Democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Europe: Strengthening the impact of the Council of Europe’s activities
16 May 2013 News
This was the theme of the 123rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on May 16 in Strasbourg. Participants focused on opportunities to improve the performance of and co-ordination among the various monitoring mechanisms within the activities of the Council of Europe.
Speaking at the forum, the head of the Bulgarian delegation, Deputy Minister Ivan Naydenov, emphasised the need to strengthen dialogue between monitoring mechanisms and the Member States. The activities of control mechanisms should be carried out in strict accordance with their approved mandates, Ivan Naydenov said.
Delegations of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe noted that significant progress has been made in implementing the policy of the Council of Europe towards neighboring regions, that was launched in 2011 and is aimed at helping the countries of North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia in carrying out democratic transition.
The highlights of the session included ensuring the long-term effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and the further deepening of co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union in various fields.
At the session, Andorra handed over the rotating six-month presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to Armenia.