In the framework of the Belgian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mister Didier Reynders, met on 18 November in Brussels with the Chair of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Ms. Anne Brasseur.
They discussed the means available to the Council of Europe and in particular to its Parliamentary Assembly to react on the crisis in Europe, especially as concerns the situation in Ukraine and the relation with the Russian Federation.
In a session conducted by the Speaker of the Belgian Senate, Ms. Christine Defraigne, the Belgian Chair of the Committee of Ministers informed the Bureau and the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly on the priorities of the Belgian chairmanship. He stressed the necessity of cooperation between the international organizations in Europe. He underlined the organization of the High Level Conference on the respective responsibilities of the Court and the Member States in the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, in March 2015 in Brussels. Didier Reynders also drew attention on the importance Belgium attaches to the protection of the most vulnerable individuals in societies, e.g. children. An event to prevent hate speech on internet and on social media will enhance Belgium’s policy of preventive diplomacy to prevent mass atrocities.
The results of the actions and events organized by the Belgian chairmanship will be confirmed at the political level at the ministerial session on 19th of May 2015 in Brussels. Also on that occasion the preparation of the Summit of the Council of Europe on "Demcratic Security" will be more clearly defined.