The Council of Europe and the European Commission have signed a new cooperation agreement to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law in six Eastern European countries.
The agreement, which is worth €33.8 million and covers the period 2015-2017, will fund joint programmes in countries covered by the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme – namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
It was signed in Brussels on Thursday 18 December by the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, and Director Michael Köhler on behalf of the European Commission.
The agreement forms part of a new strategic framework for cooperation agreed by the Council of Europe and the European Commission in April 2014. The significant increase in funding reflects the positive results which have been achieved through such programmes in recent years.