Copyrights: Council of Europe 2022

In his address to the Committee of Ministers and bilateral discussions today with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Robert Spano, the Special Representative reiterated the EU’s commitment to the effective functioning of the Council of Europe Convention system and to the EU’s accession to the ECHR, “a living and dynamic instrument to protect people across Europe”.

These objectives will be reflected in the EU’s new set of cooperation priorities with the Council of Europe (2023-2024), to be adopted by the end of this year, which will renew and re-energise our partnership.

Copyrights: Council of Europe 2022

Following Russia’s expulsion from the Council of Europe, the loss of access by Russian citizens to the protections granted by the ECHR and mounting domestic repression in both Russia and Belarus, the Special Representative also stressed the need for ongoing support to civil society organisations, human rights defenders and independent media and journalists in these countries.

"I believe that, despite all of the challenges we now face, human rights and democracy will prevail.  Because they are not a western invention.  They are inherent to every human being and are as natural and as the air we breathe.  Despite the tyranny that exists in the world, humanity is also capable of creating organisations like the Council of Europe and the European Union, from the debris of a horrific world war; organisations which are 'convinced that the pursuit of peace based upon justice and international co-operation is vital for the preservation of human society and civilisation'."

Eamon Gilmore is the European Union’s Special Representative for Human Rights and the EU Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process. He acts to enhance the EU’s effectiveness and presence in protecting and promoting human rights throughout the world. He regularly meets with governments, as well as international and local human rights and civil society bodies, chairs formal Human Rights Dialogues and speaks for the EU at international human rights fora.