President of France, François Hollande, personally awarded Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland the title of Commander of the National Order of the Legion of Honour in a ceremony at the Élysée Palace on Monday 28 October.

This honour acknowledges Mr Jagland for his "tireless commitment to the European continent and the universal values it represents".

Following the ceremony, the Secretary General was invited to a working lunch by Elisabeth Guigou, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly. The discussion with members of the Committee focused on the state of human rights in Europe, freedom of expression and assembly, minority rights and EU accession to the European Convention of Human Rights.

France and the Council of Europe