Brussels, 10/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - From 13 November, Belgium will be assuming the presidency of the Committee of the Council of Ministers of the EU (CoE). Belgium's Foreign Minister, Didier Reynders, will be in charge of this steering committee.
Belgium takes over from Azerbaijan and will hand over the presidency of the committee to Bosnia Herzegovina in May 2015. It will have to meet a number of challenges in areas where the Council of Europe traditionally exerts its influence, such as human rights, democracy and respect for the rule of law. On Friday 7 November, Torbjorn Froysnes, the head of the Council of Europe's liaison office in Brussels, explained that this presidency would take place during a “difficult period for Europe”.
Unsurprisingly, the Presidency's attention will be focusing on the situation in Ukraine and relations with Russia. The British elections and the debates with the United Kingdom on whether the country remains part of the European Court of Human Rights is also likely to be a difficult dossier, even though at this stage, no official discussions on the United Kingdom's possible withdrawal is envisaged by either of the parties. Reform of the European Court of Human Rights will also be another area in which work will be undertaken. Avoiding continuous complaints on the same subjects, which are not necessarily part of the remit of the Council of Europe, will be one of Belgium's objectives. (SP)