Check against delivery - Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

OSCE Secretary General, Feridun Sinirlioğlu,
Madame Chair of the Permanent Council, Deputy Permanent Representative of Finland to the OSCE, Mari Neuvonen
Ambassadors, Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for the invitation.

It is an honour to address the OSCE Permanent Council.

The Council of Europe was created to ensure that peace in Europe rests on strong democratic institutions, respect for human rights and the rule of law.
These remain the cornerstones of our mission — and of the partnership we share with the OSCE.

INTRODUCTION

You recently celebrated fifty years since the Helsinki Final Act.

In just a few days, we will mark seventy-five years of the European Convention on Human Rights.

It reminds us of the importance of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The other makes those same rights binding in law.

Both have stood the test of time.

Not because history has been kind to them.

But because the values and principles they defend continue to hold firm.

RETHINKING SECURITY

But for how much longer?

Everywhere we look, the warning signs are impossible to ignore.

The war in Ukraine is driving impunity.

Disinformation poisons the democratic debate.

Airspace violations disrupt our skies.

Foreign influence laws are shrinking civic space.

Ethnic tensions flare.

Protests erupt in clashes.

Opposition leaders sit in prison.

We see public attacks on judges and elected officials.

And climate change and artificial intelligence add more uncertainty.

Each tests our institutions and our capacity to act in time.

Each one demands that we rethink what we mean by security.
 

EUROPE’S Militarisation

The war in Ukraine and the transatlantic tensions are driving rearmament.

These massive investments are legitimate.

In parallel, we are witnessing democracies decline.

We could soon face a continent with stronger militaries but weaker democracies.

Then what will happen when extremist groups take power because democratic institutions have failed?

How will they use these weapons?

And against whom?

What kind of stability will it bring if we continue down this path?

In five, ten years?
 

BUILDING DEMOCRATIC SECURITY

What Europe needs is a security architecture that protects institutions, rights, and freedoms.

Real security means resilient institutions people can trust, laws that apply equally to everyone and the kind of stability that allows democracy to grow.

As the challenges facing our societies evolve, it also means addressing issues like migration, cybersecurity, terrorism, human trafficking, and more.

And that is only possible when we transcend the old traditional divide between “hard” or “soft” security.

Add a democratic dimension to our understanding of security.

And start thinking in terms of democratic security.

IN UKRAINE AND BEYOND

And this is all around us.

In Ukraine, where the Council of Europe supports accountability.

Consider the Register of Damage and the European Court of Human Rights.

Think of our initiatives to ensure that damage is actually compensated and the crime of aggression met with justice.

Each is a building block of democratic security.

Reconstruction will require more than rebuilding cities.

It will mean rebuilding trust through justice, reform, and the rule of law.

That is how Ukraine’s recovery becomes Europe’s security.

We also see it in the Republic of Moldova, where resilience against disinformation protects democratic choice itself.

And in the South Caucasus, where Armenia and Azerbaijan are working to turn dialogue into peace.
 

SHAPING A NEW DEMOCRATIC PACT FOR EUROPE

Every member State is on its own democratic journey.

Across Europe, a conversation has begun.

Through broad consultations with governments, parliamentarians, experts, international partners, and the public, we are asking a simple but vital question:

How must democracy evolve to meet the technological and geopolitical shifts of our time?

This is the purpose of the New Democratic Pact for Europe — a collective effort to renew the foundations of our democratic life.

The Pact is built on three pillars: education, protection, and innovation.

Next is to turn consultation into action.

And ideas are already emerging.

One is work on a new Council of Europe Convention on countering disinformation and foreign interference.

We cannot afford to wait.

The Pact is moving forward — and I hope the OSCE will move with it.

RENEWING MULTILATERALISM

The Council of Europe and the OSCE complete each other.

Together, we can address threats no country can face alone.

Multilateralism is in crisis.

But this is precisely when we need it most.

Together, we can prove that cooperation still works.

In human trafficking, terrorism, cyberattacks, the misuse of AI.

Wherever Europe’s security is at stake.

CONCLUSION

As Europe builds a new security architecture, we must remember that our strength lies in our fundamental freedoms, trust, and cooperation.

The Council of Europe and the OSCE are peace projects.

Democratic security is our first line of defence.

I want to thank you for your commitment.

And you, Secretary General Sinirlioğlu.

As we work to deepen our partnership for the security of Europe.

Thank you for your attention.