News 2011
Secretary General meets EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton
In the framework of Council of Europe - European Union relations, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland met today in Strasbourg the European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. As part of their regular consultations, the meeting took place on the...
Thorbjørn Jagland: ''The great European project cannot go forward without the Council of Europe''
In his speech to the parliamentary Assembly on 24 January, the Secretary General highlighted the pivotal role of the Council of Europe and the relevance of its ongoing reform, aiming at political action on a pan-European level. ''A cold wind is blowing over Europe'', he said. ''Our mandate is to...
Secretary General visits Romania and Bulgaria, 21-23 February 2011
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is looking forward to strengthened cooperation with Romania and Bulgaria following his talks with senior government officials in both countries. During his visit to Romania on 21 and 22 February, the Secretary General urged the Romanian authorities to find a...
Shared social responsibility: creating vision and rebuilding confidence in future
“Europe has one common identity, the one enshrined in the European Convention of Human Rights, which remains a fundamental cornerstone of Europe, forming our democracy, developing our societies”, said Thorbjørn Jagland on 1 March in Brussels at conference “Shared social responsibility”, in which...
High Level Meeting Council of Europe – European Union
Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland and the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, met today in Brussels with EU Vice-President and High Representative Catherine Ashton. The meeting focused on recent...
Secretary General meets Italian Minister of Justice Alfano
Thorbjørn Jagland met on 8 March in Strasbourg with Italian Minister of Justice Angelino Alfano. The meeting focused on the Reform of the Council of Europe and on the European Union accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. In relation to recent developments in the southern...
Council of Europe now has greater relevance - fewer activities, more action to follow
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland called on Delegates to the Assembly to play their part in the Council of Europe’s political reform to make the whole Organisation more politically relevant, effective and influential. He said that the Organisation was now quicker and more focused in its...
Council of Europe hosts special UN Security Council meeting on terrorism
Aimed at speeding up international efforts to fight terrorism, the three-day meeting will bring together international, regional and subregional organisations, on 19-21 April in Strasbourg. Chairman of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, Hardeep Singh Puri, and Council of Europe...
Secretary General Jagland calls for important change to Russian legal system
In his speech to the First Petersburg International Legal Forum, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland called for an important reform of the Russian legal system. "A large part of cases concerning Russia which are before the European Court of Human Rights are appeals to decisions taken by the...
Thorbjørn Jagland meets UK Foreign Secretary William Hague
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today met with UK Foreign Secretary William Hague at the Foreign Office in London. Mr Hague and Mr Jagland agreed on the need for reform of the Council of Europe, and in particular reform of the European Court of Human Rights, which will be a priority of the UK...
European Broadcasting Union and Council of Europe join forces to promote media freedom and pluralism
Today the Council of Europe and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn. The Memorandum of Understanding defines shared objectives and values, in particular the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy...
Thorbjørn Jagland meets Jean Leonetti
Yesterday the Secretary General received the French Minister responsible for European Affairs, Jean Leonetti. On that occasion the Minister confirmed France's undertaking to support the organisation in Strasbourg of an International Forum for Democracy to be held in October 2012. France will...
Jagland makes first official visit to Poland Warsaw
Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, is today making his first official visit to Warsaw for meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski, the Minister of Justice, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski, and the Speaker of the Sejm, Grzegorz Schetyna. Mr Jagland will also attend the conference...
Secretary General meets Mahmoud Abbas
In New York this week to attend the UN General Assembly, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland discussed the Palestinian membership bid with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, who will address the Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg in two weeks....
Secretary General makes first official visit to Kazakhstan
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is making his first official visit to Astana for meetings with the President of Kazakhstan, the Speaker of the Majilis (Lower House) of the Parliament, Secretary of State, Chairman of the Constitutional Council, Prosecutor General, Foreign Minister as well as...
Jagland addresses Forum for Future of Democracy
"Countries are running a high risk of seriously undermining the European model of social cohesion", Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland warned when talking about the present financial crisis in his address to the Forum for the Future of Democracy on 13 October . He also stressed that the Council...
Secretary General greets sportsmen with disabilities
Thorbjørn Jagland welcomed participants in the Lipetsk-Strasbourg international cycle race this afternoon at the finish line in Strasbourg, as they arrived from their 3500 km race from Russia, across Belarus, Poland and Germany. The Secretary General described the event, labelled "Europe without...
Secretary General in London ahead of UK chairmanship
In London today for talks with the UK government ahead of its chairmanship of the Council of Europe, the Secretary General met with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. He also met the Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, Foreign Office Minister for Europe, David Lidington and members of...
Secretary General makes first official visit to Netherlands
"Europe is a place where nations, cultures and people meet and mix and this constitutes our true identity", has said today Thorbjørn Jagland in a key-note speech at the prestigious Leiden University, during his first official visit to the Netherlands. The Secretary General met with the Prime...
Human rights overarching theme for UK Chairmanship
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague today stressed the determination and political commitment of his government to drive forward essential reforms of the Court of Human Rights during the British chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers. Speaking shortly before the official...
