The Secretary General was in Brussels for meetings with high-level representatives of the European Union and the Belgian authorities.

Topics for discussion with the First Vice President of the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, include the state of human rights and democracy in Europe, the EU’s rule of law framework and the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Secretary General also discussed political and technical cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union with EU Commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Johannes Hahn.

Mr Jagland had a trilateral meeting with Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. They agreed to intensify their cooperation on issues of common concern, regarding in particular the crisis in Ukraine.

Press release