, most prominently visible at the moment cases, in which it is clear why we need to have the summit and why we need to... one of possible things to have on the summit to really recommit to the values and standards, because that would mean also implementation of the ECHR and including execution of judgments.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:00:35

Thank you, Madam Secretary General.

Next question come from Ms Deborah BERGAMINI from Italy and she speaks on behalf of the Group of the European People's Party.

Deborah.

Mme Deborah BERGAMINI

Italie, NI, Porte-parole du groupe

16:00:45

Thank you.

Eva Kaili is a Greek MEP who has been has been in a Belgian prison since the beginning of December. These individuals have been accused of different issues and there are also questions of torture that have come to the forefront as well. Her child of two years she has seen only twice since the beginning of December.

Nothing is being said about this particular case. Everybody ought to have their human rights respected and this is no exception, I feel. Perhaps you could comment on this particular issue of Ms Kaili.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:01:31

 Madam Secretary General?

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:01:39

You are right, all of our member States are bound by the European Convention on Human Rights and that includes the presumption of innocence, that includes the prohibition of torture or inhuman and degrading treatment.

That being said, it applies to all countries and including the case you are mentioning. I am sure that this is a matter to be handled by the Belgian judicial system and I must say that from the experience we have, I trust the system of checks and balances in Belgium but, of course, I am sure that we must all be very watchful of situations which are precarious and certainly in situations of people who are deprived of liberty in those cases.

So I can only say that I trust that the Belgium authorities will do what is necessary if the alleged cases, as you mentioned, are true.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:02:55

Thank you, Madam Secretary General.

The next question comes from Ms Franziska HOOP from Liechtenstein and she speaks on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

Franziska?

Mme Franziska HOOP

Liechtenstein, ADLE, Porte-parole du groupe

16:03:05

Firstly, I would like to thank the Secretary General for her presentation.

The Council of Europe remains the most important organisation in Europe working to promote and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Principles that we must uphold today more than ever. The European Court of Human Rights plays a special role in ensuring that all member states protect human rights and political freedoms as set forth in the Convention.

The Russian Federation is rightly no longer a member of this organisation. However, this does not relieve them of their binding legal obligation to implement judgments of the Court on violations committed prior to their withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights. What have they done, what can they do, to protect the rights of Russian activists and opposition figures working for democracy, human rights and the rule of law?

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:04:02

Thank you, Franziska.

Madam Secretary General?

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:04:06

As you rightly mentioned, the Russian Federation ceased to be a high contracting party to the European Convention on Human Rights on 16 September. However, all the court cases taken before that and all the future possible cases that may be directed – applications that may be directed – against the Russian Federation of the matter that occurred before 16 September, can be adjudicated by the European Court. So that concerns how the future may bring even more cases, even though the Russian Federation is no longer a contracting party.

Now, for the part of the implementation of the judgments, I think the number of cases pending from the Russian Federation is among the four biggest numbers that we have pending at the Court and it includes also the implementation. So under international law, the Russian Federation remains obliged to implement all the cases that have been adjudicated by the court and the Committee of Ministers' continued supervision of the judgments.

At its last meeting in December, the Committee of Ministers, in this format which we call human rights format, was discussing how to proceed with the cases because they strongly deplored – and I can only also say that I deplore it in the same way – that the Russian Federation decided earlier not to implement the Court judgments and furthermore, it decided not to participate in these meetings of the supervision of the judgments, nor to communicate with the Committee of Ministers. However, the Committee of Ministers will continue its work and, when it comes to how to communicate to the Russian Federation on the decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers, it has tasked me, as now it is a third member State, so it is not a member State of the Council of Europe, to send each time, when it deliberates on and takes decisions, to inform the foreign minister of the Russian Federation of their obligation. And I have done for that meeting already, I sent the letter on 9 December and in the future, I will continue doing so.

There is one important thing which you can find in the report of the High-Level Reflection Group that was done as part of the reflection that may be discussed at the future Summit, and it concerns the implementation of judgments. And in particular, the implementation of judgments directed to the Russian Federation.

So, as the Russian Federation remains obliged under international law to implement it, it can be probably discussed and see how to have a more strategic way of doing so, so that more interaction between the Council of Europe and the United Nations could be, so that these cases can be also brought as a case of breach of international law before UN bodies. So this is one of the ways where although we do not have direct access to the Russian Federation, we can still influence that the Russian Federation is pressed to abide by the decisions taken duly by the execution of the judgments of the Courts.

So, in that respect, I think that is very important, not only because so many people are deprived at this moment of being protected in the Russian Federation by the Convention but also because they will see what has been done during the membership and after six months after it ceases to be a high contracting party to the Council of Europe, that the Russian Federation is still under the obligation to implement the judgments.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:09:18

Thank you, Madam Secretary General.

The next question comes from Lord Richard KEEN, from the United Kingdom.

He speaks on behalf of the European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance.

Richard, you have the floor.

Lord Richard KEEN

Royaume-Uni, CE/AD, Porte-parole du groupe

16:09:27

Madam Secretary General, you mentioned your High-Level Reflection Group. You refuse to allow this Assembly to participate in the appointments to that group and I ask is that wise when it transpires that two of the people you appointed were board members of the Fight Impunity NGO that has been implicated in the Qatar scandal in the European Parliament?

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:10:18

Madam Secretary General?

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:10:23

Well, I can say that I don't disagree with your assessment of the results of the High Level Reflection Group.

I think it worked in a very expedient manner, because it was at the moment when I was tasked by the Committee of Ministers to set up the group. It was clear that it is very important and that the Committee of Ministers will partially also take a look into the result of the report of the High Level Reflection Group when deciding whether to take up the Summit or not. So they were really up to the challenge regarding the time.

I was also, having that in mind, applying the method how to choose the members.

I can only say that the quality of the work that they have, and the relevance of their findings is really outstanding. That can be one of the of the documents that can be used by the Committee of Ministers when deciding on the agenda.

As I'm sure that your report – that will be discussed today, and I will really listen to it very carefully – will also make a part. So, the Parliamentary Assembly, with its collective wisdom, will have a report that will certainly feed in the reflection on the Summit.

Now, how the group was formed. I must say that I really made the best effort to have a very coherent approach, to have quality geographical, political, and gender-balanced approach in the group of seven that finally started to work. That group of seven included some former members of the Parliamentary Assembly.

For me, that was very important, that some former members of the Parliamentary Assembly were there so that this approach that from parliamentarians may be, also was somewhere while reflecting on what would be the proposals made for a possible reflection on what would be the agenda, and a possible giveaway from the Summit.

I would just say that I was very enchanted and very much impressed by the person who chaired the group, who was chosen among the seven, and that's Mary Robinson, of Ireland. You probably all know Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, but also she has in her career had many important functions which made her a perfect chair of this group. Under her leadership, I think the result which the group proposed really can be very useful for the future reflection on how to put the agenda of the forthcoming Summit.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:13:45

Thank you, Madam Secretary General.

The last question on behalf of the political groups comes from Mr Andrej HUNKO from Germany on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.

Andrej?

M. Andrej HUNKO

Allemagne, GUE, Porte-parole du groupe

16:13:54

Thank you very much, Mr President,

Madam Secretary General,

We are all mentally on our way to Reykjavik for the summit, and the German Foreign Minister and you have already addressed a few points that are important. This includes strengthening the Court of Justice, this includes in general also the strengthening of the Council of Europe, which Ms Annalena BAERBOCK has made very clear, this includes the expansion also of fundamental rights, to include environmental rights and also the question of artificial intelligence.

One point is, I think, very important: the accession of the EU to the Convention on Human Rights. Perhaps you could say something about the current status. It would be wonderful if we could conclude this process in Reykjavik. As far as I know, it is close to completion, but there are still some difficulties, if you could say something about that.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:14:51

Danke sehr, Mr Andrej HUNKO.

Madam Secretary General.

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:15:00

Thank you very much.

I think for this organisation holding the Summit is the best news that we have. And holding it with the meaning for our citizens across our 46 member states is even more important.

So I think, as the rules say, the agenda pertains to the mandate of the Committee of Ministers to decide on that, but, as I mentioned, you will have your say through the report that you will discuss today and the reflection group made its proposal and a number of other documents certainly will feed in this reflection.

I can only repeat that for me the most important part, having in mind that we are facing the situation that we thought we will never have in Europe, which is the war in the heart of Europe, raging, already raging for almost a year, and that shows that we really need to find a way to recommit to the values, because, as it was mentioned by some, there were some signs and they are some worrying signs of departing from some of our standards.

I think the summit should give an answer or possible solution how should we in the future first be more united, send a message of united around the values, because, yes, we are a geographically defined organisation, but I think what is more important than probably now in the wartime more than ever important is that what unites us are our values, not only our geographical definition that we are in Europe on the continent that is ours.

So I think recommitting to the values should be the overarching task for our leaders with the summit.

Support for Ukraine goes without saying. Because support to Ukraine at the same time will tackle the issue of how to bring peace back to our continent, and unfortunately Ukraine is probably the most horrible, the most horrific example where the war wages for so long, but we have other places where also conflicts didn't cease or appear.

So I think assisting Ukraine in a number of ways will also help us actually rebuilding peace in Europe.

And I'm sure that I was earlier on responding to the question how do we make European Convention on Human Rights implemented in all of our Member States, including the execution of judgments?

I think if we achieve or if we get closer to the moment where we will have the whole of Europe, including the European Union, to abide by the European Convention on Human Rights, meaning that it accedes to it, I believe we will certainly make a big leap forward, because that is very much needed for Europe.

Of course work with the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society and also those who uphold our values and civil society from Russian Federation certainly are important elements that maybe decided, because it was when Russia was expelled rightly so – almost a year ago – it was clearly said that we will need to take care of the civil society and of the developments in that part of the world.

So I think that will be a follow-up on this very important decision.

And of course you mentioned, last but not least, the new challenges, because some of these things I mentioned are already long-standing challenges, and if you go back and look at some of the issues that were taken at some former summits, although they happened long ago, for instance the European Convention of Human Rights, execution of judgments and implementation, that seems that we have to re-work on some work that has been done, but also that we take the challenges of our times.

And I think that also the Federal Minister was very clear on that. Most obvious are two areas in which we engage to work on, and I must praise in that respect the Parliamentary Assembly, which was more vocal, especially for environmental protection and human rights, long before than it was taken up in the whole organisation. But also for another pressing issue with artificial intelligence. For artificial intelligence it was a clear decision in Hamburg that the negotiations on some future legal instrument, which will combine legally binding and non-binding elements, should be taken.

And as the minister said, hopefully these negotiations will end this year. But it is certainly important also for the summit to address this, especially when it comes to environmental protection and human rights, because this is the issue that really horizontally is, I think, affecting all of us, because if the things continue to erode, then human rights will erode even quicker and then probably we will not have anything to work on because it would be physically impossible.

So I think environmental protection is really the most urgent of the new challenges that is there. But artificial intelligence also because, of its speed development and the need that while really giving us opportunities to work better and quicker and more efficiently, that it really doesn't undermine the fundamental values.

So I think the Summit may go further than that, may then elaborate also a specific action plan on how the big items go to the roadmap, but I think somewhere along these lines they are probably the important things to be taken at the Summit.

But, that being said, I always repeat that this is the matter to be decided by the Committee of Ministers.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:22:37

Thank you, Madam Secretary General.

Now, we take three questions together and then you can react on them.

The first question comes from Lord George FOULKES, from the United Kingdom.

Lord George FOULKES

Royaume-Uni, SOC

16:22:49

Thank you, Mister President.

The conveners of the European political community meeting seem to forget about the Council of Europe.

What are you doing to make sure that we play a key role in future developments?

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:23:05

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr Bernard FOURNIER from France.

Bernard, you have the floor.

M. Bernard FOURNIER

France, PPE/DC

16:23:13

Madam Secretary General,

You have just appointed a new Special Representative on anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes and all forms of religious intolerance: can you tell us what the roadmap will be?

Can you also specify what lessons have been learned from the controversy surrounding the "Freedom in Hijab" communication campaign, which showed up a shortcoming in the communication process and which led to the Council of Europe being put in an awkward position as an institution?

Will the new Special Representative have a particular responsibility for this?

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:23:55

Merci a vous, Bernard.

The last of this series of questions comes from Mr Barna Pál ZSIGMOND, from Hungary.

 

M. Barna Pál ZSIGMOND

Hongrie, CE/AD

16:24:04

Madam Secretary General, for Hungary providing credible support for the Euro-Atlantic integration of the Western Balkans along a clear European perspective is a strategic priority.

Your Excellency, where do you see the added value of the Council of Europe in this process?

Thank you.

 

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:24:22

 Madam Secretary General, would you please answer to the three remarks?

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:24:27

Thank you very much.

So starting with the European Political Community. I have to tell you that in my, at least, last half a year of meetings with all the high-level meetings I had, either in Strasbourg or in the member States, I raised with all those who participated in the first EPC meeting, how they see that and what is their appreciation in relation to the Council of Europe.

So I think the underlying message was that the EPC is an informal meeting. It has no intention to become an organisation with the Secretariat and it deals almost solely with the issues that are not dealt with by the Council of Europe. What is true is that it geographically almost covers all of our member States – it is not all of the member States, so let's see for the next Summit.

In particular, I met with the President of the Republic of Moldova, who is holding the next meeting, at the time when it was not yet convened but it was set to be sometime in the spring. So I also, with her, developed quite much on that, so she also reassured me of these issues that there is no contradiction between the EPC and the Council of Europe, that the role of the Council of Europe is very clear and it is not conflicting with the EPC, or rather, the EPC is not conflicting with the Council of Europe. And at that time, I asked her, of course, to take care also that, while I think the date of our Summit was already decided at the time we met, that it does not collide with that. So now this meeting is convened for 1 June. It does not collide with our meeting and I believe that what I heard – and I must tell you that I was told that by those who participated, who were either the presidents or prime ministers – so I was really reassured that the EPC has a different structure and different areas of concern.

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:27:11

Now, for Mr Bernard FOURNIER's question: you raised two questions which, from my point of view, are not necessarily linked.

One of them was the Twitter accident: I have already set out my position on that. The result that was put on the media, on Twitter, by one working group, by one NGO, is not the official position of the Council of Europe, nor is it my position. Bearing that in mind, I took measures to review just how we work when it comes to how we manage our work with social media. We realised that we have far too many social media which have evolved over time. I have entrusted this to the Deputy Secretary General, to manage work with the whole Secretariat to device a policy, to reduce the number of Twitter accounts which could be managed by the Secretariat. That work is almost completed; it will continue because it is not just a matter of Twitter accounts, but also Facebook, Instagram and others. But we learned lessons from that, from a situation which was neither desirable nor good for the Council of Europe, but I hope that through this new approach, we will be more successful.

As regards my Special Representative on anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim hate crimes, well that post has existed for more than two years now. I think that the work been done has shown that, within the Council of Europe and with our contact with those outside, with people who deal with these issues and our member states, has been a sound decision. And I think that the approach we have taken is the right one and I think we need to continue down this path. The more we do, as we have said, the more we see the need to continue, and to also meet people who are doing the same thing at member State level, and we realise that we can do even more together.

So, I think that, for the moment, I have two special representatives: one for migration and one for anti-Semitic and other forms of hate crime and all forms of religious intolerance. And I think that they will continue in their work.

Mme Marija PEJČINOVIĆ-BURIĆ

Croatie, Secrétaire Générale du Conseil de l'Europe

16:30:36

The third question concerning the Western Balkans enlargement to the European Union, and what is the role of the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe has been known since many years, while since this possibility of the Iron Curtain was down, and the possibility for former Eastern and Central European countries for whom, for obvious reasons, it was not possible to join the European Union, the Council of Europe was the first step. Actually, sometimes they called it antichambre, sometimes it was called working together. I think this antichambre was in particular in the beginning, because these same member states were not members of the Council of Europe either in the 90s or in the beginning of the 2000s.

Now, we have the situation where all these countries –or almost all– are members who have the possibility of joining the European Union, who have candidate or potential candidate status.

We have developed, over years, very good cooperation with the European Union, where we provide our knowledge and standards in order to assist our member states in preparing for the enlargement.

Possibly, one of the items for... because that was also part which was covered by the work of the High Level Reflection Group, was how the Council of Europe could or should improve a relation with, in particular, the EU, as it is the biggest partner at the moment, the UN and the OSCE, which from the international perspective at this moment seemed the most relevant.

Certainly, our relationship with the European Union has been established under the memorandum of understanding that dates from 2007. Probably, as things have changed dramatically, the Council of Europe grew up, but even more, the European Union has enlarged, probably we can step up this relationship further.

This is one avenue to be explored by the Committee of Ministers. Whether some decisions on that front may be important for our leaders to take on at the Summit.

In my view, these are because we are very vocal once the Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova gained candidate status for European Union membership. Georgia has some points to fulfil and probably and hopefully also soon will also become a candidate country.

So the number is enlarging outside of Western Balkans also to our member states who are in other parts of Europe.

I think we have standards, ways, and means where we can really be very useful and helpful in that.

I hope that in the future our relation may be bigger and more important, whether that would mean changing this institutional setup that we have with the memorandum of understanding. That remains to be decided by our leaders. How much attention to the question of generally our relation –the Council of Europe relation– with other international bodies, notably the European Union, the UN and the OSCE should be taken in the future, is again for the member states to decide.

Débat : Le Sommet de Reykjavik du Conseil de l'Europe : Unis autour de valeurs face à des défis hors du commun

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:34:41

Thank you very much, Madam Secretary General.

As we now have run out of time, I have to conclude the questions to you.

On behalf of the Assembly, I want to thank you most warmly for your statement and for answering the questions.

Thank you very much Madam Secretary General.

The next item of business this afternoon is the debate on the most relevant report titled The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe: United around Values in the face of Extraordinary Challenges, which you find in Document 15681, presented by Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN on behalf of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.

In order, dear colleagues, to finish by 8:00 p.m. we have to interrupt the list of speakers at about 7:35 p.m. to allow time for the reply and vote on the draft resolution and recommendation.

I now call Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, the rapporteur.

Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, you have 7 minutes now and 3 minutes to reply at the end of the debate.

You have the floor.

Mme Fiona O'LOUGHLIN

Irlande, ADLE, Rapporteure

16:36:15

Thank you, Mr President.

And dear President, dear Mr Tiny KOX, Secretary General and colleagues, Europe, no doubt, is confronted with extraordinary and grave challenges and grave moments such as these must be matched by great ambition and that is why we are here on this day at this time.

The Russian Federation is waging a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in defiance of international law including the Council of Europe Statute, the Helsinki Final Act and the Charter of the United Nations.

The human suffering endured by the Ukrainian population is unbearable to hear and to see on our phones and on our television screens and we have borne witness to that suffering over the last 12 months. We have seen the unconscionable targeting of civilians. We have seen terrified children sheltering in bunkers. We have seen city centres crumbling but we have also seen the stoic dignity and courage of the Ukrainian people and we stand with you.

It is important to say that this aggression goes way beyond Ukraine in terms of its consequences. All Europeans are impacted through higher energy costs, the displacement of people and the effects of a virulent economic recession. The Council of Europe is impacted by this war, which we did not manage to prevent and yet the Council of Europe has also reacted in line with its principles by excluding the Russian Federation from its membership immediately and expressing its firm support for Ukraine and the Ukrainians.

Europe has changed but its values – our values – have not. We cannot allow this war of aggression to undermine Europe's foundations, which are the core mandate of this organisation: democracy, human rights and the rule of law. In the face of the extraordinary challenges that we face, these values must continue to be our compass.

Faced with the brutality of this war of aggression, heads of state and government gathering in Reykjavik must reiterate that the pursuit of peace based upon justice and international co-operation is a vital precondition for the preservation of human society and civilisation. They must reiterate that rules-based multilateralism is the pivot of international order and firmly reject unilateralism based on the use of force. The Summit must give a clear political message in support of the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine and should call for financial support towards its reconstruction. It must also demand that a comprehensive system is set up to ensure that the Russian Federation is held accountable for violating international law and the damage and suffering it has caused.

In the face of the extraordinary challenges that we face, the Summit should also set a forward-looking vision and legacy for the Council of Europe of the future. While its areas of expertise should remain the same –  democracy, human rights and the rule of law – the organisation should be given greater means to have an impact on its member States and stay ahead of developments, keeping up with societal change and responding to citizens' demands.

There are three ways to achieve this objective. First and foremost, the Council of Europe should be given greater political clout. The Council of Europe is not only the guardian of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, it is not only an organisation with the technical expertise to draft legal standards, it is also a political community as emphasised in the Vienna Declaration, which concluded the First Summit in 1993. And it could not be otherwise, given that the Council of Europe is seized with matters which are of the highest political importance for the preservation of peace and security and member states and Europe as a whole. The Council of Europe is not a defence organisation, but by strengthening democracy, human rights and the rule of law in its member states, it contributes to democratic security for the whole continent.

As a political body representing European citizens, our Assembly is ready to play its part in engaging with the Council of Europe's overall activities, acting as a forum for parliamentary diplomacy and as a multiplier of Council of Europe standards and values at national level.

Second, the Council of Europe should be closer to citizens and more responsive to their expectations in terms of openness, transparency and active engagement. The Summit should give a clear political signal to modernise the Council of Europe's working methods and to ensure that the organisation practises what it preaches. Greater openness would help the Council of Europe better communicate its aims while boosting its visibility.

Third, a renewed, improved and reinforced organisation needs the financial resources to effectively carry out its mandate. The heads of state and government should make a political commitment to increase the ordinary budget of the Council of Europe in real terms, as already requested by the Assembly several times.

A Summit of heads of state and government is the appropriate level to ensure that the role of the Council of Europe as a political community is taken into account by the European multilateral architecture and is not sidelined or duplicated by other initiatives. In the European multilateral landscape the natural partner of the Council of Europe is the European Union and the Summit should aim at upgrading relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union, strengthening the strategic partnership based on shared values and a shared interest in supporting rules-based multilateralism on a global scale.

While the political declaration adopted at the Summit should set a vision for the Council of Europe of the future, it should be complemented by an action plan spelling out specific deliverables. Thus, the Summit should provide political support for strengthening Council of Europe tools and mechanisms and, where necessary, establishing new ones. Just to name a few of the many proposals before you in the area of human rights, new legal instruments, establishing the right to a safe, healthy and sustainable environment and to regulate artificial intelligence, should be added to the Council of Europe's corpus of law.

In the area of democracy, the Summit should give an impetuous to the Council of Europe's activities aimed at reversing the backsliding of democracy while addressing its root causes, for instance by enhancing citizens' trust in democratic processes.

In the area of the rule of law, the Summit should reiterate that strengthening the independence of the judiciary and fighting against corruption should be key priorities for the Council of Europe.

Dear President – and I appreciate you have given me a little bit of extra time – Secretary General, and colleagues, Europe is going through a time of uncertainty and reverses, which have heightened our feelings of insecurity and vulnerability. The Reykjavik Summit is the place for European leaders to state their unequivocal confidence in our founding values.

The aggression against Europe has been defined as a point of no return. It is our responsibility to ensure that this war also becomes the starting point for a renewed, improved and confident Council of Europe with a greater capacity to contribute to our shared democratic security and to respond to our citizens' real concerns.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:45:17

Thank you, Madam rapporteur.

May I thank you on behalf of the Assembly for the extraordinary work that you have done in the last months under high pressure and for the excellent co-operation with the ad hoc committee that was set up by the Bureau in which all political groups and all committees were represented, and also in good cooperation with the expert group set up by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

You have produced a most valued report that we are now going to debate.

And first in the debate I call Mr John HOWELL from the United Kingdom and he speaks on behalf of the European Conservatives.

John, you have the floor.

M. John HOWELL

Royaume-Uni, CE/AD, Porte-parole du groupe

16:46:04

Thank you very much.

And I'd like to start off by thanking the rapporteur for her excellent report.

I mean, it goes to the heart of establishing some general principles on which we can operate. I also support her unequivocal support of Ukraine and I think that is an important point to make.

I have the task in the UK of saying to my Prime Minister why he should attend this Summit. For me that is no problem. I can think of many reasons why he should attend this Summit, but it is very difficult at the moment to think of reasons why a Prime Minister should attend that Summit.

What we have heard described is essentially a back-to-basics approach to what we should be doing and there's nothing wrong with that, but there are some things in addition that we need to hear and to establish what we are going to do. And the first of those is to answer the question "But how are we going to establish that back-to-basics principle?".

What we need in this is a series of mechanisms to do this. Perhaps a new protocol to the Treaty of London, perhaps what we need are clear deliverables on a number of different areas that we can all sign up to.

This is a dangerous time.

I heard what the Secretary General said about the EPC: It is a chaotic organisation which we will have to watch it carefully.

But we would just have to wait and see on that, and it does affect what we do, it can affect what we do.

Should we be concentrating on human rights? Of course we should be concentrating on human rights. But how we should be doing that is very difficult to see and we need some clear deliverables about how that can be achieved.

And if you look at the Australian example of what their view on the convention is, they said and I quote: "It is far greater than anything we have achieved on our continent, difficult and even miraculous".

And I think if we hang on to that, that will be a good starting point for the future.

Democracy too is something that we need to hang on to and to make more of. We can argue over the definitions of it, but those are really small compared with the importance of democracy as a whole. And I go on to say of the rule of law as well.

I want to see a Summit that looks beyond the current situation, that looks beyond the war in Ukraine, and sets up a Council of Europe that we can all be proud of and we can all participate in for the future.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:49:12

Thank you, Mr John HOWELL.

Next in the debate I call Mr Bjarni JÓNSSON, from Iceland.

Mr Bjarni JÓNSSON speaks on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.

You have the floor.

M. Bjarni JÓNSSON

Islande, GUE, Porte-parole du groupe

16:49:26

Mr President, I would like to start by using the opportunity to thank the rapporteur, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, for an excellent report on the Reykjavik Summit.

The invasion by Russia into Ukraine has brought Europe together more than ever before to take charge of its own future. It has forced us to multilaterally choose our best path together for the future of our countries, people, and our ecosystems on which our continued existence is built.

It has brought us together to fight unilateralists and defeat them. No nation or authorities shall be able to impose their will upon others and against their will.

Mutual respect is the key to strengthening shared identity and values and acting on it.

The war in Europe and climate change has brought us together like never before to build a stronger multilateral architecture that we want for Europe inclusive for all. 

I strongly agree with the rapporteur that climate change and the right to a healthy environment should be a separate item on the agenda of the Summit, making the way for the heads of state and governments of the Council of Europe to take the lead to establish environmental protection as a right, as well as taking further action against global warming.

A legally binding framework to guarantee the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment should be cemented at the Summit.

In that context, the Council of Europe could set up a co-operative framework in the area of the environment similar to the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice.

The Summit could create such a body and funds to secure it. A commission for the protection of environment to be known as the Reykjavik Commission.

I want to quote the host of the Fourth Summit in Reykjavik, the Prime Minister of Iceland, who said that all our principles are being tested now following the invasion of Russia into Ukraine. We should thus look towards the Summit as a moment for putting us to the test. Iceland is now, for the first time, issuing an open call for input for the Fourth Summit, and by doing so, it is moving closer to what is emphasised in the report, enhancing opportunities for civil participation and deliberative democracy.

I hope that the open call will be an important step in this direction.

The Fourth Summit would not be happening if the Parliamentary Assembly and its President would not have taken the lead in an impressive and unified manner.

Further, it is of the utmost importance that this Assembly is at the centre stage in the preparation for the Summit and the implementation of its outcome.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:52:28

Thank you very much, Bjarni.

Now in the debate I call Mr Ahmet Ünal ÇEVİKÖZ from Türkiye and he speaks on behalf of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group.

M. Ahmet Ünal ÇEVİKÖZ

Türkiye, SOC, Porte-parole du groupe

16:52:40

Thank you, Chairman.

Distinguished members of the Assembly,

This report is the product of a journey we have been in for almost a year now. We have worked on it meticulously, and thanks to the talent and extraordinary efforts of our rapporteur, we are finalising this journey today.

Our group, right from the outset, has been an ardent supporter of the Fourth Summit of the Council of Europe, and we support this excellent report.

We have been in favour of the idea of the Summit and this report because we are extremely concerned about the growing authoritarian tendencies in our continent. We are very worried about the violation of human rights, and we condemn the military aggregation against the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

All these developments increase the momentum, and we appreciate the support of the Secretary General for the initiative she has taken to establish the High Level Reflection Group as well as the report they have prepared.

This report is a prelude to the forthcoming Summit. During the Summit, we would certainly like to see an increased visibility of this Assembly, and we are glad to note that the Standing Committee will be present and representing us.

The Summit should make our institutions stronger. We should enhance the mechanisms for the implementation of the decisions of the ECHR.

We should set out innovative ideas on dealing with non-members of the Council of Europe.

We should look at all the dimensions of human rights, including social, cultural and environmental aspects.

I must underline particularly the importance of enhancing the political dimension of the Council of Europe by increasing the coordination with other institutions of the multilateral architecture. The call for the creation of a Council of Europe committee acting as a platform for environmental protection, the call for the establishment of a commissioner for democracy.

All these, in the report, are visionary proposals which we hope will be endorsed at the Summit.

But I'm not standing here in front of this Assembly merely to praise the report and its rapporteur.

This report is not an end in itself. It's not even the end of a beginning.

I stand here to remind all of us that it is our duty and obligation to eventually crown this report with a meaningful, successful and victorious Summit meeting.

For that, dear colleagues, we have to make it happen by participation at the highest level.

I call to all our fellow parliamentarians that the Summit will have its meaning by the representation of our states at the level of heads of government and state. Because our leaders have to demonstrate their determination to bring about a new understanding for the protection of human rights, human dignity, and non-discrimination at all levels, to show their determination in the combat against xenophobia, Islamophobia, to show the determination in protecting women's rights, children's rights, LGBT rights.

I cannot help but quote with deep respect the wisdom of Martin Luther King Jr, where he said "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy".

We have to demonstrate our determination by the highest level of presence in the Summit to show our solidarity with all the migrants who had to leave their homelands because of civil wars, military aggression against territorial integrity of neighbours, violations of internationally recognised borders, and all kinds of other injustices.

So let us make it happen. Let us support this report unanimously. Let us make the Summit the beginning of an end to all the violations against the values we defend, and let us stand again, as a renewed Council, with a stronger mandate.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:55:52

Thank you, Ahmet.

Now we are going to listen to Mr Joseph O'REILLY from Ireland on behalf of Group of the European People's Party.

Joe, you have the floor.

M. Joseph O'REILLY

Irlande, PPE/DC, Porte-parole du groupe

16:56:04

Thank you, President.

On behalf of EPP I want to welcome Senator O'LOUGHLIN's excellent report and indicate our support for the draft recommendations.

It is with a natural pride that I acknowledge the pioneering work done on the Fourth Summit during our Irish presidency. And Ireland's continuing input with Iceland and others in ensuring a satisfactory outcome.

It is Russia's brutal war of aggression in Ukraine that inspired the Fourth Summit. Therefore the summit must decide on how to ensure Russia is held to account with an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, in addition to the existing international criminal court, and a compensation commission for damages, that is under discussion.

We must strengthen our strategic partnership with the EU in line with Assembly Regulation 2430. The accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights has to be a priority objective.

Our relationship with the UN and its strategic development goals is also vital and needs strengthening.

All this is necessary while maintaining our position as the primary human rights body and, of course, the primacy of the European Court of Human Rights.

The Summit must take account of the continuing challenges presented by migration aggravated by the mass of persons displaced from Ukraine as a result of tyranny.

All states must fairly share responsibility and care.

We should, in our handling of migration avoid giving oxygen to the far right, and it is incumbent on all of us here not to engage in the popular stoking of fires. The tackling of climate change and its contribution is crucial. The individual's right to a clean environment needs legislative and legal expression. Gender equality and the fight against sexual violence and homophobia must be enshrined in the Summit's final outcome.

Obviously sex trafficking has to be a key target of the Summit. Great work is underway within this Assembly, inspired by Baroness Doreen E. MASSEY and with which I've been actively involved on youth participation.

The normalisation and prioritisation of youth participation in the governmental process must be a key outcome of this Summit.

Similarly the role of the Congress of Local Representatives needs strengthening.

Let us strengthen our institutions and commit our countries financially in a way that we will always have the courage and discretion to expel miscreant states as we did in the case of Russia.

Like so many here I have had the privilege of sponsoring prisoners brutally incarcerated in Belarus. Their plight cannot and must not be be ignored and they must get special mention in the Fourth Summit.

The Fourth Summit gives us a chance to reassert our values, strengthen our institutions, improve our cooperation with EU and UN. We look forward in hope to its outcome.

Thank you, president.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

16:59:19

Thank you, Mr Joseph O'REILLY.

The last speaker on behalf of the political groups is Mr Iulian BULAI, from Romania, on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.

You have the floor, Mr Iulian BULAI.

M. Iulian BULAI

Roumanie, ADLE, Porte-parole du groupe

16:59:29

Thank you so much, President.

Dear Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, we are so happy that we are here today and that you are now presenting this report. And I know it has not been an easy task for you, but I am very thankful that you have taken this responsibility.

And this is one of the two pillars of this Assembly that has been crucial in preparing this Assembly for the Summit. One was the report – that part we are discussing today – the other one was the ad hoc committee, where both Mr Tiny KOX and also the former Chair of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group, Mr Jacques MAIRE, have had a great contribution to.

So these two pillars are very important on behalf of our Assembly to first look at ourselves, to look where we are now, and to have a clear and sincere image of this Assembly and this institution in order to create a better outcome of it through this Summit. Because the Summit is not the goal but is a means of doing better in this institution.

There are three things that are very important for us here: address the issue of Ukraine and the necessity of an ad hoc international tribunal judging and punishing the crimes of aggression of Russia in Ukraine, addressing the very need of the countries where we can observe a degradation of democracy – this is why I strongly support and we strongly support the idea of creating a commissioner for democracy within the institution – and the third point – that is very important for us – is to really look into the idea of the new generation of human rights and the challenges that are brought by the... two challenges: digitalisation and also the environment.

So if we have these three things on board, I think we will be having a very good outcome from the Summit. But the work till now has been done properly, the rest of the work is still to be done and this is a task for both you, President, and also for you, Madam Secretary General, as you are witnessing this debate. Take it seriously and also address it to the heads of States and governments that will be dealing with all these issues and proposals that have been discussed today.

That being said, at the end of this intervention, I think it is fair to say that we have a mandate by voting on this report, in going home and spreading the word on the content of this report, but also asking our heads of states and governments to commit themselves, to have a confirmation to participating for the Summit in order to have a success that should be echoed very many years ahead from now. So let us work till the very end in preparing this Summit in order to have a fresh start in June.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:02:26

Thank you, Mr Iulian BULAI.

Now we continue with the list of speakers.

The next speaker is Mr Damien COTTIER, from Switzerland.

M. Damien COTTIER

Suisse, ADLE

17:02:36

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

My congratulations to our colleague Mrs. Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for this excellent report. We know that there has been a lot of work and a lot of coordination and consultation behind it and this really gives an impetus from our Assembly for this summit, which is really a strong anchor for the beginning of the discussions that will take place in Reykjavik. I am also pleased, as others have mentioned, that this summit is being held.

Madam Secretary General, Mr President, I know that you have put a lot of effort into making it happen and it is important that it happens.

One of our colleagues said earlier that it was not so easy to convince your Prime Minister to go to Reykjavik. I had a discussion not so long ago with the President of the Swiss Confederation. It was actually quite easy to convince him because he immediately said: "It is very important that the States reaffirm their commitment to the Council of Europe", basically for the same reasons that the German Foreign Minister said this morning; because it is essential that we have this institution on our continent to ensure democracy and human rights, but also to ensure the foundations of peace. Basically, what we have not succeeded in doing enough in a country like Russia shows that it is a failure of the Council of Europe, but that, consequently, we do not need less Council of Europe: we need more Council of Europe. So the heads of state and government must commit themselves, by being present at the summit, but by committing themselves to this institution so that, in the end, it will have more means in the future to do what it should do.

At this point, I would just like to focus on a few priorities that seem essential to me and that are included in the report and the draft resolution: it is obviously needed to insist on the central importance of respecting the execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. This is truly a central and unique cornerstone of our institution and it is absolutely necessary to have a commitment, a clear commitment of the States in this respect and possibly an improvement of the follow-up process. I am delighted that we will be able to discuss on Thursday, in the context of the report on the aggression against Ukraine, is the creation of this ad hoc tribunal for the crime of aggression, which is absolutely essential, because peace is built on justice and justice must therefore also be able to intervene on this issue of aggression. This is the question of election observation, which is one of the fundamental missions of our institution and which can be improved.

In this respect, a conference in Bern will be organized by the Parliamentary Assembly on May 9 and 10 on this subject, supported by the Swiss Parliament. I invite you to participate in this conference and I hope that it will also influence the Summit declaration. It is good that this issue is anchored in the resolution.

Finally, youth: as you said this morning, Mr President, and as you said, Madam Secretary General; when we were thinking about the memory of the Holocaust, how essential it is that the youth of the continent be called upon to reflect on these events. It is also essential that they deal with democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Thank you, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, for explicitly mentioning this in the draft resolution.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:05:52

Thank you, Mr Damien COTTIER.

Now I call in the debate Mr Frank SCHWABE, from Germany.

Frank, you have the floor.

M. Frank SCHWABE

Allemagne, SOC

17:05:58

Mister Chairman,

Thank you, also, for my part, to Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for this excellent report, which both represents in depth what we have had in terms of important debates over the last few months, and also makes clear in breadth that there is just a great deal of support here in this Assembly. I want to remind you again that, in fact, this journey that we have come to on the conclusion started a long time ago.

It was Mr Michele NICOLETTI, who was sitting there in the President's chair, who had the idea for such a fourth summit. I have to say, I was skeptical for a long time, because I was not sure whether the momentum was there, whether such a summit would not also entail risks, that there would be steps backwards rather than forward accordingly. But it was his firm conviction that we have to get out of this diplomatic mode to some extent. Nothing against diplomacy and diplomats. That is also necessary, but somehow we have not really noticed over the years that this organisation is being eroded so slowly. Especially by States that have taken the values and rules of the Council of Europe less and less seriously. In the end, it was indeed this terrible war of aggression that is costing the lives of so many people in Ukraine by the minute. Russia's terrible war of aggression against Ukraine made it clear to us once again how important it is that this Council of Europe exists and that we must also protect and underpin the values accordingly.

That's why 2023 can be a very important year in the history of the Council of Europe, with a successful summit and, by the way, with elections that will take place this year and that will hopefully lead to a further strengthening of those who are firmly committed to the values of the Council of Europe.

What would make a success of the Council of Europe, of the Reykjavik Summit? First, strengthening the rules and being assured of the rule, and at the same time triggering a new forward momentum. Indeed, we need a clear rule. It is actually absurd to talk about, for example, the court rulings of the Human Rights Court apply. I heard today, elsewhere, that the Foreign Minister from Germany should not have mentioned the cases because that would be counterproductive. This is an absurd debate. There are rules, and the rules are called implementation of the court rulings of the Human Rights Court. We don't need to discuss that at all, and that must be the outcome of Reykjavik as well. We need better financing for this institution, where we don't have to talk about penny amounts and where we provide this organisation, which is so important and central, with reasonable financial resources.

We need a space, a European space also for those who cannot be there. We also need to find answers to how we deal with citizens, with people from Belarus and Russia. We need to find new answers to how we support Ukraine. We have to include a new dimension of human rights in the field of environment and social rights. So, thank you to Iceland for organising this so well.

I hope for a very inclusive summit, where also the congress, the NGOs and the youth organisations can be represented. I think this can be something good and a new start for this so important and central European organisation.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:09:23

Thank you very much, Frank [in German].

And now in the debate I call Mr Ionuț-Marian STROE from Romania. You have the floor.

M. Ionuț-Marian STROE

Roumanie, PPE/DC

17:09:33

Thank you Mr President, dear colleagues,

We face one of the most important moments in our organisation's history - a make or break one, where the Council of Europe must find ways to remain relevant by agreeing on a forward-looking vision in a new unprecedented historical context.

We must remain the leading organisation in Europe for all issues relating to human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

But in order to have a greater impact in these areas, we need new tools and renewed political support from all the member States.

A proposal that I fully support is the establishment of a Council of Europe 'Commissioner for Democracy' as an independent body elected by the Assembly, as well as a 'Democracy Checklist'.

We see a backsliding of democracy, a tendency which has increased with the Covid-19 pandemic and, of course, the war started by Russia in Ukraine.

These two proposals work hand in hand, with the Checklist setting out the clear contours of a democratic system and of course the red lines not to be crossed; and the Commissioner, who is permanently in touch with member States, therefore providing early warnings and rapid reactions and assistance to issues that arise.

Last but not least, more importance should be given to the communication policy of the Council of Europe.

Such an institution cannot remain relevant without the support and implication of the people it aims to protect.

Unfortunately, the work of this organisation remains unknown to many of our citizens, who sometimes assume we are an institution of the European Union, or worse - have not even heard of us.

The new policy needs to effectively show the aims, objectives and clear impact that the Council of Europe has on the wider public.

Moreover, informative grassroots campaigns should be considered both online and offline, with an appropriate budget attached of cost to them.

I look forward to the conclusions of the May Summit and reiterate my hope for a strengthened, more aware and relevant Council of Europe.

Thank you Mr Chair, and thanks to the rapporteur.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:12:12

Thank you.

And the next in the debate, I call Mr Armen GEVORGYAN from Armenia.

You have the floor, Armen.

M. Armen GEVORGYAN

Arménie, CE/AD

17:12:21

Dear President,

Today, many nations are facing an uneasy choice between democracy and security. In such an environment, one may observe a lack of any expectations from the Council of Europe among our citizens. I am wondering why we have ended up here and invite you to reflect together. Part of the reason in my assessment is that the Council of Europe designed to be a bastion of truly democratic values and freedoms has become to tolerate a certain transformation of some of its member States into a hybrid of oppressive regimes. In such States, we are monitoring political prosecution and so-called lawful political competition from elections, while democratic governance has been turned into a mere dictatorship of the majority.

The Council of Europe is gradually turning itself into a platform for authoritarian regimes to legitimise their existence. By the way, a simple list of these States can be easily found in the new Democracy Index by economists.

We should break up with the chain of unworthy compromises and double standards. To do this, we should exclude any deviation from established rules, forget about shameful political expediencies. Membership in the community of free and democratic states requires following its rules and this has to be the conscious choice of every member. We should not ask anyone to stay, nor should we not ask anyone to join.

Mr President, at the same time, the 41st Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the 10th World Forum for Democracy have shown that local democracy continues to serve as the foundation for democratic governance. Through that democracy, the people fully appreciate and acknowledge the value on usefulness of their participation in social and political life. This is crucial to be maintained for the future of democracy and democratic governance. That is why, in my opinion, the topic of development and empowerment of local democracy must also become one of the main priorities for the fourth Summit.

Mr President, in conclusion, let me express a genuine hope that after the Summit our organisation may regain its purpose and will be looked up to. Co-operation with a stronger, principled and resolute partner firm on its principles is always more productive specifically when the red lines of human rights, democracy and the rule of law are more vivid and the same for all.

Thank you very much.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:15:14

Thank you, Armen.

Now in the debate I call Mr Titus CORLĂŢEAN from Romania.

Titus, you have the floor.

M. Titus CORLĂŢEAN

Roumanie, SOC

17:15:22

Mr President, colleagues,

I sincerely applaud the hard work of our rapporteur and the draft report and the recommendation that we have now on our table.

It took a number of years to advance with the idea that was proposed initially by Mr Michele NICOLETTI.

Now we are very close to having this historical fourth Summit of the Council of Europe.

The idea of adopting a political declaration and an action plan is normal, it's an important goal.

But, I would like to underline one thing. And I will repeat what I said previously in the committee.

Restating, reaffirming the democratic values, our commitment, is important - but not enough.

We reaffirmed during the years our commitment for democratic rules within this house, and this didn't present any obstacle when an important member State committed a crime of aggression on the European continent against another sovereign state.

So what is important will in the end be the ambitious content of this action plan and political declaration.

It will be important what the governments will decide and finalise for this summit.

This is why I applaud the very solid package that we are going to adopt today based on the work of our rapporteur with concrete, extremely important proposals.

I'll make a very brief, very short list: rules-based multilateralism, plus accountability in international relations for the crime of aggression, including through a possible ad hoc international criminal court.

Secondly to restate - yes, to restate - the need to respect territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence. I am making a concrete reference to Ukraine, but not only to Ukraine, but also to Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, and the requests for the withdrawal of the Russian troops from those territories which are occupied illegally by Russia.

The Strategic Partnership with the European Union and the need to accelerate and to finalise the negotiations for the EU accession to the European Convention of Human Rights, and also to some other important conventions of the Council of Europe, for instance, the European Social Charter or the partial and the enlarged agreement of GRECO (Group of States against Corruption). The rights of persons belonging to national minorities is extremely important; we have an amendment and there's full support for this element.

So all in all, I hope, and our expectation should be that the governments will take on board these extremely important concrete proposals, a solid package that once again represents a very solid contribution of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:18:27

The next speaker is Mr Bernard FOURNIER from France.

Bernard, you have the floor.

M. Bernard FOURNIER

France, PPE/DC

17:18:36

Mr President,

Dear colleagues,

The fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the member States of the Council of Europe, which we had been hoping for, will finally take place on 16 and 17 May in Reykjavik. It must be an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the values on which our Organization is founded, namely democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

This is all the more necessary as we are witnessing a challenge to these values with the aggressive attitude of Russia, which is bringing war back to our continent, but also of powers such as China.

The violent demonstrations that took place in Brazil at the beginning of this year or the attack on the Capitol in the United States also remind us of the need to defend the democratic values that are the foundation of our European societies.

With this in mind, we must continue to show our support for Ukraine and work in close coordination to ensure that the crimes committed by the Russian Federation do not go unpunished. This Summit must be an opportunity to advocate the creation of an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to investigate these crimes. The Heads of State and Government meeting in Reykjavik should also provide financial and human support for the investigation of these crimes and the establishment of a register of the damage caused by Russian aggression.

Moreover, the Russian Federation is currently exercising de facto authority over several territories that fall under the sovereignty of Council of Europe member States: this is the case in Ukraine, but also in Georgia and Moldova. At this fourth Summit, we should demand that the Russian Federation withdraw from these territories, whose citizens must be able to benefit from the protection of the European Court of Human Rights. Our credibility in defending our values will depend on our support for Ukraine and our firmness towards Russia.

A real political commitment on the issues that fall within its field of competence must remind everyone that the Council of Europe is a political community in its own right.

We must therefore seriously consider the relationship between the Council of Europe and the European Political Community, whose second meeting will take place in Moldova shortly after this fourth Summit. For my part, I consider that issues relating to human rights, democracy and the rule of law must remain within the Council of Europe.

I hope that this summit will be able to highlight our specificity, our credibility and our usefulness for all European citizens. I will therefore vote for this draft resolution.

Thank you very much.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:21:34

Thank you, dear Bernard.

Now in the debate I call Mr Koloman BRENNER from Hungary.

Koloman, you have the floor.

M. Koloman BRENNER

Hongrie, NI

17:21:45

Thank you, Mister President,

Dear Colleagues,

First of all, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the rapporteur and all contributors for this excellent report. In historic times, we need to hold historic summits, and these summits need to be well prepared. With this document, I mean that this Assembly takes an important step in that direction.

While we are talking about the historical perspective, let me talk a little bit about the fact that the world order after 1945 was really then changed in a first wave in 1989/90, where the countries of East Central Europe were liberated from the Soviet Russian occupation, and our countries could also develop a kind of civil democracy. The Council of Europe, our organisation, played a particularly important role in this whole process even then. I think that the aggression of Putin, Russia, against Ukraine is causing a second wave of changes in the whole global security and political system. That is precisely why it is very important that the Council of Europe also reposition itself.

The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs quoted Konrad Adenauer today by saying that the Council of Europe was the soul of Europe. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, but the soul must also be nurtured. That is why I would particularly like to support the fact that the funding of our organisation by the member States will be secured and increased.

Last but not least, I would like to address an important issue concerning the strategic partnership with the European Union, namely the enlargement of the European Union and the corresponding role of the Council of Europe. The concerns of the national minorities and autochthonous peoples are particularly close to my heart. I myself belonged to the German minority in Hungary and was chairman of the German minorities in Europe for a long time. It is important that the new member States, the candidates for accession, fulfill the Copenhagen criteria. This is precisely the lesson of the Russian-Ukrainian war: that we have to respect especially the human rights and the linguistic and cultural rights of national minorities as well.

Thank you very much for your attention.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

17:24:46

Thank you very much, Mr BRENNER.

Now we are going to listen to Lord George FOULKES from the United Kingdom.

George, you have the floor.

Lord George FOULKES

Royaume-Uni, SOC

17:24:53

Thank you, Mister President.

When Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN introduced her excellent report, she put the three key themes of our work in this order: democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Democracy first. And that's not to underplay human rights, but human rights I think is well understood. Democracy is sometimes taken for granted as our role, and sometimes lip service is paid to our democratic functions.

So we need to increase the profile of our role in democracy, not just one form of democracy, and certainly not Westminster democracy, which is very imperfect and needs improvement, including democratising the second house, by the way.

But the essential elements:

- regular free and fair vote

- a peaceful change of power, and, as Mr Bernard FOURNIER rightly said; that's been threatened in both Washington and in Brazilia over the last couple of years

- respect and support for opposition parties, so that they know when they go into opposition they are not into the wilderness

- and free press

- and an active civil society

Those I think are the essentials of democracy.

But wouldn't it be daft, wouldn't it be ridiculous if we had a Summit and this body, which represents democracy, did not play a large part in it, and it was only heads of government and secretaries general.

So we need to make sure that we do play a large part in that.

Now, currently Ukraine is in the front line of defending democracy, and that's why Ukraine must win and we must do everything to ensure that it wins.

But there are of course problems elsewhere in Iran and Afghanistan and China as well as in Russia, and many many other places.

So that's why I think the principle purpose –over many other things we can do– the principal purpose of our Summit must be defining a coherent plan and ambitious plan for the defence of democracy to make sure that we reassure and reaffirm that democracy has the principal role of this Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:27:20

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN from Romania.

The floor is yours.

M. Vladimir VARDANYAN

Arménie, PPE/DC

17:27:29

Thank you, Madam Chair.

We are speaking about a historical upcoming event. We are speaking about the Reykjavik Summit and we understand that something is going wrong in our organisation and in this Assembly. But simultaneously, we are trying to find somebody who is guilty for what is going on. But I do believe that we should somehow use the Mea culpa approach.

We should, first of all, look at our faults. When we are speaking about values, when we are speaking about human rights and democracies, we should understand that it is something which should be protected and should be protected every day, every second. We are speaking about the respect towards human rights – and it is quite important. We are speaking about the European Convention of Human Rights but we have created a unique mechanism – the European Court of Human Rights – which should be responsible for the protection of these human rights.

How far do we reach in respecting all the European Court of Human Rights judgments, and, which is even more important now, interim measures? A lot of interim measures actually ruled by the European Court of Human Rights are not implemented.

I do not want to address the issue of the Lachin corridor, we will discuss this issue the day after tomorrow, unfortunately, for only one hour – I do not know why – because it is also a very important issue. We are discussing the future and destiny of 120 000 people who are protected by the European Commission of Human Rights. But we only have one hour, or even less, to discuss this issue.

We should, first of all, have this Mea culpa approach when we are speaking about our obligations. We have got these obligations and we should respect these obligations. This is a promise given to our people, given to these values. Unfortunately not. Unfortunately, we have backsliding. Why do we have this backsliding? We have this backsliding because we have only, you know, something like unimplemented measures. We have spoken about corruption in this organisation. We have still some people who have been interconnected with these corruption scandals. But we still bear them here.

We are speaking about the necessity of increasing the role of this organisation but how do we react to very serious violations of human rights, violations of the very core elements of human rights? We should change our approach. We should have zero tolerance for any kind of violation of human rights in the territory of the Council of Europe without any ifs and without any buts.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:30:41

Thank you.

According to our rules when we speak about the current affairs debate the time is one hour every time.

The next speaker is Mr Bertrand BOUYX from France.

The floor is yours.

M. Bertrand BOUYX

France, ADLE

17:30:57

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam Secretary General,

Dear colleagues,

The fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe is scheduled to take place in Reykjavik on 16 and 17 May.

This summit is necessary. Indeed, when the Council of Europe was founded in 1949, the protection of human rights and the rejection of totalitarian regimes were placed at the center of our common identity, while Europeans were still bruised after the Second World War. The Council of Europe was a response to a population that aspired to peace, prosperity and democracy. But today, who can fail to see that this peace, this democracy, this rule of law are under attack from all sides? Attacked from the outside, the war on our continent is there to remind us every day. Attacked from within, even by parties surfing on what is commonly called "democratic fatigue" and on increasingly polarized societies where the losers of elections sometimes violently contest the right of the winners to govern.

For all these reasons, it is necessary to rethink the institutional architecture of our continent. The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has proposed the creation of the European Political Community. It was inaugurated on October 6 in Prague. It will have to deal in particular with issues of peace and security but also the energy crisis through increased cooperation between the member countries of the European Union and non-member countries. It is therefore an outward-looking organization.

While addressing security issues is paramount, it is at least as important to maintain our standards of human rights and the rule of law. To do this, our Organization must be strengthened. It must be the place where we respond to the democracy fatigue that threatens to take away our most precious rights.

This reinforcement obviously requires unfailing support for our flagship tool; the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights. Indeed, we can see that as soon as a populist government comes to power, the first thing it does is to attack the independence of the judiciary. It tries to submit it to the will of politics in the name of popular sovereignty. As if sovereignty should be opposed to the rule of law.

If there is progress to be made to allow the more global application of the decisions of the ECHR, then let us proceed.

As for me, I remain convinced that we must involve our fellow citizens more widely around the values that unite us. That is why, with my colleagues, I will vote for the draft resolution.

Thank you all.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:33:56

I call next Mr Barna Pál ZSIGMOND from Hungary.

M. Barna Pál ZSIGMOND

Hongrie, CE/AD

17:34:04

Thank you, Madam President. Dear colleagues.

First of all, I would like to congratulate the rapporteur for her excellent report. The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe is a perfect opportunity for Europe's heads of state, governments and parliaments to stand united for our values and to put the future of the Council of Europe on a new footing.

We have come through a challenging period and the years ahead will continue to pose serious challenges to Europe's security and economy.

First, we have had to cope with a large-scale war and its security and humanitarian consequences. After that, we – all Europeans – have started to pay the price of war, such as higher energy costs, high inflation and generally an economic recession felt by all European citizens.

After we have come through the health and economic effects of the pandemic, then this war caused severe damage to the international order and fundamentally challenged European security. This instability can only be resolved by united and strong action.

We Hungarians believe in a united Europe, a Europe that stands up to the sovereignty of nations, that resists illegal migration pressure but gives all the help it can to refugees who are really in need.

The European economy is being weakened by the consequences of the pandemic, the war and the misguided sanctions. Therefore, Europe has a serious disadvantage in the global economic competition. This is why we say, again and again, that international actors must work to bring the war to an end as soon as possible.

Dear colleagues, in this new international context, member States should renew their commitment to European values, particularly human rights and national minority rights. Let me welcome to the new report of the European Parliament's Committee on Constitutional Affairs which examines institutional relations between the European Union and the Council of Europe. This report calls for closer legal ties between the two organisations on different fields, also national minority rights, taking into account the enlargement process for the Western Balkans, Turkey, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

I consider it necessary to further strengthen the institutional co-operation between the European Union and the Council of Europe and give new impetus to bilateral co-operation in the promotion and protection of fundamental rights including national minority rights. We consider that one of the greatest and most unique achievements of the Council of Europe is the Convention System for National Minority Protection. This should remain the main focus of the institution as it is the guarantor of the stability of the continent. The Summit should recall the importance for the European stability of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Finally, the Summit should aim to build a strong, united Europe based on stable nation States. Only such co-operation can protect our values in these hard times.

Thank you for your attention.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:36:59

Thank you.

Next on the list is Ms Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR but I don't see her in the chamber.

So I call Mr Alain MILON from France. The floor is yours.

M. Alain MILON

France, PPE/DC

17:37:16

Thank you, Madam President.

Thank you to our rapporteur who reminds us that the Council of Europe aims to defend human rights, democracy and the rule of law. These are essential common values of Europe, the result of both humanist philosophy and the tragic experience of our internal political conflicts and wars that have ravaged our continent.

The 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government must be an opportunity to continue along this path, in a context marked by the war in Ukraine, which has effectively put an end to the pan-European vocation of the Organisation for the time being.

Europe's security depends on our ability to respond to Russian aggression by firmly supporting Ukraine, by committing not to recognise the illegal annexation of territories by the Russian Federation, but also by working to strengthen democracy and the rule of law throughout Europe.

I hope that Ukraine's and Moldova's applications to join the European Union, as well as the prospects for the Western Balkans, will provide an opportunity to bring the Council of Europe and the European Union even closer together. Indeed, as the resolution before us emphasises, the Council of Europe could provide the European Union and the candidate countries with all its expertise.

At the same time, new challenges are emerging and the expectations of our fellow citizens are changing. The Council of Europe must commit to them. This is the case in particular with regard to the environment and the fight against climate change. Thus, the Council of Europe can play a role in guaranteeing the right to live in a healthy and sustainable environment.

I believe that the Summit of Heads of State and Government could draw on the work carried out by our Assembly, at the initiative of our President, to take an initiative in this direction and place itself in the perspective of developing a legally binding framework to guarantee the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. In France, the Charter of the Environment has been part of the Constitution since 2004.

In conclusion, this 4th Summit should be an opportunity to recall the essential role of multilateralism in international relations and of conflict resolution bodies.

Thank you for your attention.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:39:33

Merci.

I call next Mr Kimmo KILJUNEN from Finland.

The floor is yours.

M. Kimmo KILJUNEN

Finlande, SOC

17:39:43

Madam Chair,

President Tiny KOX mentioned that, when opening this issue, that this is the most relevant report.

Fourth Summit of this organisation.

I do agree.

The rapporteur Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN said in her statements at the beginning there are major big challenges in Europe today with we should clearly address at this organisation's level.

That is also true. And the report is very very solid and good, I can support it.

I have two specific points to address.

First, the issue of Kosovo membership in this organisation. I know that the Council of Minsters is still waiting to find a consent in terms of asking our opinion on this issue, and I strongly support the idea that we should have and open debate, discussion about Kosovo's memberships. And obviously I will support Kosovo in becoming the 47th member of this organisation.

It's not only a question about the issue of right for sovereignty of all countries, including small countries. I'm coming, madam President, from Finland so that's a very important issue for me.

But it's not only question about the statute of Kosovo which is a bit controversial as we know in terms of the opinions in Europe. It's not controversial from my point of view but in terms of the discussion. But it's question about the right for Kosovan people to have access to this organisation, to its institutions, and, in particularly, to the Court of Human Rights which is existing here.

We already used that type of argument earlier when considering some other countries potential participation in this organisation. That is very much question of the rights of the citizens to have appeal to the human rights, democracy, and also rule of law. The values that we address.

The second point is the political prisoners. Several of you have already mentioned that there is a tendency to authoritarianism, nationalism and even militarism in Europe, and obviously war is the example of that extreme end of this issue. But we are also witnessing political prisoners increasing their number in very very many countries.

Many countries in Europe. Not very many, but many countries in Europe. Not only in Belarus and Russia is a situation very bad. There are also other countries. And I would like very much that the Summit addresses the question of political prisoners.

The place for politicians is not in prison or in exile, but in the parliament.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:42:56

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr François CALVET from France.

M. François CALVET

France, PPE/DC

17:43:02

Madam President,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for the quality of this report, which sets out clear prospects for the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe that we have been calling for.

This Summit, let us be clear, was born in tragic circumstances and signals, at least in the short term, the end of the pan-European ambition of our Organisation.

But this major crisis is also an opportunity to reinvent and strengthen the Council of Europe and to project it into the future, at a time when the threats to democracy and the rule of law are becoming more acute.

The return of war to the territory of Europe is obviously the first threat. In the face of this, we must obviously continue to show our solidarity with Ukraine and affirm our attachment to our values. In my opinion, this is an essential condition for maintaining peace on our continent.

This 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government must be an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of democracy and the rule of law. It must also lead to a reaffirmation of the importance of the European Court of Human Rights and the need to implement its rulings, even when it is difficult for us.

The resolution before us rightly emphasises that the Council of Europe and the European Union must work together to promote common values.

The accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights is a prospect enshrined in the Treaty on European Union since the Treaty of Lisbon. Negotiations are underway and they can sometimes be very delicate, especially because of the rules and the distribution of competences of the different institutions within the Union. Even though I know that many would like to make the Union's accession to the European Convention on Human Rights a very symbolic end point for this Summit, I want to affirm that the negotiations underway cannot be botched.

Finally, I hope that the Reykjavik Summit will help to clarify the relationship between the Council of Europe and the European Political Community, whose second meeting will take place in Moldova only 15 days after the Reykjavik Summit and which does not include a parliamentary dimension. This is a subject for reflection for our national parliaments.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:45:51

Thank you.

The next speaker is Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK from Ukraine. The floor is yours. 

Mme Yevheniia KRAVCHUK

Ukraine, ADLE

17:45:59

Thank you Madam Chair.

First of all I'd like to thank my dear friend Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for this comprehensive work and very well-written report.

Of course the past year was extremely difficult for Europe.

The full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on my country has sown instability across the continent.

While we each on our front restrain the aggressor, Europe must react and act properly - and the Council of Europe as well.

Everyone should understand that if Ukraine does not defeat the Russian Federation, Mr Vladimir Putin will not stop.

We're all fighting, not just for ourselves, but also for the whole of Europe and European values.

My colleagues and I are extremely grateful to all European leaders for their unprecedented military, humanitarian and financial assistance to Ukraine.

However, while Russia still commits atrocities in the heart of Europe, every day support should only increase.

Sanctions against the aggressor should only be tightened.

The Reykjavik summit of the Council of Europe is a platform that would outline the work of the Council of Europe for the following years.

That is why it is crucial that the issue of Ukraine and support be one of the main ones in the agenda.

An important point to be considered at the summit is the responsibility of the Russian Federation for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

You all know that the Ukrainian authorities are working on establishing the ad hoc tribunal that would be able to punish Russian political and military leadership for the crimes of aggression.

In this context it is vital for us to enlist the support of both individual partner States and international organisations and institutions.

The Parliamentary Assembly already demonstrated last year in a number of its resolutions, actually they were the first ones.

Last week that idea was once again supported by the European Parliament in a separate resolution.

It's time to go from words to action.

Justice must prevail.

We need to make this ad-hoc tribunal happen.

Along with this, it is important that the participants of the summit support the investigation of other war crimes of the Russian Federation in international judicial institutions, and also must continue to work on the creation of the mechanism for compensating Ukraine for the damage cost, in particular by transferring frozen and confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine for its reconstruction.

Russia must pay for this.

The international community must not stand aside. Only together can we defeat tyranny and aggression.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:48:37

Thank you.

I call next Mr Samad SEYIDOV from Azerbaijan.

M. Samad SEYIDOV

Azerbaïdjan, CE/AD

17:48:46

Thank you very much Madam Chair.

Let me also express my gratitude to the rapporteur for this very timely and excellent report, actually, because the time has come to think about the future of this organisation.

Actually, from my point of view the forthcoming summit could be titled an 'emergency summit', because we can see the deep crisis within this organisation and within Europe.

How have we come to this stage of crisis? Let's ask ourselves. Let's be sincere - because of the absence of sincerity and because of the double standards.

If, very many years ago, this organisation also reacted objectively and promptly to the occupation of the territories of member States, my country, Georgia Moldova, Ukraine - nothing would happen later.

But now Europe is at war. Now we are looking for a way out from this deadlock, from this crisis.

What should we do? Actually, we should change everything, because it was exactly this approach which brought us to the war.

But what we are doing, is we try to keep the institution instead of the values, from my point of view of course - maybe I'm wrong.

Because what we can see is that sometimes democracy, human rights and the rule of law could be used as a tool to pressure, to show who is a master in the region, and for other purposes we should return to the real values.

But first of all, we should be sincere.

We should withdraw from this organisation attempts to show that this group of countries is able to privatise the common values; that they are right and others are wrong.

Only this way could lead us to a new Council of Europe and I believe in that new Council of Europe.

Thank you very much.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:51:49

Thank you.

I call next Mr Paul GAVAN from Ireland.

The floor is yours.

M. Paul GAVAN

Irlande, GUE

17:51:57

Thank you, madam chairperson.

I want to begin by congratulating my Irish colleague Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for the excellent job she's completed on this very comprehensive report.

I also want to recognise the crucial role of our president Tiny COX for taking the initiative to support the idea of holding a summit of the Council of Europe.

I also believe that both the Irish and Icelandic teams here in the Council of Europe and also at government level deserve huge credits for working so diligently to make this Summit a reality.

So why do we need this Summit?

Because, as the rapporteur states, Europe is facing extraordinary challenges.

War has returned. The far right has returned. Working people across Europe face a future more uncertain now than at any time in the last 80 years. Over 40 years of neo-liberal economic policies have seen public services crumble even as expenditure on armaments and wars has rocketed to unprecedented levels. Rights that were once taken for granted in Europe, like being able to access healthcare, or find a house in which to live, or receive a decent day's pay, or being able to bargain collectively for your rights at work are no longer available for hundreds of thousands of our citizens across Europe.

And as the Oxfam reports "Survival of the Richest" released last week shows, we've seen a very small minority of the super rich expand their wealth exponentially even as our children face a future of growing economic uncertainty.

Meanwhile desperate human beings whose livelihoods have been destroyed by wars, climate change, and famine, often as a result of policies from European and US governments, now face a fortress Europe where governments are prepared to let them drown, push them back illegally, and make criminals of human rights defenders.

And basic democratic rights are on the greater threat than ever from authoritarian governments across many member States. Right now there are 93 journalists in jail across Europe just for doing their jobs. And since 2015, 46 journalists have been murdered in Europe.

These are just a few of the reasons why the work and mission of the Council of Europe in defending human rights, democracy, and the rule of law is more important than ever.

As the German foreign minister put it so eloquently earlier today, we need the Council of Europe to put the power of rights above the power of might.

The rapporteur makes a number of excellent proposals for action in the draft recommendation.

The need to reconnect with the people of Europe is rightly given great emphasis. People need to see that democracy works. And enhancing people's rights makes democracy work better.

In the limited seconds I've left, I'd like to highlight two key proposals.

The first is the need for the European Union to complete its accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. This would give a level of institutional accountability that's badly needed.

Secondly, the proposal to invite the European Union to join the revised European Social Charter. That would give real legal standing to the Social Charter and potentially could be transformative for working people and act as a potential counterbalance to the freedoms afforded to capital.

Finally, this Summit needs to ensure that the Council of Europe is properly funded on a long-term basis into the future.

Go raibh maith agat [Thank you in Irish]

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:55:08

Thank you very much.

I call next Mr Héctor VASCONCELOS from Mexico.

The floor is yours.

M. Héctor VASCONCELOS

Mexique

17:55:17

Madam President, 

Dear colleagues, 

The theme we are debating this afternoon is the preservation of our values in the face of Russia's aggression against Ukraine in the context of the Reykjavik Summit.

This is a question of defending the values of Western civilisation following on from the enlightenment. In other words, a belief in democracy, equality before the law, as well as individual freedom, both economic and political.

But let us not forget that these values only became universal in the Western world, in principle at least, after the Second World War when they were enshrined in the Declaration of Human Rights. And also do not forget, that back in the nineteen and twentieth centuries, the West was pursuing genocidal policies in Africa and other parts of the Middle and Far East and imposed totalitarian regimes in Latin America at the same time as slavery and discrimination persisted at the very heart of those countries that today wave the flag of liberty. Western empires imposed their values through the cross, the sword and the exploitation of the lands that they occupied and which belonged to civilisations which they viewed as being inferior.

Notwithstanding all of that, we do commend the existence today of the consensus on the need to preserve international law and liberal and democratic values that Karl Popper characterised as an Open Society. But don't forget that in defending those values, we must not overlook other current threats which are even more important in the medium- and long-term. It is not by reversing the Russian invasion that we can risk a nuclear war, something that becomes more and more conceivable as days go by and which would destroy both the country that is being attacked, as well as the aggressor. 

Remember how a network of opposing alliances led to the First World War, and we cannot now defend the inviability of borders without looking at the historical abyss which confronts us: global warming, possibly linked to a nuclear war, which could lead to the extinction of the human race. We must not destroy the technological advances we have seen which show great promise for the future.

Let us fight for a free Ukraine and, above all, for the survival of humanity. 

Let me remind you that Mexico has proposed a mechanism for peace and that is still applicable. 

Thank you. 

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

17:58:56

Thank you.

I call next Ms Emine Nur GÜNAY from Turkey.

Mme Emine Nur GÜNAY

Türkiye, NI

17:59:02

Thank you Madam Chair,

Dear President, dear colleagues,

The Council of Europe is an organisation which was established with the goal of fostering and achieving greater cooperation and solidarity among Europeans on the basis of values, standards and institutions that are shared throughout Europe.

Established for this lofty goal, the Council of Europe became the leading intergovernmental organisation and the standard-setter in the fields and shared values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It has so far made great progress in these fields and also made great contributions to both Europe and those who attach importance to these values.

The principal instruments of the Council of Europe for this progress and contribution are of course the Council of Europe conventions system and the European Court of Human Rights.

On this basis, furthering the cooperation with the European Union, an international organisation that shares the same fundamental values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, especially with the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights, will greatly contribute to both organisations and to Europe as a whole.

Moreover, considering the fact that there is an ongoing war of aggression in Europe and the absolute need of assuring primarily the right to life of the Ukrainian people - which is the pivotal point in the protection of human rights - it is more important than ever that the Council of Europe and the European Union work closely in coordination and cooperation for defending human rights in Europe.

Therefore, I fully support the approach taken in the report in this regard.

Besides co-operating with other international organisations, the Council of Europe needs to stand united against the challenges addressed in the report, especially against the ones increasing persistently, such as racism, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination.

Supporting and allowing provocative hate crimes that insult sacred values cannot be defended under the guise of ‘democratic rights’. and it does not help promoting the core values of the Council of Europe.

As a member of the Parliamentary Assembly, and Grand National Assembly of Turkey, we strongly condemn the provocative act of a racist, burning the holy book Quran in Stockholm. It is clearly a hate crime which we cannot accept and tolerate.

Lastly, I would like to congratulate and thank the rapporteur, the Secretary General, the High-Level Reflection Group and the Irish and the Icelandic presidencies of the Committee of Ministers for their work, efforts and contributions for the 4th Summit.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:02:16

Thank you.

I call next Ms Selin SAYEK BÖKE, also from Turkey.

The floor is yours.

Mme Selin SAYEK BÖKE

Türkiye, SOC

18:02:24

Thank you very much.

I'd like to start by congratulating our rapporteur.

Clearly, we are going through dire times. Our responsibility of upholding our organisation's 74 years of shared values of democracy, rule of law and human rights is ever more critical .

It is certainly no coincidence that we are facing a multifaceted crisis: war, conflict, displacement of millions of people, steady backsliding of democracy and human rights, socio-economic inequalities, climate crisis.

Now, none of these facets of the crisis are individual, and none are separate incidents. In fact, rather, they are part of a systemic problem, and this is proof they're indivisible.

As such, any response should consider that the framework for human rights should also be treated as indivisible. Different aspects of human rights cannot be treated as more or less important than others.

As such, our guiding principle should be the indivisibility of human rights.

As such, I'm happy to note that the report on the recommendations underline that environmental rights, social rights, economic rights are a critical and integral aspect that should be at the centre of the future of this organisation. They should be at the core of the fourth summit.

The current economic hardships, the ever deepening socioeconomic inequalities, the environmental disasters that are threatening the daily livelihoods of millions of people, are an outcome of the system of the new liberal economic order.

Unless we seek to build a system that puts the protection of social and economic rights at its core, these economic hardships will continue to feed the push towards authoritarianism and populist politics.

To protect our democracies, we need to guarantee our environmental, social and economic rights.

Indeed, only then will we be able to reconnect with the daily concerns of the people we represent: a goal rightfully set forth in this report for our organisation's future.

To put people's interests and concerns back to the forefront, and to increase the relevance of our organisation in the eyes of the people we represent, we need to rebuild our economies, eradicate poverty. To do so, we need to put social, economic and environmental rights with equal importance at the centre of our discussions.

Now the many achievements of this organisation have come from its very powerful convention system. Clearly, for a strong future, we need to not only safeguard but also strengthen the convention system, squarely an important goal of the summit.

Clearly, these require strong political will; a will that should be represented with high-level participation of leaders, taking steps to work from words to deeds and touching the realities of lives.

I look forward to the summit as such and congratulate the rapporteur once again.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:05:43

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr Reinhold LOPATKA from Austria.

M. Reinhold LOPATKA

Autriche, PPE/DC

18:05:50

Dear colleagues.

Yes, Europe is facing several extraordinary challenges, as many of the speakers mentioned it before.

The biggest of course is the return of a large-scale war of aggression in Europe. And here the resilience of European democracies, their respect for human rights and their respect for the rule of law are the best guarantees for prosperity, security and a peaceful future in all our 46 countries.

So this 4th Summit should confirm, how I see it, and be focused on the three pillars of our organisation: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

The summit should send a strong message about our engagement, the engagement of the Council of Europe's member states to make it possible for Europe to be an area of democratic security echoing the words of the Vienna Declaration from 1993 after the 1st Summit.

And this Summit should reaffirm the binding nature of the Court's judgments and decisions on interim measures as an absolute necessity. It should acknowledge and promote the role of national parliaments and civil society organisations in monitoring compliance with the Convention and the Court's judgments.

And third, I think on days like this, we should make it clear that the Council of Europe and the European Union have the will to strengthen their cooperation.

This Summit should underline that aggressive nationalism, intolerance and totalitarian ideologies have no chance to be accepted.

Yes, we are facing this war in Ukraine, but we should also see that we are living in times of growing tensions, and in a time of growing strategic competition.

We have also have China on our mind – China's growing policies, which are not in the interest of our values.

So, the Council of Europe and the European Union are working together.

This should be, how I see it, the clear signal from this Fourth Summit to the entire world.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:08:57

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr Max LUCKS from Germany.

M. Max LUCKS

Allemagne, SOC

18:09:07

Thank you, Madam President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening,

It was a load off my mind when I read this report, because it is excellent. It is also excellent because it underlines what role we have as the Parliamentary Assembly, as a role of parliamentarians representing the people from our member States. I would also like to comment here today that I think it is a shame that the breadth of society was not represented all the way to this summit.

If we look at the High-level Reflection Group that was set up by the Secretary General, we find that out of seven people there, one person was a former President, one person was a former Minister, two former Prime Ministers, one former Foreign Minister, and one former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, but no participation from youth or our vibrant civil society in that High-level Reflection Group. That has to give us pause for thought.

That is why it is so important that we as a Parliamentary Assembly also launch this report today, which very realistically captures the picture that my generation in Europe is also facing; namely, the fact that we are no longer sure that our path on this continent is simply a path of progress. But we know that food shortages and new refugee movements are coming our way because of climate change. We know that a European peace order was lost on 24 February and that it will be difficult to regain one. We also know that many people of our member States do not know how to pay their rent or how to afford a vacation. As if all that was not enough, Prides will be banned, for example, the rule of law will be curtailed. The German Foreign Minister pointed out again today that people are sitting in prisons of our member States. That is why we have every reason to act, and we also have every reason to act as a Parliamentary Assembly.

We have to address our demands to this summit. We make good demands to this summit. For example, to strengthen youth work. We will only be able to get the young generation on our side and inspire them for the Council of Europe and for this common house if we prove that we are capable, if we prove that we are capable of implementing solidarity-based responses to one of the greatest economic crises on our continent, if we prove that we can get political prisoners out of jail and protect them, and if we prove that we are capable of ensuring freedom on this continent.

This report is a good first step in this direction. I, therefore, warmly congratulate the rapporteur.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:12:23

Thank you [in German].

I call next to Mr Kamal JAFAROV from Azerbaijan. The floor is yours.

M. Kamal JAFAROV

Azerbaïdjan, CE/AD

18:12:32

Thank you Madam President.

Dear colleagues,

And so to summarise, the fundamental principles of international law must be respected, protected, promoted, without any precondition, at any condition.

Why am I starting my speech today with the conclusion?

Because we all may have different political views. We may follow different political ideologies. It's also quite natural – we all may have different national interests. But in the end, despite these differences, we all shall come to the same conclusion.

As a matter of fact, these differences shall be our strength, rather than weakness, when addressing common problems.

Yet too often we are failing to meet common threats with a spirit of the common cause.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

When 80% of the world's Covid-19 vaccines went to the G20 countries, only 0.6% of the vaccines went to low-income countries.

When Islamophobic attacks in France increased by 53% in 2021.

When the holy book of Muslims, the Koran, was torn apart and burned in the Netherlands just a day ago.

When Armenia kept the international recognised territories of Azerbaijan under occupation for 30 years.

When the Armenian armed forces brutally murdered 613 civilians in Khojaly in just one night.

When the Armenian first lady attended a PR event on women in Tehran, where more than 500 women were murdered.

International organisations turned a blind eye to this, they didn't react in time.

In the best case, international organisations applied the principles of international law selectively.

For example, in the last 30 years, based on international law, international political and financial institutions, power holders, did not apply any sanction to Armenia as they are doing to Russia now.

This shows that even the violations of the territorial integrity of independent states are being treated discriminatively.

This discrimination has created mistrust in the international order.

This discrimination has created an erosion of universal values.

Since I started with the conclusion, and I believe it's better that I finish with an introduction, an introduction to an injust world: where the double standards are just primary values.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:15:29

Thank you.

And the next speaker is Ms Ingjerd SCHOU from Norway.

Mme Ingjerd SCHOU

Norvège, PPE/DC

18:15:37

Thank you, Madam President,

The 4th Council of Europe Summit is of great importance.

Our Assembly has discussed and called for a summit for several years already. We have witnessed human rights, democracy, and the rule of law backsliding in Europe. The Russian aggression gave momentum for a summit.

With its act of aggression, Russia blatantly ignored our fundamental values and the core principles of our democratic societies. We could no longer accept Russia as a member, having gone against our rule-based multilateral cooperation.

Russia’s actions demonstrate what can happen when respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law is gone. We cannot let this happen in other member states.

And Madam President,

It is therefore of utmost importance that the heads of state and government of all our member states take this opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to the core values and principles of our organisation.

The future of Europe must be built on solid democracies, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

Recommitment to the fundamental values of our organisation will be the basis on which Europe can continue to prosper. Europe must be a continent where each and every citizen has their fundamental rights respected, where each and every citizen can take part in democratic decision making.

A continent where the rule of law prevails.

Madam President,

The question of how the Council of Europe can best contribute to a prospering Europe, should be the main focus of the Summit.

Our heads of state and government must focus their discussions on our core tasks, along with our fundamental values and principles, and stake out the future course for our organisation. This must be the core of the summit declaration.

And Madam President,

In the draft recommendation, I especially support the proposal to reinforce the strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Union. In addition, I would like to underline the importance of these three: strengthening our court, including implementation of judgements; preventing backsliding of democracy and the rule of law; and engaging with civil society.

There are member states which are moving in the wrong direction on all three points. It is especially important that they renew the commitments they made when becoming members.

We need them on board in Reykjavik in May. We need all member states on board in Reykjavik. A united Europe is a stronger Europe.

Thank you, Madam President!

 

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:18:51

Thank you.

The next speaker would be Ms Blerina GJYLAMETI from Albania, but I do not see her. So, I call Ms Marie-Christine DALLOZ from France.

The floor is yours.

Mme Marie-Christine DALLOZ

France, PPE/DC

18:19:17

Thank you, Madam President.

Madam Rapporteur,

Dear Colleagues,

Europe is at a crossroads. It is both weakened by the economic and political consequences of the war in Ukraine and strengthened by the attraction it continues to arouse, as illustrated by the applications for membership expressed by Ukraine, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova.

In this changing context, the role of the Council of Europe must be redefined and, in this respect, the decision of the Committee of Ministers to convene a Summit of Heads of State and Government next May is, of course, to be welcomed.

As regards the objectives of this summit, I fully agree with the rapporteur's proposal: on the one hand, we must reaffirm the Council of Europe's historic values: human rights, democracy and the rule of law. On the other hand, we must define a broader vision for the future in order to take account of society's new aspirations.

The report submitted for our consideration, whose quality I would like to emphasise, contains many proposals. Some of them seem particularly important to me.

First of all, the Council of Europe must reiterate its total condemnation of the unjustified aggression against Ukraine. By quickly excluding the Russian Federation, the Council of Europe has reacted appropriately, but this is not enough. The Council of Europe must now support all judicial initiatives to hold the aggressor country accountable. The creation of an ad-hoc tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression should be encouraged.

The Council of Europe must also reaffirm the paramount importance of the European Convention on Human Rights as an essential tool for the defense of democratic values, and work to ensure that the European Union becomes a party to the Convention as soon as possible. The summit must also be an opportunity to insist on the binding nature of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and their primacy over the decisions of national courts.

Finally, the Council of Europe must open up to new themes, otherwise the demands of the population will remain unanswered and the citizens' distrust of public institutions will continue to grow. I am thinking in particular of the environmental question, a concern among young people. New technologies –digital and artificial intelligence– also seem to me to have to be integrated into the sphere of the Council of Europe. The population is in favour of them, while at the same time demanding a balanced legal framework to ensure the protection of privacy and personal data.

Thank you for your attention.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:22:22

Thank you [in French].

I call next Ms Lesia VASYLENKO from Ukraine. The floor is yours.

Mme Lesia VASYLENKO

Ukraine, ADLE

18:22:33

Thank you Madam Chair,

I join in the congratulations of our colleague and my dear friend, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, on this excellent report. Thank you Fiona, for highlighting again the critical role our organisation plays in countering, if not preventing, aggression and all the evils that stem from it.

The summit is a unique opportunity to revise the Council of Europe's activities and set out an ambitious vision for the future of this institution - a vision which heads of state and government ought to become stakeholders of.

In preparation for this summit I feel, colleagues, that we all have some homework to do. The homework - the framework for this homework - has been set out in the report.

While we are to take stock of absolutely all the provisions, I urge member States of this Assembly to pay particular attention to the defence and security topics, crucial for the existence of democracy and human rights on our continent and beyond.

After a collective failure to prevent the terror and atrocities brought on by the aggression of Russia - an ex-member State - we must welcome the calls to support a special tribunal for the crime of aggression, as well as compensation mechanisms for all the victims and survivors of this very aggression.

We should aim to seek concrete justice arrangements and commitments stemming from the summit.

For our organisation to remain relevant, its structure and instruments must adapt to new global challenges and in this process lead and serve as an example for other international bodies to follow.

We are almost the only International body who has succeeded - although there was much struggle and debate - but succeeded nevertheless in setting the record straight.

The Council of Europe is a role model for how rules and the rule of law trump politics, something that still has not happened in the OSCE or the UN for that matter.

Russia, the biggest security threat, still sits in the UN Security Council with veto power. Most of our respective governments continue to ignore that Russia's membership in the UN is illegal and results from a breach of rules and procedures of that very organisation back in 1991.

A lack of political will to look the truth in the eye and act on it lead to a factual paralysis of the one organisation which should have, by now, been able to stop the killings and torture of millions of innocent people, and the destruction of a beautiful country.

I say this in the hope of finding support from the rapporteur and from this house to include in the report a phrase calling on member States to mobilise efforts and give political impulse to the reform of the UN and its Security Council, an amendment that has been tabled by several colleagues, myself included.

The Council of Europe has done good and this good must be spread and followed by other international structures.

I hope that more reports like this will follow, where we can continue to go back, analyse, revise, in order to build back better, stronger frameworks for common good and for a safer future.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:25:37

Thank you.

And the next speaker is Mr Mehmet Mehdi EKER from Turkey.

The floor is yours.

M. Mehmet Mehdi EKER

Türkiye, NI

18:25:46

Thank you, Madam President.

Dear Colleagues,

Firstly, I would like to thank the rapporteur for her diligent work in the preparation of this report, which reflects our perspective on the steps that need to be taken toward our future with the Fourth Summit. One of these steps, as stated in the report, should be to reserve the worrying trend of backsliding of democracy, especially at a time in which we have been facing an equally worrying regression in our other two pillars: human rights and the rule of law.

The backsliding of democracy has multifaceted effects, not only the loss of faith in democracy and trust in democratic institutions but also the rise of populism and the polarisation of society, which triggers racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Muslim hatred, antisemitism, hate speech, and hate crime. This concerning phenomenon also contributes to the rise of the issues related to migration and the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, which are here to stay as pan-European challenges.

The Council of Europe has a lot to offer in that regard with its unrivalled expertise, standards, principles and independent monitoring mechanisms. However, I think what we need first is a more inclusive approach and unity so that we can address these challenges in a fruitful way and timely manner.

We have recently remembered, unfortunately in a painful way, the importance of standing united together around our core values.

As Türkiye, we remain unwavering in our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. We have extended comprehensive support to Ukraine, and will continue to do so. We also support the resolution of this irrational war through negotiations, the severity of which sadly keeps growing. With regard to the Russian Federation's unjustified military attacks against Ukraine, we reiterate an undeniable necessity: all obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, and all relevant international conventions must be fully respected.

Finally, for the new vision of the Council of Europe in the new historic context, I believe it is important whether the Council of Europe, without the Russian Federation, will be a Western European club or an organisation that takes an inclusive approach towards all its members, considering the East.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:29:05

Thank you, the next on the list Ms Klotilda BUSHKA from Albania, but I don't see her.

So I give the floor to Mr Davor Ivo STIER from Croatia.

M. Davor Ivo STIER

Croatie, PPE/DC

18:29:21

Thank you, Chair and let me thank also the rapporteur.

I have signed some amendments just to improve further the text but it is already a very good one.

Now, I was very glad earlier today to hear from the German Foreign Minister how she quoted Konrad Adenauer when he said that "the Council of Europe is the soul of Europe". And I was glad to hear that from a politician that does not come from a Christian democratic party or tradition.

Now it could be argued that Konrad Adenauer would not endorse every single word that Minister BAERBOCK said afterwards or the case that he will endorse some of the concepts that we use nowadays in this Council, but when it comes to the fundamentals, I think that Adenauer will still be very proud that this is the house where we defend the dignity of every human person. And that we do that by stressing that national states cannot hide behind the concept of national sovereignty to violate human rights. And this is the core of our mission, the soul of this Council. In order to protect that, we have to make sure that democracy, the rule of law is respected in every single member State. This is under threat, yes, the evident threat, of course, is the Russian aggression against Ukraine. But let's be honest, we have witnessed these core values threatened also before the Russian aggression and we continue to see that by autocratic tendencies in several member States.

So I do agree with those colleagues that said that this 4th Summit should be used as an opportunity to strengthen this dimension of protection and promotion of democracy. And I have to add here that we should do it in synergy with the European Union. The European Commission, for example, for the first time, has nominated one of the Vice-Presidents for the issues of democracy and protection of democracy. We should work closer with the European Commission and with the European Union in this regard.

In any case, when we are talking about that it is not just about votes. It is not just about fair elections, it is about states that are not controlling society. It is about free individuals, free families and free societies that are not controlled by the government, that are not controlled by the societies, and that should be one of the pillars of the new architecture of Europe, and the Council of Europe should have a leading role in securing that so that we could continue to be the soul of Europe.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:32:25

Thank you.

I call next Ms Yelyzaveta YASKO from Ukraine.

The floor is yours.

Mme Yelyzaveta YASKO

Ukraine, PPE/DC

18:32:36

Dear colleagues,

You know, we, in Ukraine have been calling all of you, the whole Europe, to rethink what Europe really means.

This is the question that we haven't answered in Ukraine. But, you know, sometimes I'm very sad to hear that sometimes we don't know the answer here: what Europe is. And the fact that now the Summit is coming is very promising, and we in Ukraine we welcome that in this Summit we may have finally some new tools, some new mechanisms as a tribunal that will be defending the values that are very important for us.

But I want to think and to ask you to think about all that possibly mistakes and failures that we've done in the past of this organisation and all the other European institutions that they actually became quite not effective, if not dysfunctional.

Do we want to live in a European future where we don't have tools to protect ourselves? We, in Ukraine, know that unfortunately we need to solve many questions with weapons, but we also need help not only with the weapons but also with the human rights protection tools.

Do we have enough of them here?

Last time we voted for a number of things with welcoming the facilitation on behalf of this organisation, the exchange of war prisoners, political prisoners.

I have many questions in Ukraine people asking me. So what this organisation is going to decide to help my relatives to be back from Russian occupation? What tools do we have?

President Zelenskyy recently said that the war is not Covid. We don't need to invent a vaccine. Vaccine is weapon. If we don't have weapons here, then we need to have other tools for the human rights. And I really hope that in the Summit we will not be talking, just talking.

But the title is very promising that we are united around the values, but let's think about the real actions. Yes, tribunal is great, but what about environmental crimes? What about the sexual crimes? What about the situation that we have with the children that were deported to Russia? What do we do? What do we do with the political prisoners? We need to create new tools. The monitoring missions. Everything that is possible to save the lives of these people, but also to bring them to our real values, because for the purpose of Europe we also need tools or we will be left out without ability to breathe and live through our mission.

And I really hope that we will finally rethink and will be an example also for other organisations.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:35:46

Thank you.

I call next Ms Yuliia OVCHYNNYKOVA from Ukraine. Sorry for the pronunciation!

Mme Yuliia OVCHYNNYKOVA

Ukraine, ADLE

18:35:55

(It's okay!)Thank you.

Dear Madam President, dear Madam rapporteur, dear ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, thank you very much for the excellent work of the Madam rapporteur.

As an environmentalist and parliamentarian, I'm genuinely happy to state the fact that a healthy, environmental, green and sustainable future really became a priority for the Council of Europe, as a part of fundamental human rights.

That's our common success as the Assembly. The Reykjavik summit, as it has been planned, will become one of the more crucial steps to return the right to a healthy environment and the fight against climate change to the forefront of the mission of the Council of Europe.

When we discussed the values of our organisation here in the hemicycle two years ago, we couldn't even have imagined the tectonic changes that would come: that a full scale and unjustified war of aggression would return to Europe, committed by one of the members of the Council of Europe against another, and the well use of democracy, rule of law, equality, inclusion, territorial integrity and international humanitarian law have to defend it.

The Council of Europe is uniquely an organisation which proves the commitment of its mission and values. Nobody is allowed to violate the fundamental principles and common agreements.

That's why Russia is no longer a member of the States.

That is why the Assembly recognised Russia as a terrorist regime that systematically violates international law and human rights.

We see now that no will is granted.

We need to fight for them, intensify our work in the Assembly, to reinstall and guarantee peace and security in Europe also by ensuring the accountability of the Russian Federation for its actions and war crimes, including war crimes against the environment, a huge ecocide that they are doing in Ukraine, in Europe.

Justice is more than a word. It's concrete action.

I believe that the Reykjavik summit will reaffirm our unity around common values and international war, and set out a forward-looking agenda for the whole organisation.

We have hopes that the heads of states and governments of Council of Europe will take the lead in climate action and in environmental protection, and reiterate their commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, limiting the global temperature increase in line with the Paris Agreement.

Also, I support the idea of creating a Council of Europe committee acting as a platform to share information, promote best practice, to provide legal advice, environmental protection and the fight against climate change.

We see now how effective the network for a healthy environment works, we do need more action here.

Of course, I welcome the package of proposals and recommendations for supporting Ukraine immediately, and after the end of the war of aggression suggested for the fourth summit.

After all, I do look to the future summit with big optimism, as we –as the European family of democratic countries– become more and more united in the face of extraordinary challenges, more and more sensitive for human rights and the environment, climate change and caring about this planet of ours.

Thank you very much.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:39:28

Thank you.

The next speaker is Ms Nigar ARPADARAI from Azerbaijan.

The floor is yours.

Mme Nigar ARPADARAI

Azerbaïdjan, CE/AD

18:39:37

Thank you very much.

Dear colleagues, in 1993, during the First Summit of the Council of Europe, the heads of states gave to the Council of Europe a new mission: creating a shared pan-European space where democracy, human rights and rule of law can thrive for the benefit of all Europeans finally united under one roof: the common European home.

Sadly, today, after 30 years, we seem to be further away from this noble goal. A reform of the Council of Europe is long due. The world changed tremendously and this organisation must change with it.

While supporting the essence of the report, I kindly would like to stress a few points that I believe need more focus.

Dear colleagues, I once had it in my speech but I would like to repeat that, if we want a safe Europe, we need to give a new life to the principles of international law such as territorial integrity. We need to create a real mechanism to fight militarised and aggressive separatism and secessionism, which is too often used as the pretext for conflict and war in Europe. There must be a sanction mechanism for the members or individuals who support separatism. There must be a commitment by all member States not to support it in other countries. It is important to stress this in regard to Ukraine and we surely do but it is also important to stress that it applies to all the members of the Council of Europe, as separatism and territorial claims are the cancer that destroy the very foundation of the European unity.

We, in Azerbaijan, still suffer from the consequences of Armenia's 30-year-long occupation, which had a clear goal of annexation of Azerbaijani lands. The Armenian Constitution and the Declaration of Independence still have territorial claims towards Azerbaijan. It is shocking but true. The fact that this is the case, is a reminder of the need to revive and reinforce the Council of Europe's mandate.

Media independence and freedom of speech is the second point that I would like to mention. We have seen through the last years that, in fact, the independence and freedom of media is easily compromised when vested interest groups decide to do so. We have seen many media hushed and silenced. We have seen a certain set of opinions announced as correct ones and alternative opinions marginalised.

The years of the pandemic showed us how vulnerable and fragile freedom of speech really is. One of the major roles in this is played by social media. Through algorithms, it can manipulate and mislead the public. It can promote certain ideas and hide others, and scarily, we have basically no influence or real scrutiny over it. We can only guess about the actual involvement of various security services in this, we from time to time see the various foreign forces being accused of meddling in the domestic affairs of countries but what is really happening there behind the doors and in server rooms of social media giants? Do we know? No. It is one of the most immediate and obvious challenges for democracies today. To me, it is much more apparent than climate change.

The Council of Europe, the largest domestic club in the world, cannot ignore this. People's right to know what algorithms are being used and what happens to their data, accountability of large governments, governments for what they do in social media, scrutiny of large corporations such as big pharma and big tech guys and many more issues related to the way the internet functions must be at the middle of what PACE does now.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:43:00

Thank you.

The next speaker is Mr Thomas PRINGLE from Ireland.

M. Thomas PRINGLE

Irlande, GUE

18:43:17

The Rekjavik Summit of the Council of Europe is without doubt a success of the Irish Presidency of the Council of Europe.

I would like to pay tribute to the Icelandic Presidency as well for the hosting of the conference.

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and pay tribute to the leader of the Irish delegation, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, on her work in making this event happen as well. (This is probably the only time I will pay tribute to a member of Fianna Fáil during a speech in this house, and that is a first as well).

It is important as to the renewal of the Council of Europe that the Summit is a success.

We have a vested interest in how it goes. I have no doubt that the Icelandic Presidency will carry it with great dignity.

It is important that we recommit to the core values of the Council of Europe, and remind participants of the binding nature, particularly of the judgments of the Council, of the European Court of Human Rights.

It is by respecting the Court's rulings that member states show how they respect the rights of citizens across the Council of Europe area.

Very often, governments may not like the judgments – but they are recognition and protection for citizens of human rights. There are times when governments may not find this expedient, but they should always be aware of the rights of citizens, because it might some day come back to benefit them as well.

I'm not sure about the increased engagement of the European Union that the Irish Presidency is so enamoured with, which would be my only point of difference with the review of the Irish Presidency.

When all member states of the European Union are already members of the Council of Europe, why is it necessary to have the EU as a member itself?

Why should the Council of Europe have a role in the enlargement process of the EU?

Surely it will not be a requirement for membership of the EU, for membership of the Council of Europe, or vice versa.

That would undermine the role that this organisation has had over the years. It would be a retrograde step, in my view, that would undermine the role and responsibility of this organisation.

Unfortunately, we are starting to see in Ireland the undermining of our traditional role in the world by the commencement of working under an EU banner, as more and more our government gives prominence to Europe on foreign affairs.

How does that assist us when we will align with the view of Germany and France on foreign affairs, and the respect the role that Ireland has had as a non-aligned, neutral former colony on the world stage will be undermined.

We can work through the Council of Europe and assert the role of neutral unaligned countries as being a valid and important role.

That is the role that we should choose and work towards within the Council of Europe.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:45:48

Thank you.

I call next Mr Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI from North Macedonia.

The floor is yours.

M. Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI

Macédoine du Nord, PPE/DC

18:45:58

Thank you very much.

I think this is a very important discussion that we have had tonight, and it is something that will set the pace for the Council of Europe in the forthcoming period. That is why I think, as it is clearly written here, that the solidarity and resilience of the European democracies, the respect for human rights in their adherence to the rule of law are the best guarantors for each other's prosperity, security and peaceful future.

Also, we should reaffirm the unity around the common values of this organisation where we are members and, as well, of the multilateralism based on international law. We should set the forward-looking agenda of the Council of Europe, putting the people's interest first.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The European Court of Human Rights is one of the key elements of the Council of Europe. It is the place where hundreds of thousands of European citizens are looking for justice. We must discuss. We must set out a firm agenda that will create an effective mechanism that will enforce the member States to implement the decisions and the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights because very often judgments are made, decisions are made by the European Court for Human Rights and the member States are not implementing them.

I can share one connected with the Macedonians and with Macedonian national minority in Bulgaria. At this moment, there are 16 judgments or decisions by the European Court of Human Rights that are not implemented in Bulgaria: 16! Not one, not two, but 16 judgments and decisions by the European Court of Human Rights are not implemented. These judgments, these decisions, are connected with the right of self-identification, the right of assembly, participation in elections, the right of being taught in the mother tongue and the right of protecting the national interest and culture.

While these decisions are made here in Strasbourg, Sofia declines to implement them. By that, it deprives citizens of Bulgaria who declare themselves as Macedonians of a basic human right. This is something that should not be tolerated and something that is a bad example in the 21st century. It is a bad example, as well, for the Council of Europe, because people came here, came to Strasburg, went to the European Court of Human Rights looking for justice. They got justice but it cannot be implemented in their domestic country. That is why effective mechanisms for the implementation of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights must be created and must be discussed at the Reykjavik Summit.

Thank you very much.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:49:17

Thank you.

The next on the list is Ms Zeynep YILDIZ from Türkiye.

The floor is yours.

Mme Zeynep YILDIZ

Türkiye, NI

18:49:28

Dear President, dear Colleagues,

I would like to thank Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for this report, with a very well defined framework.

To begin with, in these difficult times of the world, the conceptual emphasis on shared values for the Reykjavik Summit is very crucial.

We're thinking of common values regarding the current developments in the world would show us new solutions.

We know very well how this concept of common values has emerged.

After a great conflict period of recent history, we know really well that having a common set of values is a prerequisite for a continuation of being able to live together.

Today we are here in Strasbourg. We are in Strasbourg, the heart of Alsace-Lorraine, a place which was the major conflict area in World War One, and a place where humankind witnessed the most intense conflicts of World War Two only 80 years ago.

With very strong symbolism, the heart of bygone conflicts, the Council of Europe was positioned as the heart of democracy around the common values of humankind.

The political experience of the world tells us that to be together is the common benefit of humanity; in this case to preserve this ground where the rules are applied equally for everyone.

Egalité pour tous [in French: 'equality for all'] is a sinequanone principle for coexistence.

The emphasis on territorial integrity of sovereign states regarding Russia's aggression against Ukraine is a very important point that we need to stand together.

At the same time, we should stand together with the member states which continue to fight against terrorism. We need to condemn activities supporting all kinds of terrorism and in this way we need to defend the right of people to live.

Similarly, on the matter of implication of the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, we need to make sure that the procedures are implied in the same way for all of the member states, without practising double standards.

The emphasis on enhancing citizens' trust in the democratic process and in institutions is also a very critical point.

Sustainability is a key concept for all kinds of institutions, in order to have a sustainable democratic system to preserve public reliance on the institutions as a pivotal point, which was pointed out in the report also. Moreover, in the name of sustainability, solving problems at the source is very important.

While discussing the future of Europe, we cannot ignore the fact of migration. To fight against climate change, to share technology, and to allow countries to use their own resources will help us a lot to solve the migration issue. The approach of leaving no one behind and a fairer world is possible are the key concepts for preventing migration at the source.

Above all we must combat the increasing xenophobia in Europe. In order to protect freedom of expression, we need to be aware of the discourses and actions that insult peoples' thoughts and beliefs.

We need to figure out the fundamental difference between freedom of expression and hate crime.

Thank you very much.

 

 

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:52:46

Thank you very much.

I call next Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA from Ukraine.

The floor is yours.

Mme Mariia MEZENTSEVA

Ukraine, PPE/DC

18:52:56

Dear Chair, thank you Madam Elvira KOVÁCS.

I would like to extend my largest words of gratitude to our dear colleague Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN.

I remember our meeting back in Ireland and look how unimaginable this all went from one small meeting which then enlarged to our vote in the plenary asking the Committee of the Ministers, the government, and states to go ahead with the 4th historical Summit in our joint 70+ European history of co-existence.

This co-existence was debatable, challenged by many and various circumstances, and this circumstance is called today an open aggression. And this file, colleagues, which will be amended a little bit today to strengthen several instruments like the special tribunal targeting the mother crime of all the crime of aggression and the compensatory mechanism and many others, you can see a very simple evidence of this war, which is an ambulance right in front of the entrance to the Council of Europe with the Ukrainian flag on the top.

This ambulance is coming from my home region Kharkiv, two thirds of which was under half a year occupation of the Russian Federation, being liberated back in September 2022. This very ambulance was evacuating civilians from my home region to save their lives and to give first aid, but many of those who were inside did not survive unfortunately, because it was shelled on the way. Yet another war crime you can see in front of our Assembly.

I want to also thank you all from every Ukrainian person who is as we speak right now is continuing to suffer from this aggression. And I will never never let anyone who is trying to say that this Assembly is under-doing. Not at all. We have set so many examples and leading roles to follow us in international tribunal for the crime of aggression, in compensatory mechanism, in saying no and looking for justice for the UN Security Council seat which Russia has taken illegally, and many many other instances.

Today we have passed another great text on preventing sexual violence during the times of conflict. And I thank the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination for the leading role in this.

Please, continue to stand with us and be a part of the historical Summit in May. In these coming challenging days we are all united to fight against.

Thank you so much, and slava Ukraini.

 

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:56:07

Thank you, Mariia.

The next speaker is Lord Richard KEEN.

The floor is yours.

Lord Richard KEEN

Royaume-Uni, CE/AD

18:56:17

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to the rapporteur for the very considerable task that has been undertaken here. The report and many speakers this evening refer to the need for us to restate our commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, but I pause to notice that during the past two years, we have produced at least seven reports that restate our commitments to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

For the purposes of a Summit intended to attract the leaders of 46 countries, we have to do more than restate our principles and our intentions. We have an ever-expanding European Union that incorporates the terms of the Convention into European law and, therefore, touches upon the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. We have a European political community instigated by President Macron of France and endorsed by almost all the countries that are members of the Council of Europe. And that, with the UK Summit planned for 2024.

We have a war in Europe on a scale not seen since 1945. It is surely time for the Council of Europe to renew itself and determine what it is actually for, rather than simply restate its principles, which everyone, including the European Union and the European political community, is aware of and would, of course, endorse.

The original motion for the Summit from the Foreign Ministers' meeting in May 2022, called for a renewed Council of Europe and not just a restatement of principles. So the question arises, how is the Council of Europe to be renewed in light of the events I have mentioned? How is it to make itself relevant in today's Europe? How is it to make itself relevant in tomorrow's Europe? How has its role to be more than an observer to the development of the European political community? Consider for a moment the major challenges to the rule of law that we face at the present time. The war in Europe, obviously, but also the phenomena of mass economic migration that was never foreseen when the Treaty was entered into in 1949. The impact of artificial intelligence, the impact of pandemics upon individual rights. What we require for a Summit that will actually engage the leaders of the countries in more than 46 of our members is not just a restatement; it must be an expression of renewal that embraces the challenges of today and places the Council of Europe in a unique position to address those challenges.

Thank you, Chair.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

18:59:51

Thank you.

I call next Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS - who is not in the Hemicycle.

We'll try with Mr Robert TROY - who is also not in the Hemicycle.

Oh yes - please, the floor is yours.

M. Robert TROY

Irlande, ADLE

19:00:10

Madam Vice President,

Distinguished Colleagues,

Firstly, can I thank Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for her work as rapporteur on this report and compliment her on producing such a comprehensive report which has received such strong support across all political groupings. We, in Ireland and in our party in Ireland, are very proud of the work that my friend and colleague has completed. I think the length of this debate and a huge interest and a number of contributions, to my mind, demonstrates the interest, the value, and the importance of this report, but also the importance of the upcoming Summit.

Ensuring a future Summit was a key cornerstone of the Irish Presidency as espoused by our president and by the Irish foreign ministers. Now we will continue that support and work with Iceland to ensure that this Summit is not a mere event, is not a mere meeting at a point in time, or a photo opportunity, because no institution, no matter how great it is, can remain static, can remain unchanged.

We must evolve and we must respond to an ever evolving world. This Summit must be ambitious and must be meaningful. We must see a full participation of all heads of state. But the success of the Summit, to my mind, will be the follow-up, and how this body responds to the emerging human rights of a new generation, how we respond to the environmental challenges, how we respond to artificial intelligent and gender-based violence. In framing our response, it is very important that we put our citizens at the very heart of what we do to ensure that the Council of Europe continues to be the bastion of democracy, of human rights, and the rule of law as it always has been.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

19:02:34

Thank you.

I call next Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA from Azerbaijan.

The floor is yours.

Mme Sevinj FATALIYEVA

Azerbaïdjan, CE/AD

19:02:47

Thank you, Chair.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We live in a very complicated period of time.

The Covid-19 pandemic really became a challenge for people all over the world in terms of health protection, human rights, causing a psychological economical, social, and political crisis.

The war in Ukraine caused a serious crisis for Ukrainian people, and affected the whole of Europe.

Rising xenophobia and Islamophobia makes Europe very fragile.

This is just a short list of the problems that Europe is facing today.

We all understand that in stressful conditions, horizons narrow and more important issues take a backseat.

Governments can only overcome their nation-first mentality in times of crisis if they are convinced that collaborative efforts are worthwhile, and if they have faith in their ability and loyalty of the allies.

In case of the Council of Europe, member States' trust is a crucial component of effective crisis management.

Common interests based on the implementation of decisions of this organisation promote this kind of trust, just as trust is required for finding solutions.

The Council of Europe is experiencing a severe confidence crisis.

As a result of certain recent accomplishments, it seems more confident in its capacity to handle challenging issues.

But just as confidence can grow, it can also be quickly shattered - delays and errors can cost a lot for our future.

As our standards and approaches are questioned in member States and in this organisation, democratic security is declining across Europe.

Given the seriousness of the issues confronting Europe, the Council of Europe needs to be more attentive in observing the member States' adherence to their commitments, and take swift actions where necessary.

The postulates of human rights, the rule of law must certainly be respected as the fundamental basic documents of the Council of Europe, but unfortunately we often encounter double standards.

In some cases we see unconditional support - sometimes harsh - and in other cases we're dealing with double standards, substitution of concepts and values, when the wrong accents are placed due to ignorance of the situations in the region.

This shows that the existing risks are not considered as existential, but as consequences of some processes.

For my country of Azerbaijan this is extremely important - especially now, when we speak about the normalisation of our relationship with Armenia, about peace and stability in the region, and we wish to see more involvement and dedication from the Council of Europe.

I still strongly believe that the Reykjavik Summit will remind all member States how principled, effective, and objective the Council of Europe can be, and remind us of which values we're all serving and are dedicated to.

Thank you.

Mme Elvira KOVÁCS

Serbie, PPE/DC, Présidente de l'Assemblée

19:05:33

Thank you.

I call next Ms Marijana BALIĆ from Croatia.

Mme Marijana BALIĆ

Croatie, PPE/DC

19:05:41

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Let me also thank Madam rapporteur for this report. The protection of human rights, democracy and rule of law are very core principles of the Council of Europe. Although all international organisations respect and promote these fundamental rights, the Council of Europe has been their gatekeeper for the last 73 years.

With the ending of the Second World War, we thought that we learned a painful lesson. After countless atrocities, human sacrifices and unimaginable destruction, we started rebuilding Europe, as well as rebuilding trust, spirit and goodwill among the nations.

A new threat to global stability has backlashed in our close neighbourhood and called on all of us to reconsider our priorities. With this respect, the renewed stronger role of the Council of Europe as a safeguard of fundamental human rights must be imperative. Therefore, the upcoming Reykjavik Summit is of utmost importance, and we strongly advocate for a sharp and unanimous political message. At the Fourth Summit, we have to reaffirm our unity around the values of the Council of Europe and start building a European multilateral architecture that will make this organisation fit for its purpose and that is a modern organisation with the knowledge and the structure to fight current and further challenges. An organisation that will make the most out of modern technologies. A new organisation framework that will contain a necessary high-level political realm. A new and improved version of this historical pattern of the protection of fundamental rights.

Today, when Europe is facing numerous challenges that threaten democracy, human rights and the rule of law, the role of the Council of Europe as the guardian of all democratic standards arising from the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedom is more important than ever.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:08:00

Thank you very much, Madam Marijana BALIĆ.

Now we give the floor to Mr Pavlo BAKUNETS from Ukraine.

You have the floor, Pavlo.

M. Pavlo BAKUNETS

Ukraine, NI

19:08:15

Thank you.

Dear Mr President, dear members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe,

It's a great pleasure for me to be here with you.

It's my first time here in the heart of democracy, of human rights, of rule of law.

My name is Mr Pavlo BAKUNETS. I'm from the Verkhovna Rada, from the delegation of Ukraine.

We are here to remind you, to remind the world about the brutal hard war which has been going on in Ukraine.

This war started in 2014.

This war is very hard this year.

It's very good - it's right that you raise the issue of escalation of the war against Ukraine this year in Reykjavik.

To tell the truth I will say thank you very much for the report - especially for the Paragraph 12, about supporting Ukraine.

Ukrainians are victims in this brutal, hard war.

That's why the Council of Europe, the world should stand in solidarity with Ukrainians.

I made just a short list of the most important:

First of all, support the independence of Ukraine.

Support our borders which are internationally recognised.

Condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the responsibility of Russia for the war, for the genocide, for the terrorism against Ukraine, for the victims.

We need this special tribunal to punish the Russian government, to punish Russia, soldiers for this war.

Also we need support - Ukraine after our victim, I think we need an international compensation mechanism for Ukraine to rebuild a peaceful Ukraine.

We need to support Ukraine immediately, because while some European governments are thinking about the possibility of supplying Leopard tanks to Ukraine, our brave Ukrainian soldiers are using all the resources to fight back against the occupiers in hell, in Bakhmut, in Soledar, in different cities in Ukraine.

To the end I will say we believe in our soldiers.

We believe in your help.

We believe in victory.

Slava Ukraini ('Glory to Ukraine' in Ukrainian).

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:11:26

Thank you very much, Pavlo.

Now we are going to listen to Mr Rik DAEMS from Belgium.

Rik, the floor is yours.

M. Rik DAEMS

Belgique, ADLE

19:11:36

Hi, Fiona. Great job! Thank you for including the environmental issue into the report, because it is crucial to millions and millions and millions of young people who are looking at the political world and asking themselves why the hell don't you do something about it. I think that we can now.

I would like to start by something that I heard at the beginning of the debate, the very first speaker, Mister President, was John HOWELL. He said "why would the UK PM come to the Summit?". I'll tell you why: because it matters, because people matter, because human rights for more than 600 million people matter, because free and fair elections, democracy for more than 600 million people matter, because living in a country where the rule of law prevails counts, matters for more than 600 million people.

So, John, and all the rest of you, the UK PM and all the other leaders should come because the hell it matters, and because this is the tool, this is the singular tool that either fights against decline of these values and can foster progress on these values. This is why it matters.

I, for one, I welcome, for example, the pan-European political community that Mr Macron set up because it's good that all these leaders on a pan-European base talk politics and understand that exactly these fundamental values of democracy and rule of law in this house can prevail and can make progress, provided that they recognise it and support it.

This is, I think Mister President, exactly the reason why you and so many others have called for this Summit.

Now, the two conditions, I think, that need to be fulfilled in order for it to make sense:

The first, I think, is that the heads of states are connected to the parliamentarians, because there's no head of state that can work if he is not supported by a majority in its parliament and opposed by an opposition in this parliament for checks and balance. That's number one.

Two, there should be some tangible results. Not only a declaration, which is important, but some tangible results.

Now I will come back on the environmental issue, Fiona and all the colleagues who are working on that.

Well, who knows, maybe we could, I don't know, create something like NF, which would be the same as ECRI on racism, but then a European Commission again on environment. Why not?

Why don't we create something new? People are saying we need to do something new. There's a lot of stuff we can do. Maybe we can create something new on environment and human rights and move forward on this issue again, which, Mister President, you know that, I know that, we all know that, which is one of the singular issues that maybe will allow us, the political world, to reconnect to tens and tens of millions of young people.

Thank you very much.

Much success, and I really count on you, Mister President, to connect these heads of states to bases to the members of parliament.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:14:37

Thank you very much. Message taken, Mr former President of the Assembly.

Now we are going to listen to Sir Edward LEIGH from the United Kingdom.

Edward, you have the floor.

Sir Edward LEIGH

Royaume-Uni, CE/AD

19:14:51

The Council of Europe has got to concentrate on the important things and the most important thing at the moment, of course, is to resist Russian aggression, and to its credit, the Council of Europe very quickly after this appalling invasion kicked Russia out of this Assembly. Although our record before then was mixed and we all know that because we wanted the Russian subscription after the invasion and annexation of Crimea we did not move fast enough and we allowed them to stay in this Assembly and weakness in the face of aggression never works. Appeasement never works.

So my argument, and why I am speaking today, is that when we have this Summit, I hope when our Prime Minister goes to the Summit, he will make it quite clear that this Council of Europe was set up after the Second World War to resist fascism and communism and tyranny, but too often it produces reports that are concentrating on matters that, frankly, are trivial – so-called abuses of human rights, particularly in Western European nations.

Now, we all know that we have got a problem with small-boat migration across the Channel. We all know that this is extremely dangerous; it is run by criminal gangs. There was a horrible drowning last year; if it carries on there be another drowning. It has got to stop and, therefore, we have got to break the business model. We have got to be allowed to arrest people when they arrive and we have got to do what the Australians and others have done, and we have got to send people back around. Otherwise, this evil trade will continue. But we all know that a single judge in the European Court of Human Rights, and we are the Parliamentary Assembly of that body, stopped us and stopped us from sending the first flight to Rwanda.

Now, I have to say, and I am giving this warning because it is important that people understand this, that when we said that Brexit was going to happen, that we were going to leave the European Union, nobody believed us or they said there was just a bunch of right-wingers, that Brexit was never going to happen, but I have to say there is a growing movement in the United Kingdom to repeal the Human Rights Act, to get out of the Convention and, therefore, to get out of the Council of Europe. Because every time one of these so-called asylum seekers, and they are economic refugees – mainly young men – come to our shores, there is an army of human rights lawyers who try and stop every single case – every single case – and they appeal to this Court.

More and more people are saying in the United Kingdom, it is not just me, Suella Braverman, who was our Attorney General and now the Home Secretary, campaigned on this basis in the recent election, she is saying the only way we can deal with this human trafficking, which will lead to a tragedy, is that we should leave the Convention and leave the Council of Europe.

So my message to this body is to concentrate on the essential. Do not come down like a ton of bricks on countries like Great Britain who are trying to protect our borders because if you do so you might find that Britain is no longer a member of this body.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:17:58

Thank you very much Sir Edward LEIGH.

Now we are going to listen to Mr Caspar Van den BERG from the Netherlands. You have the floor.

M. Caspar Van den BERG

Pays-Bas, ADLE

19:18:07

Thank you, Mr President.

I would like to start by complimenting our rapporteur, Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN for her excellent work and on a very strong, to-the-point and timely report.

It is a very great importance that our heads of state and government come together to reaffirm their continued commitment to liberal representative democracy bound by the rule of law and to human rights in a rule-based multilateral international order.

The brutal aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine is sadly the direct and key motive for this Summit. This war, one which we all hoped would remain unthinkable to take place again on the European continent, is the issue of our greatest concern right now, for the people directly affected in Ukraine, but secondarily, also for Europeans who are indirectly affected in all of our countries.

The Summit will present the necessary stage for our leaders to show to the world their solidarity with the people of Ukraine and their resolute pledge to the principles of the Council of Europe and the European multilateral architecture. But there is another reason why the Summit is so important which the report clearly sets out and that is the concern for the quality of liberal representative democracy and the rule of law across all of Europe.

For too long, established democratic countries, including my own, have taken the democratic quality of their political systems for granted and it is necessary that our leaders take a firm stand against movements and tendencies in our societies that undermine a fact-based political debate and who try to destabilise the protection of minority groups.

Unreservedly standing up for the rule of law, including a government that is reliable and trustworthy, standing up for judicial independence and minority protection, is what we may expect to see from our national leaders and this is what the Summit will create the appropriate opportunity for.

It is important for my party that this Assembly, as one of the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe, is strongly involved in the Summit. We applaud the organisation of the Standing Committee in Reykjavik and – taking into account the regionalisation and decentralisation within many of our member states, and considering the role that local and regional authorities fulfil in monitoring the charter, election observations, the rule of law and human rights at the local and regional level – we also would like to underline the importance of the involvement of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in the preparation of the political declaration and the action plan that will be part of the forthcoming Summit. This will contribute to keeping the Council of Europe's organisation fit for purpose. Amendments to the draft recommendations that strengthen the involvement of PACE and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will therefore have our support.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:21:12

Thank you [in Dutch], Mister Caspar Van den BERG.

I saw the president of the Congress was sitting right in front of me nodding, he is, at least in agreement with what you propose as far as I can understand.

Now we continue.

The next speaker on my list is Lord David BLENCATHRA from the United Kingdom, but do I see him? I don't think that he is present.

Now I call in the debate Mr Norbert KLEINWÄCHTER from Germany.

You have the floor.

M. Norbert KLEINWÄCHTER

Allemagne, CE/AD

19:21:42

Thank you very much, Mister President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We are debating the fact that there is to be a summit and also a reform of the Council of Europe. We have already seen the problem with the debate: for two hours, very, very many speakers have referred to Ukraine and rightly so. But that is not the only thing that this reform of the Council of Europe had to strive for. The Council of Europe survived the Berlin Wall, thank God, and it will survive this war, thank God. But it will survive it if this Council of Europe remembers the fundamental principles it wants to represent, namely democracy and the rule of law, and understands human rights as its core task and nothing else.

The report states somewhat succinctly that multilateralism is a good thing, but we must also remember that the Russian Federation was a member of this Council of Europe and that our peacekeeping system did not work there.

That's why we have to question why it didn't work, and that was at this very summit. I think that also in this body we have given a little bit too little space to diplomacy. We have talked too much about each other, too little with each other, and that should definitely change. It is the issues that count in this Council of Europe as well. I have actually been a member of this Assembly for five years now, and I have experienced many very good debates.

We have argued very often on good issues, but there were also some issues where I asked myself quite openly: what are they doing here, do they belong here? No, they don't belong here. I think that the Council of Europe then gains in sharpness and also gains in assertiveness and credibility when it minimises the law-making that it tries to do but then maximises the enforcement of those few rules. Those are the rules of the rule of law and human rights. Those are the rules when it comes to threats to life and limb, to political persecution, to undermining democracy. But they are not issues that have fallen now, like migration or climate change, which you can believe in, but that may be a long-term threat sometime in the future. No, the Council of Europe has to take care of the threats in the here and now, and, unfortunately, it has failed in that in some ways. Where was the Parliamentary Assembly, where was the Council of Europe when, for example, the yellow vests were beaten up by Macron on the streets?

Where was the Council of Europe when Merkel openly demanded that an election be reversed? She did that, but it was not discussed here.

Where was the Council of Europe when people were deprived of their social life because they did not get vaccinated? This body was too quiet. It kept silent and lost trust and reputation.

We have to address the unpleasant issues here, yes, even those that go precisely against governments when they do something that, in the end, does not comply with the rule of law. We have to become the indispensable fighter for human rights and the rule of law for the fundamental rights of citizens, but sometimes in this fight, the Council of Europe has to start with itself.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:24:45

Thank you [in German] Mr Norbert KLEINWÄCHTER.

Now next on my list is Mr Oleksandr MEREZHKO from Ukraine; I do not see him in his seat - do I see him in the Hemicycle? That is not the case.

That means that we now come to the last speaker in this debate, Ms Eva DECROIX from the Czech Republic. You have the floor.

Mme Eva DECROIX

République tchèque, CE/AD

19:25:05

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you to everyone, thank you for this excellent and very important debate.

Thank you also to the rapporteur for this excellent report.

It is an honor for me to be the last speaker in this debate because for all that I have heard and also, looking back, all that has happened in over many decades, in more than 50 states, and with hundreds of resolutions that have been taken, the Convention on Human Rights, the Court of Human Rights, the Václav Havel Prize. I think that Churchill could hardly have imagined what a stable and solid institution would be created when, in 1943, he called for the establishment of an institution which became the Council of Europe. Who would have thought. 

On the other hand, it is sad that, despite all these multilateral treaties, despite this organization, the Council of Europe, and despite many other organizations, we are now witnessing a war of aggression, which was provoked by one of the States that is a member of this organisation at the time. When the Council of Europe was created, we faced a time of upheaval. And today again we are experiencing a period of upheaval. 

That is why I would argue that the Reykjavik Summit will be a very important symbolic moment. We need to stock of the present situation and we need to remind ourselves of how important it is to maintain the values of the Council of Europe: human rights, democracy, the rule of law, the values and concepts that have been defended in recent years but that have never been as prominent as they are today. It is necessary that they really remain at the center. If these values that are specific to the Council of Europe are at the center, it is also the Council of Europe that is at the center or should be at the center.

I believe the Reykjavik Summit will be an opportune moment to do so. It is up to us; to our ministers, the Heads of State of our governments. We need to seize this opportunity and equip ourselves with the appropriate instruments to help us deal with the future.  

Thank you very much, Mr. President.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:27:48

Thanks to you, Madam Eva DECROIX. (in French)

That concludes the list of speakers.

We have had over more than 50 speakers in this rich debate.

We now are going to listen to the rapporteur Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN. You have 3 minutes not to reply to all the 50 contributions, but to have the final say in this debate before we go to the vote.

Mme Fiona O'LOUGHLIN

Irlande, ADLE, Rapporteure

19:28:09

Thank you very much once again, Mister President.

The road to Reykjavik has been a long journey, and we are only halfway there.

I want to thank all of those who have shared this journey and lightened the load and gave me the trust to bring us to this stop on our journey.

To those who engaged, I listened and did my very best to produce a collaborative report.

Thank you to the Irish and Icelandic presidencies who have made this summit both a priority and a reality; to the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe who nominated me to take this report; to my colleagues on the Irish delegation for their support: deputies Mr Robert Troy, Mr Thomas Pringle, and Ms Réada Cronin, and Senators Ms Pauline O'Reilly, Mr Paul Gavan and Ms Róisín Garvey; and, of course, the Secretariat, but most especially Ms Sonia Sirtori.

I've listened carefully to all of the thoughtful interventions this afternoon: the concerns, the challenges, the endorsements. Yes, we are going back to basics. The Council of Europe should continue to do what it has always done, but to do it better.

Since its foundation, the Council of Europe has been a pioneer in human rights protections. Founded in time of war and now sadly back to wartime, the summit must reaffirm and recommit to our founding values, while also seeking ways to enhance citizens' trust in the democratic processes. That means engaging citizens in a meaningful, inclusive and comprehensive way promoting respect and protecting fundamental freedoms and values.

Our continent is changing, and so too must the Council of Europe, in particular in responding to the new generation of human rights.

The Council of Europe is not just the soul of Europe, as has been mentioned. It is also the conscience of Europe. This is a very precious responsibility for which we are all responsible.

Many have mentioned the far right and autocracy and how we deal with that. We double down on democracy.

This report, and indeed the summit itself, should be very clear about supporting Ukraine and condemning the war of aggression. But I do agree that the summit needs also to be about much more, and to ensure that there is a vision going forward for all of us.

This report, again, and the summit cannot be seen as the end of a process but rather the beginning. We must always seek to evolve and respond to citizens' changing needs. Yes, I agree, we need to hear the voices of young people and civil society.

I really am glad that three days ago, the Icelandic presidency opened a call for submissions from everybody, including civil society and young people, until 20 February.

Ms Lesia VASYLENKO mentioned homework. Between now and next May, we have homework. We have a duty and a responsibility to ensure a debate and a dialogue within all of our own parliaments and all of our societies and to engage support from our heads of state and government.

Finally, my friend and colleague Mr Bjarni JÓNSSON from Iceland has said in his intervention that the war has brought Europe together.

There is an old Irish saying: Ní neart go cur le chéile, meaning "we are stronger together". Let us all commit to working together to ensure a successful summit, to ensure a Europe where we can respect difference, where we confront major challenges together, and live up to our responsibility of providing a sustainable and inclusive society, with authenticity and with integrity, while offering a beacon of hope to all of our citizens during a dark time.

This is the biggest task of the summit, but I have no doubt, with all of your support and all of your input, that we can have a summit that will ultimately restore trust and renew democracy.

Go raibh maith agat. [Thank you. (in Irish)]

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:33:04

Thank you very much, Madam rapporteur.

The Chairperson of the Committee, Mr Zsolt NÉMETH, wishes to speak.

You have 3 minutes, Zsolt.

M. Zsolt NÉMETH

Hongrie, CE/AD, Président de la Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

19:33:14

Thank you, President, and thank you colleagues for the very stimulating discussion this afternoon and this evening.

I listened to everybody. I do not know how many, but probably some of you did the same. It would be really very difficult to summarise what was said but I would like to underline what Mr Davor Ivo STIER quoted from Ms Baerbock quoting Adenauer, the soul of Europe is a formulation, which, I think, when we are entering the 75th anniversary of our existence as the Council of Europe is something to keep in mind, I think, as a brand also but as an essence as well. It is worth considering.

We have reflected on the old challenges and the new challenges, and that is what the Summit will have to do. The old challenges are extremely important because of the war, and we need to give the right answer not to allow it to happen again. New challenges are also confronting us. We want to create a 21st-century organisation. The Council of Europe, and if I need to underline one of the old challenges, I would like to draw your attention also to the importance of the national minority that is very rarely reflected now in our resolution. It is a political question. Are we able? Many participants – from North Macedonia, Mr Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI – raised this problem. This is one of the important political challenges still in front of us. Can we give the appropriate rights to the 50 million national minorities inside this continent?

Concerning the new challenges and the new dimensions, yes, environmental rights are vitally important. I think, now, it is a kind of stocktaking as well after 18 years. What have we been able to achieve in the past 18 years? We need to integrate that. The digital aspects are also, artificial intelligence and so on.

To make all this a success, dear colleagues, I think we need the co-operation to continue between the Committee of Ministers and this Assembly. We had some representatives of the Committee of Ministers in this debate – not too many, if I may add – but we all know that we have been a driving force. I think we are going to remain a driving force as the Parliamentary Assembly, and, I think, a helping hand to the Committee of Ministers to make this a success story.

Also the co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union is becoming more and more inevitable and vitally important for our future. We can see the European political community as a challenge, but also we can look at it as the possibility, that we now find in the European political community the right partner.

Finally, dear colleagues, we also need committed governments and committed member States.

I would like to express my gratitude to Iceland, the head of the Icelandic delegation, the Icelandic Prime Minister is, for the second time, coming to see us. Congratulations to Iceland, for doing this job, and also for Ireland because the Irish Presidency has been very generous with this Fourth Summit. We all can testify that, and especially, I would like to congratulate Fiona and to also thank the Secretariat of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy.

Thank you very much for your attention.

Vote : Le Sommet de Reykjavik du Conseil de l'Europe : Unis autour de valeurs face à des défis hors du commun

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:37:22

Thank you very much, Mr President of the Committee.

The debate is now closed. The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy has presented a draft recommendation which you find in Document 156811 to which 35 amendments and one sub-amendment have been tabled.

Amendments will be taken in the order in which they appear in the Compendium. I remind you that speeches on amendments are limited to 30 seconds.

We now come to the possible unanimous approval of amendments.

I understand that the Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy wishes to propose to the Assembly that Amendments 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 12, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 to the draft recommendation, which were unanimously approved by the Committee, should be declared as agreed by the Assembly. However, Amendments 32 and 34 will be taken separately as they have consequentials.

The Chairperson wishes to propose to the Assembly that Amendments 13-24, 12, 27-31 and 33, which were unanimously approved by the Committee, should be declared as agreed by the Assembly?

Is that so Mr Zsolt NÉMETH?

M. Zsolt NÉMETH

Hongrie, CE/AD, Président de la Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

19:38:58

Yes, it is correct.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:39:00

Does anybody object? I do not see it.

As there is no objection, I declare that the mentioned amendments to the draft recommendation have been agreed.

I understand that the Chairperson of the Committee wishes to propose to the Assembly that the Amendments Nos. 1, 2, 25, 10, 11, 3, 4, 26, 5, 6, 7 and 8 to the draft recommendation, which were rejected by the Committee with a two-thirds majority, be declared as rejected.

However, Amendment No. 8 is consequential and will be taken separately.

The Chairperson wishes to propose to the Assembly that Amendments Nos. 1, 2, 25, 10, 11, 3, 4, 26, 5, 6 and 7 to the draft recommendation, which were rejected by the Committee with the two-thirds majority, should be declared as rejected by the Assembly.

Is that so, Mister Zsolt NÉMETH?

M. Zsolt NÉMETH

Hongrie, CE/AD, Président de la Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

19:40:02

Yes, it is correct.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:40:04

Thank you very much.

Does anybody object? I do not see anyone. As there is no objection, I declare that the mentioned amendments to the draft recommendation are rejected.

We now come to Amendment 9.

I call Mr Irakli CHIKOVANI to support Amendment 9.

You have 30 seconds.

M. Irakli CHIKOVANI

Géorgie, SOC

19:40:29

Thank you, Mister President.

Of course realising that we are at the high time in the challenge of the barbaric war against Ukraine that is conducted by the Russian Federation, we should not forget that the Russian aggressive policy has been started for a long time, and the Georgian state is the victim and the territories of Georgia are occupied.

So, this Amendment reflects the gravity of the situation and reflects the occupation of my country's territory.

Thank you.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:41:02

Thank you very much, Mister Irakli CHIKOVANI.

Does anyone wish to speak against the amendment? I do not see any...

What is the opinion of the Committee?

M. Zsolt NÉMETH

Hongrie, CE/AD, Président de la Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie

19:41:14

Approved by a small majority.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:41:17

The Amendment is approved by a small majority.

I now shall put the Amendment to the vote.

The vote is open.

I close the vote.

I call for the result to be displayed.

The Amendment is carried.

 

We come now to Amendment 1, I call Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER to support Amendment 1. You have 30 seconds.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding, but you have approved so many amendments unanimously and rejected so many with a two-third majority... I now have it. It is Amendment 35, thank you very much.

I call Ms Lesia VASYLENKO to support Amendment 35.

Lesia, you have 30 seconds.

Mme Lesia VASYLENKO

Ukraine, ADLE

19:43:16

Thank you, Chair.

This amendment deals with the example that we want to set for other international organizations, and namely, the UN and the UN Security Council, which Russia today is holding hostage and by doing so, is actually preventing justice, human rights and peace in the world.

So this amendment reads very simply that "we must mobilise the political impulse to the reform of the United Nations and its Security Council and forming a common position on it". 

I ask for support of this.

M. Tiny KOX

Pays-Bas, GUE, Président de l'Assemblée

19:43:50