Warsaw, 17/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - The third summit of the Council of Europe came to an end on Tuesday in Warsaw after a further session (the third in two days) devoted to the architecture of Europe. The Heads of State and Government of the organisation that groups 46 European countries left the Polish capital after having adopted a policy statement, an action plan, guidelines for cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union, as well as an interinstitutional agreement with the Organisation for Cooperation and Security in Europe (OSCE). The first two texts (see other articles) gives a new mandate to the organisation located in Strasbourg. The mandate gives prime importance to the field of human rights and democracy and foresees other actions being undertaken to achieve objectives in this field. A second pillar devoted to social cohesion is distinguishable from the whole. A new mandate attributed to an organisation cannot, alone, allow it to unravel the European institutional entanglement. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to eradicate unnecessary duplication, improve synergies and strengthen the readability of the whole. This is the aim of the work that is to begin between the Council of Europe and the OSCE, on one hand, and the European Union, on the other. In Warsaw, the Heads of State and Government hoped to add a political vision to the technical work that is to begin and they chose just the European for it: Jean-Claude Juncker.
Jean-Claude Juncker was personally entrusted by the Forty-Six to draw up a report on the relations between the Council of Europe and the European Council, on the basis of decisions taken during the summit and in view of the importance of the human dimension in European construction. This phrase was added to the text of the statement on Monday evening at a proposal from Poland, and very rapidly gained consensus. It even received immediate support from the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, who said during a press conference, moreover, that Russia was pleased with the content and the way documents for the summit had been prepared. On Tuesday morning, the Luxembourg prime minister accepted the mission, stating that, in his view, it is mainly a question of highlighting the specific nature of each party and of putting an end to the “stupid rivalry” between the EU and the Council of Europe. Jean-Claude Juncker is well qualified for putting things “in order” and reducing duplication. He has the longest experience of both organisations and, as he admits himself, he has “a special relationship” with the Council of Europe that he did not, however, wish to describe as “erotic”. Although the current president of the European Council is willing to fulfil this mission - which, according to one diplomat, should last between nine and twelve months - he warned his colleagues that he can only take on the task if EU finance ministers have correctly done their work on the Union's financial perspectives.
On Monday morning, Jean-Claude Juncker, who spoke first of all on behalf of the Union Presidency, stressed the importance of complementarity and partnership between the two organisations. He went on to explain that it will in future be necessary for each organisation to respect the other's strong points and for the “transformation of the observatory on racist phenomena in Vienna to respect this principle”. On a more timid note, Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Tuesday that the “use of all possible synergies will be a basis for the establishment of the EU future FRA”. Benita Ferrero-Waldner and the French foreign minister, Michel Barnier, had also pressed on Monday in favour of complementarity and synergies that should, in future, allow the know-how of the Council of Europe and the budgetary means of the European Union to be brought together.
Partnership and complementarity are also the key words in the guidelines adopted by the Council of Europe and the EU for improving cooperation between them. The text provides among other things for increased legal cooperation as well as the Council of Europe's support and recommendations to the EU in its fields of excellence. Both organisations should also endeavour to set in place common activities as soon as these represent added value. They should be consulted on a regular basis at every level. The presence of the EU should be strengthened by the establishment, as soon as possible, of a permanent office at the Council of Europe.
Furthermore, the Slovene foreign minister and president-in-office of the OSCE, Dimitrij Rupel, and the Polish foreign minister and chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Adam Daniel Rotfeld, signed a declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two organisations in fields of common interest. This work of coordination should begin with activities relating to counter-terrorism, the protection of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, the fight against people trafficking, and the promotion of tolerance and non-discrimination.