The Week Ahead: Key Events and Meetings

On the occasion of the Latvian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, a conference on the adequate criminal justice response to offences relating to cultural property will be organised. The conference aims at advancing the fight against offences related to cultural property by promoting the Nicosia Convention and increasing the visibility of the work being done by the Council of Europe in this field.

Its main objectives are to encourage states to sign and ratify the Nicosia Convention, share the views, concerns and approaches of the different stakeholders that participate in the fight against illicit trafficking and destruction of cultural property, discuss the benefits and challenges in ratifying the Nicosia Convention and to highlight the importance of national and international co-operation.

The conference will bring together representatives from international organisations, relevant national authorities and experts with the aim to improve international co-operation and thus provide an ever-growing level of protection to the world’s cultural heritage.

More information - Programme - Contact: Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 6 08 46 01 57

Meeting in plenary session, the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) will intend to adopt a new tool designed to help countries reduce the backlog of court cases, a frequent problem encountered by many states and highly prejudicial to the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time. The meeting will also be an opportunity for the CEPEJ to present the Resource Center on Artificial Intelligence and Cyberjustice, adopt guidelines on electronic judicial auctions, adopt its 2022 activity report and to discuss ongoing work in its various working groups, concerning for example the management of judicial time, the evaluation of the performance of judges, access to justice for vulnerable persons or the implementation of the principles of the European Charter of Ethics on the use of artificial intelligence.

More information - Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 6 08 46 01 57

9-12 June, Montenegro

A 22-member Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) delegation, led by Reinhold Lopatka, will observe the conduct of the early parliamentary elections, alongside observers from the European Parliament and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The delegation will meet representatives of political parties and coalitions, the President of the State Election Commission, as well as representatives of civil society and the media, before observing the ballot on 11 June.

A joint press conference is scheduled in Podgorica on Monday 12 June 2.30 pm in the Ramada hotel in Podgorica.

More information - Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93

12, 13 and 14 June, Strasbourg

The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking of Human Beings (GRETA) will publish its third monitoring reports on Spain (12 June), Slovenia (13 June) and Serbia (14 June) focusing on justice and effective remedies for victims of trafficking in human beings.

On 14 June, GRETA will publish its annual report for 2022.

Contacts: (Spain) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Serbia and Slovenia) Tatiana Baeva, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41 ; (GRETA) Andrew Cutting, tél. +32 485 21 72 02

12-14 June, Strasbourg (Palais de l’Europe, Room 1)

Two hundred political science students will be taking part in the Council of Europe’s first negotiation simulation (CoEMoN!), a role-playing game in which they will work as a team to defend the positions of a parliamentarian or a member state on a predetermined negotiation topic with the aim of achieving the adoption of a text on the subject.

Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will take part in the closing ceremony of the event, organised in co-operation with the Permanent Representation of France, the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly.

Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 6 08 46 01 57

13 June, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 16 judgments concerning Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Switzerland and Türkiye.

More information – ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

13 and 14 June, Strasbourg

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) will publish a follow-up report on Estonia assessing its progress in implementing the 15 recommendations issued to the country in an evaluation report adopted in 2018 on the promotion of integrity among persons with top executive functions in the central government and as regards the police (13 June).

It will also publish a follow-up report on Andorra assessing its progress in implementing the 13 recommendations contained in an evaluation report adopted in 2017 on the prevention of corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors (14 June).

Contacts: (Estonia) Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 6 08 46 01 57; (Andorra) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42

13-15 June, Croatia

A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will carry out a monitoring visit to Zagreb, Čakovec, Varaždinske Toplice and Rakovec to assess the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government in Croatia since the previous monitoring report adopted by the Congress in 2016. During the monitoring visit the rapporteurs on local and regional democracy, Gobnait Ni Mhuımneacaın and Cecilia Dalman Eek will meet with the Croatian authorities at national, regional and local levels.

Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04

15 June, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 23 judgments and/or decisions concerning Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Sweden and Türkiye.

More information – ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

15 June, Strasbourg/Brussels

The Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) will publish its annual report, where it looks at the state of corruption across Europe in 2022, highlighting key trends, giving examples of good practices and providing country-by-country data on the implementation of GRECO recommendations.

Marin Mrčela, GRECO’s President, and its Executive Secretary, Hanne Juncher, will present the report at a hybrid event at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 217 202