Today, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe announced to the Committee of Ministers the withdrawal of the contingency plan that had been drawn up to compensate for possible failure of the Russian Federation to pay its outstanding contributions to the Organisation’s budget.

The payment by the Russian Federation of its 2019 contribution is the direct result of the decision taken by the Parliamentary Assembly last week to clarify its rules to ensure that member states’ right and obligation to be represented and to participate in both statutory bodies of the Council of Europe was respected. Even during this difficult political debate, the crucial role of all-European youth co-operation, involving young people from all member states and beyond, was underlined by several parliamentarians.

The decision marks the end to several months of concerns about the future of the Council of Europe youth sector expressed by many partners and stakeholders.

The Head of the Youth Department, Antje Rothemund, on behalf of the entire staff, expressed her sincere gratitude for the unwavering support that had been given to the youth sector during the past months from so many different quarters, proof of the relevance of the work of the youth sector and the commitment of its co-managed statutory bodies.