Dear Co-chairs,

Honorable Ministers,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, I would like to thank Hungary for the invitation to this 7th Ministerial Conference of the Budapest Process and for their outstanding hospitality, and the secretariat for the perfect organization.

The Council of Europe, which brings together 46 European states representing close to 700 million people, defends and promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

Human rights and the rule of law are central to migration management, and States need to stand firmly by their international commitments for their migration policies to succeed. Close international co-operation is key to successful migration policies. I am happy to see this recognized in the documents adopted today by this Conference.

Effective migration and border protection policies are not incompatible with the protection of the fundamental rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, or with strict observance of the rule of law. This is true under all circumstances, including when dealing with acute challenges, such as surges in the influx of migrants, or their instrumentalization by malevolent states. What is essential however is close cooperation between States and international organizations.

In the European region, the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum stands out as a major endeavor in this regard. Its implementation by national governments, which is currently underway, will need to be carried out with due regard to and in compliance with applicable international law. I would like to mention the Council of Europe standards that are relevant in the context of the implementation of the Pact and that will, I believe, contribute to make it a success.

These standards do include, but are not limited to, the European Convention on Human Rights, the mother of all Council of Europe conventions. The Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, the Convention on Protection of Children Against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, and the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, just to name a few, provide additional standards relevant to migration management, as well as a dedicated framework for international co-operation in their respective fields.

These conventions serve as a basis for the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights, which is binding for Council of Europe member States. In addition, the conventions just mentioned have their own dedicated monitoring mechanisms such as CPT, GRETA, the Lanzarote Committee, and GREVIO.

I am glad to see the relevance of international human rights law clearly reflected in the Budapest Declaration. I am certain that we will be able to build on this consensus going forward. The Council of Europe stands ready to advise and support its member States in this regard and is happy to contribute to the important work of the Budapest process.

Thank you.