1037th meeting of the Committee of Ministers – 8 October 2008

At its meeting on 8 October 2008, the Committee of Ministers’ discussions were largely devoted to the continued examination of the consequences of the conflict in Georgia. The Committee heard a report from the Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Thomas Hammarberg, following his visit to the areas affected by the conflict, including Tbilisi, Gori, Tskhinvali and Akhalgori, from 25 to 27 September 2008. The Commissioner provided the Committee with an assessment of the follow-up given so far to the six principles he had formulated for urgent human rights and humanitarian protection. The Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly also presented the Resolution and Recommendation adopted during the last session on the consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia. Following a comprehensive exchange of views, during which support was expressed for the work of the Commissioner and his office, the Committee agreed to return to the matter at its next meeting, focusing on operational activities which could be conducted by the Organisation.

Mr Hammarberg also presented his report on his visit to Montenegro which took place on 2 to 6 June 2008. He indicated that a number of practical recommendations had been included in the report, particularly regarding improvements in relation to the judiciary, police behaviour, media freedom, the treatment of refugees, the integration of the Roma minority, children’s rights and the rights of persons with disabilities.

The Ministers’ Deputies also took decisions relating to the procedures for the election of the Secretary General. In this context, they fixed 6 March 2009 as the closing date for submission of candidates, it being understood that the candidates should comply with the criteria set by the Ministers at their 117th Session. They furthermore agreed to adopt an exact calendar for the next steps of the procedure at one of their forthcoming meetings.

The Deputies took note of and welcomed the 2nd report on the evaluation of European judicial system elaborated by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) and made public on 8 October. The report, comprising data for 45 European states, provides a real snapshot of justice in Europe. The methods developed by the CEPEJ to monitor judicial systems (methods refined from experience of previous evaluation cycles) have collected, processed and analysed thousands of quantitative and qualitative data. The CEPEJ has tried to identify some main European trends and conclusions concerning the application of fundamental principles and European standards in the field of justice.

Report