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Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Ambassador Galli,
Excellencies, colleagues,

Čestitam Dan državnosti.
This Saturday, Croatia marks thirty-five years of independence.

Independence it defended at a great cost.

Five years later, Croatia was signing the European Convention on Human Rights.

It did it at the first possible moment, placing power under the authority of law, a choice that is becoming harder to make and even harder to defend.

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That journey — from Vukovar to the Convention, from candidate to member of the Council of Europe — brought Croatia into our common legal space.

This space has grown over almost eight decades to include forty-six countries.

Its premise is simple: shared rules are stronger than any state acting alone.

Where the Council of Europe’s common legal space holds, security and stability follow.

***

This was on display in Chişinău two weeks ago.

On Ukraine, on accountability, on disinformation, on migration, the ministers gave the same answer: power must be placed under the authority of law.

They showed that our common legal space is built one decision at a time.

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I want to take this opportunity to commend Croatia for its decision to join the Special Tribunal early.

Once a victim of a brutal war itself, Croatia did not hesitate.

And when its neighbours face the difficult reforms and hard compromises that integration demands, Croatia does not hesitate there either.

It stands with the countries of the Western Balkans, ready to share its experience and serve as an example.

The Council of Europe stands with these countries too.

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I just concluded a series of visits to North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Each visit a conversation about reforms, about the rule of law, about what this common legal space truly demands — and what it delivers.

We are committed to convening a regional summit to give this region the attention it deserves.

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In a Europe in a world order in rupture, the Western Balkans is part of that answer.

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I will leave you with the words of Toni Kukoč, one of the greatest basketball players Croatia has ever produced.

He said: “One score makes happy one player, one assist makes happy two.”

Thirty-five years in, Croatia still knows the value of the assist.

Čestitam Dan državnosti. Thank you.