05/10/2011 Session
According to the PACE, the partnership between the Council of Europe and the EU facilitated by the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty should lead to “a common space for human rights protection across the continent in the interest of all people in Europe”, through the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, which is a requirement of the treaty.
In a resolution adopted today, the PACE therefore urged the parliaments and governments of member states to take all measures needed to enable rapid conclusion of the Agreement on the Accession of the EU to the European Convention on Human Rights and to facilitate EU accession to other key Council of Europe conventions, monitoring mechanisms and bodies so as to ensure consistency of standards and of monitoring of their implementation by member states.
In this respect, the PACE expects that the role of the Council of Europe as “the benchmark for human rights, rule of law and democracy in Europe” will be effectively recognised by all EU institutions, including in the context of the EU’s neighbourhood policy with countries which are members of the Council of Europe or belong to its neighbourhood, such as those in the Southern Mediterranean.
In line with the conclusions of Kerstin Lundgren (Sweden, ALDE), rapporteur on the matter, the Assembly also proposed a series of measures to improve co-operation with the European Parliament.