Warsaw, 17/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - The mission of the third Summit of the Council of Europe was to redefine the mandate of the pan-European organisation. This objective led some to fear drastic cuts in the activities of the Council of Europe. However, the wish of certain countries of the European Union to focus the organisation's activities on its fields of excellence (human rights, democracy and the rule of law) met with the opposition of others, which wanted to continue cooperation in other areas. The action plan, adopted in Warsaw on Tuesday, looks like an eight-page inventory. If not greatly slimmed-down, the mandate has the merit of extracting certain priorities and consolidating the social pillar of the Council of Europe.
The action plan is based largely around three axes:
1. Promoting human rights, the rule of law and democracy: apart from the need to guarantee the constant efficiency of the Convention on human rights, the action plan provides for the Member States to take measures at national level to a) check the compatibility of the legislation and the internal administrative practice with the Convention, b) improve the efficiency of internal recourse procedures and c) ensure adequate training (launch of a European programme for human rights education for the legal professions). The action plan also refers to: -the Commissioner for Human Rights, whose role is to be stepped up; -the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture; -the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance, whose work is to be coordinated with that of the EU and the OSCE; -the protection of minorities; -the action plan adopted in Kiev to promote freedom of expression; -gender equality; -the work of the Venice Commission for Democracy through Law; -the extension of the role of the Council of Europe's Development Bank (training of magistrates and administrators, infrastructures and public services).
2. Boosting the safety of European citizens. This chapter covers the fight against terrorism, corruption and organised crime, trafficking in human beings, violence against women, cybercrime, and the promotion of ethics in biomedicines and sustainable development.
3. Building a more humane and inclusive Europe: “We are determined to build cohesive societies by ensuring fair access to social rights, fighting exclusion and protecting vulnerable social groups. We acknowledge the importance of the European Social Charter in this area and support current efforts to increase its impact on the framing of our social policies. We are resolved to strengthen the cohesion of our societies in its social, educational, health and cultural dimensions”, reads the Warsaw Declaration. This translates into the action plan by the willingness to “define jointly remedies and solutions which may help in the fight against poverty and exclusion”. The Committee of Ministers is tasked with appointing a high-level “task force” to review the Council of Europe's social cohesion strategy. “We agreed that the protection of health as a social right is an essential condition of social cohesion and economic stability. We support the implementation of the integrated strategic approach of the Council of Europe in terms of health and related activities. In particular, work on fair access to appropriate and quality healthcare and service which fulfil the needs of the populations of our Member States will be stepped up. Identifying healthcare norms based around patient well-being will be a main component of this activity”, the action plan indicates. In this chapter, the Heads of State and Government also stress the need to: -fight all forms of exclusion and insecurity, which the Roma communities are victim to in Europe; -promote the rights of the child and the fight against they various forms of violence they are prey to (with the launch of a three-yearly action programme); -step up all possibilities of training for teachers in the fields of education and democratic citizenship, human rights, history and inter-cultural education; -promote youth mobility; -take measures to support diversity and artistic creativeness; -promote intercultural dialogue (with particular support for the Council of Europe's work teaching history and the launch of new dialogue between Europe and its neighbouring regions: the southern shore of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia); -promote sport; -continue actions on the management of migratory flows, together with the European Union.
The Portuguese Prime Minister José Socrates voiced the strongest support for the consolidation of social cohesion in Europe. “For us, cohesion is a fundamental aspect of our economic and social growth. It is a symbol of European solidarity”, he said. “Not many people know this, but in many cases, it is thanks to the Council of Europe that the central issues of our societies can make progress”, observed French foreign minister Michel Barnier, referring to biomedicine, cultural diversity, living environments, development thanks to the Council Bank, the fight against cybercrime, racism and xenophobia and the trafficking in human beings. Prince Albert II of Monaco jointed other speakers in highlighting various aspects of the action plan, particularly cultural cooperation and the protection of natural marine environments.