On Tuesday, 3 September, EU Ambassador to the Council of Europe Meglena Kuneva called for continued and deepened cooperation between the EU and the Council of Europe.
The roles of the EU and the Council of Europe “are different but complementary”, she explained to MEPs in the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, adding that the two organisations were working together on human rights, democracy, and rule of law issues.
In her opinion, cooperation -“which has made significant progress since the first joint programme in 1993” - “aims to take up challenges and ensure the coherence and complementarity” of actions taken.
“We will continue to strengthen the dynamic of cooperation and visibility”, announced Ms Kuneva, adding that the EU and Europe share the same values and the same commitment to effective multilateralism.
Ms Kuneva explained that cooperation was based on three pillars: constitutional and technical dialogue, joint programmes that support reforms (with, for example, 52 joint projects in 2018), and legal cooperation.
Ms Kuneva also hoped that the EU would be able to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights - “an obligation under the Treaty of Lisbon and a greater step forward for the protection of human rights”. Subsequent to questions of compatibility raised by the EU Court of Justice in 2014 and a period of reflection, dialogue on the subject has, in her opinion, hit its stride in preparation for finding a solution. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)