The President of the Conference of International NGOs attended on 14 and 15 May 2026 the 135th (ministerial) session of the Committee of Ministers which, inter alia, saw discussions on the New Democratic Pact for Europe (in the light of Secretary General Alain Berset’s new annual report), manipulation of information and foreign interference, the establishment of the special tribunal for Ukraine and the European Convention on Human Rights system in relation to migration. The latter was concluded by the adoption of a political declaration.
President Ermischer reiterated full support for the New Democratic Pact and recommitment to upholding the democratic values and principles on the European continent, as well as for the support to Ukraine. Commenting about the political declaration, he warned against risks that “the emotional theme of migration [be used] as a can opener to rip into the Convention System and the independence of the Court of Human Rights, in fact into the judicial system in general.”
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