Strasbourg, 23 January 2012 - In his State of the Council of Europe speech to the Parliamentary Assembly today, Secretary General pointed to key achievements in 2011 and challenges facing the Organisation in 2012 and beyond. He said that reforms have made the Council of Europe flexible and reactive, able to offer assistance where and when it is needed, and that its convention based and non-politicised approach is the only way to help member states move forward. (more...)
Speech
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Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle today signed a € 4.8 million joint programme to strengthen democratic reform in the Southern Mediterranean countries. The joint programme will support democratic reforms and, the independence and efficiency of the judiciary, whilst promoting good governance. It will also target corruption and human trafficking and aim to promote human rights and democratic values, working through government officials, future leaders, youth and civil society. It will be rolled out initially in Morocco and Tunisia, and some initiatives will be implemented over three years throughout the region. “The partnership with the European Union, enables us to combine our strengths in this important mission, and will benefit the neighbourhood countries with the expertise of the Council of Europe in supporting political and democratic transformation,” said Secretary General Jagland. (more...)

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, welcomes the democratic reforms announced by President Medvedev and offers assistance with their implementation. "The measures announced by President Medvedev are important steps towards strengthening Russian democracy. The proposals to simplify rules to register political parties and reintroduce direct elections of regional leaders correspond to the commitments Russia made when joining the Council of Europe," he said. (more...)
Russia and Council of Europe

"Without people like Vaclav Havel, Europe today would be a very different place. As an author, dissident and statesman he always remained faithful to the values of a free and tolerant society. He did not only believe in these principles, he fought for them and made them happen. On this very sad day I should like to express my deepest respect for his artistic and political legacy. My thoughts are with his wife and family, and I should like to express my deepest condolence to the people of the Czech Republic. Today Europe mourns one of its giants."

Ahead of International Human Rights Day, Thorbjørn Jagland warned that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Europeans continue to face discrimination in many parts of the continent.

“Homosexuality has been decriminalised all over Europe, but prejudice and hypocrisy still exist towards LGBT persons in Europe. Recently, discriminatory laws have been proposed or even adopted, in member states such as in Lithuania, Ukraine and in some regions of the Russian Federation. This is a violation of basic human rights and a set back to the progress we have achieved in promoting and protecting human dignity,” he said.

“European governments as well as political and moral leaders know that the European Convention on Human Rights does not allow for persecution on the grounds of sexual identity. My message on this year’s International Human Rights Day is to always remember this, and to bear in mind that human rights are for all or they are for none.”
Press release

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland today made the following statement: “I urge the Belarus authorities not to carry out the death sentences pronounced today against Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavalyou. The crime they were found guilty of was barbaric, but their punishment should not be the same. Belarus is the only country in Europe which still executes people and I would urge the authorities to introduce an immediate moratorium with a view to its ultimate abolition. The victims of the 11 April attack and their families deserve justive, not revenge".
Press release

“Religion can be a powerful and positive force for social cohesion, allowing communities of different origins to work for the common good, in line with their belief”, said Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, during his opening speech at the Abbaye de Neumunster in Luxembourg. The event, organised by the Committee of Ministers, at the invitation of the Luxembourg government, gathers representatives of religious communities, together with media professionals as well as experts, academics, NGOs operators, and representatives of international organisations.. (more...)

Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé for bilateral consultations on Wednesday in Paris. Topics of discussion included the reform of the European Court of Human Rights, the developments to southern Mediterranean countries and the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights. 
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
France and the Council of Europe
European Court of Human Rights
EU accession to European Convention on Human Rights
Council of Europe and Arab Spring

By invitation of the Turkish Ministry of Justice the Secretary General participated in a conference entitled "Case Law of the European Court of Human Rights concerning Turkey: Difficulties and Suggestions for Solutions". The conference addressed a range of issues including the high number of cases pending against Turkey at the European Court of Human Rights concerning freedom of expression. Jagland told journalists: “Media freedom is evidently a problem. The situation gives rise to concern. But I have witnessed today the strong political will in Turkey to address the issue by changing legislation and practice. I welcome the government's constructive approach". The Secretary General met Prime Minister Erdogan for bilateral consultations after the conference.
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Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland welcomed the participation of non governmental organisations (NGO) from some 40 countries – including North African nations in the midst of the Arab Spring – on how to make the Council of Europe’s Living Together report reality. Over the two day gathering, participants compared efforts to promote diversity and freedom in different countries, although they lamented budget cuts induced by the worsening Euro-crisis and noted examples of increasing discrimination and the rise of the right wing. Mr. Jagland said "civil society groups are among the key players in turning the debate into concrete action."
Speech
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UK Foreign Secretary William Hague today stressed the determination and political commitment of his government to drive forward essential reforms of the Court of Human Rights during the British chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.

Speaking shortly before the official handover from present chair Ukraine, Mr Hague said that human rights were central to UK foreign policy and an overarching theme for the chairmanship. The UK – a founding party to the European Convention on Human Rights - would broker a wide consensus on reform of the Court of Human Rights. (more...)

Priorities of the UK Chairmanship
Committee of Ministers website
Photo Gallery
Press stand-up - video recording

"Europe is a place where nations, cultures and people meet and mix and this constitutes our true identity", has said today Thorbjørn Jagland in a key-note speech at the prestigious Leiden University, during his first official visit to the Netherlands. The Secretary General met with the Prime Minister Mark Rutte, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Uri Rosenthal, with the Minister of Security and Justice, Ivo Willem Opstelten, and with the Minister of Education, Culture & Science, Marja van Bijsterveldt-Vliegenthart. Meetings at the Parliament with the PACE delegation, and at the Senate were also part of the programme.


Talks focused on Human Rights policies, on the reform of the Court, and on the European Union accession to the European Convention of Human Rights. The role of the Council of Europe in the Neighbourhood Policy has also been highlighted.

Speech by Thorbjørn Jagland
The Netherlands and the Council of Europe

In London today for talks with the UK government ahead of its chairmanship of the Council of Europe, the Secretary General met with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. He also met the Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, Foreign Office Minister for Europe, David Lidington and members of the UK delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly.


Discussions concentrated on reform of the European Court of Human Rights which is one of the UK's priorities. The UK takes over the chairmanship for six months on 7 November; the government is due to publish its chairmanship programme tomorrow.

Thorbjørn Jagland welcomed participants in the Lipetsk-Strasbourg international cycle race this afternoon at the finish line in Strasbourg, as they arrived from their 3500 km race from Russia, across Belarus, Poland and Germany. The Secretary General described the event, labelled "Europe without barriers and borders!” as “a test of outstanding determination and enormous courage”. (more...)

“Countries are running a high risk of seriously undermining the European model of social cohesion”, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland warned when talking about the present financial crisis in his address to the Forum for the Future of Democracy on 13 October . He also stressed that the Council of Europe can make an important contribution to issues of social cohesion in a social rights and human rights perspective, in particular relating to youth, ageing, inter-generational solidarity, migration, education and the fight against extremism and hate speech.

The Forum for the Future of Democracy, which took place on 13 and 14 October in Limassol, focused on the close connection between democracy and social cohesion, with involment of countries from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region.
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Forum for the Future of Democracy 2011

Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is making his first official visit to Astana for meetings with the President of Kazakhstan, the Speaker of the Majilis (Lower House) of the Parliament, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Prosecutor General, Foreign Minister as well as other Ministers. The visit provided a good opportunity to give a new impetus to the relations between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe, intensifying the mutual relationship beyond the already fruitful cooperation and institutional relations with the PACE and the Venice Commission towards a more advanced cooperation in a number of areas mutually agreed by the two sides. (more...)

Speech by Secretary General at the Nazarbayev University, Astana, 11 October 2011

Reacting to the verdict in the trial against the former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland said:

“In a democracy, judgment about political decisions should be left to the parliament and to voters, not to courts. I hope that the recently proposed changes to the criminal code in Ukraine will make such trials impossible in the future."
 Press release
Ukraine and the Council of Europe
Read also: Assembly co-rapporteurs express concern at Tymoshenko sentence

In a letter to the Serbian President Boris Tadic, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, requests clarification on what measures the Serbian authorities are planning to undertake to guarantee the freedom of assembly and association for all groups of society.

- Letter to the Serbian President Boris Tadic

In New York this week to attend the UN General Assembly, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland discussed the Palestinian membership bid with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, who will address the Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg in two weeks. (more...)
Speech - Ministerial Meeting of the "Group of Friends" - Alliance of Civilizations

"As Secretary General of the Council of Europe I appeal to the competent US authorities to find a way to spare the life of Troy Davis, scheduled to be executed tomorrow. The reason is not only our disagreement over capital punishment, but first and foremost the serious doubts which persist about the integrity of the conviction. I hope this appeal will not be perceived as outside interference. Europe is a close ally and a friend of the United States of America, and at moments like this true friends are the ones who speak out, with the respect and honesty that our relationship deserves, " said Jagland.

“I strongly condemn the terrorist attacks in Ankara and Siirt yesterday. Terrorism is a crime. It's an attack on our common values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. We must combine our efforts to bring an end to these acts of violence",  declared Thorbjørn Jagland.
Press release

Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, is today making his first official visit to Warsaw for meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, the Minister of Justice, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, and the Speaker of the Sejm, Grzegorz Schetyna.

Mr Jagland will also attend the conference on the role of the Council of Europe and the European Union with regard to the current global challenges. The conference is organised jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland and the Council of Europe Office in Warsaw to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Poland's membership in the Council of Europe.

See also:
Speech
Council of Europe - European Union facing the challenges of the contemporary world
Website of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the Council of Europe
Poland and the Council of Europe

''The use of death penalty bears the risk of making an irrepairable mistake'', Thorbjørn Jagland expressed his concern about the pending execution of Troy Davis in Georgia, USA. In his letter to the Chairman of the State of Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, he asks to stop the execution of Mr Troy and grant him clemency. Secretary General stresses the Council of Europe’s unequivocal opposition to death penalty. (more…)
See also:
Letter by Bianca Jagger to Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles
Council of Europe is death penalty free area

Yesterday the Secretary General received the French Minister responsible for European Affairs, Jean Leonetti. On that occasion the Minister confirmed France’s undertaking to support the organisation in Strasbourg of an International Forum for Democracy to be held in October 2012. France will contribute to the event at the rate of 50 000 euros. (more...)
See Secretary General's photo gallery

Further to his letter addressed to Prime Minister Berisha on 10 June, Thorbjørn Jagland has now written to the President of the Venice Commission requesting an opinion on possible improvements to be made to the Albanian electoral legislation. This would involve a visit to Albania during the autumn, in view of the adoption of the opinion in December.
Letter to the President of the Venice Commission
Letter to Prime Minister Berisha
Albania and the Council of Europe