United around our values - "The 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe that we are celebrating this year is taking place under the same motto that brought our leaders together in Reykjavík," said Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein and President of the Committee of Ministers, as she addressed the Parliamentary Assembly.
"The Committee of Ministers translated these words into concrete terms when it adopted a strong and even historic budget for 2024-2027," the minister said. In line with the commitment of the Heads of State and Government, a real increase in resources was also decided for the European Court of Human Rights.
"For the credibility of the Convention system - and the Organisation as a whole - it is imperative that all member states fulfil their obligation to implement the judgments of the Court," minister Hasler said.
In addition, the Liechtenstein Presidency will continue to advocate for broader membership in the Register of Damage for Ukraine and encourage non-member states to join efforts to ensuring justice.
The Council of Europe is also pursuing the implementation of the most ambitious Ukraine Action Plan entitled "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction", through activities carried out in a wide range of fields such as constitutional justice, anti-corruption, democratic governance and media freedom.
Moreover, the Council of Europe also remains committed to finding solutions that enable the immediate and safe return of Ukrainian children.
Minister Hasler stressed that the Committee of Ministers is actively working with the UN bodies to remind Russia of its unconditional legal obligation to implement the judgments by the Strasbourg Court.
At the Reykjavík Summit, European leaders committed to ensuring a leading role for the Council of Europe in developing standards in the digital era to safeguard human rights online and offline, including by finalising, as a priority, the Council of Europe's Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence. The new Convention should be adopted during the Liechtenstein Presidency.
The minister reminded the pioneering role of the organisation in the fight against violence against women and domestic violence. "With the Istanbul Convention, the Council of Europe has provided us with an international gold standard - and more importantly - the key instrument to effectively and inclusively combat these phenomena," she said adding that "there is still much more to do to achieve full and effective gender equality".
"The 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe provides an important opportunity to demonstrate our common commitment to multilateralism and the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It will showcase what the Council of Europe means in practical terms for the 700 million Europeans who live in our 46 member states," she concluded.
