130th session of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Laurent Anselmi took part in the 130^th session of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers on Wednesday 4 November. The session was held via videoconference due to the COVID-19 health crisis in Europe.

Foreign ministers from the Council of Europe’s 47 member states all contributed to the work of this annual ministerial meeting organised by Greece, which currently holds the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. The session was also attended by prominent figures such as the organisation’s Secretary General, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.

Held to coincide with the seventieth anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, the meeting was an opportunity for the foreign ministers to reaffirm their clear commitment to upholding the principles and rights enshrined in the Convention, and their determination to work for a united and mutually supportive Europe in the face of the current shared challenges.

Mr Anselmi discussed the need for collective action to tackle the pandemic, and raised the importance of creating a space of shared values beyond the continent’s borders. In his speech, he noted Monaco’s commitment to the Convention’s system, and reiterated the obligation of states under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights to fully implement its rulings under all circumstances. Finally, he said that a high-level academic symposium on “Monaco and the European Convention on Human Rights” would be organised in the Principality as soon as the health situation permitted. This would be a national celebration of the Convention’s seventieth anniversary.

Also at the session, 43 Council of Europe member states, including Monaco, supported the Athens Declaration by the Greek Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, titled “Effectively responding to a public health crisis in full respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law”. The declaration reiterated member states’ commitment to respecting the European Convention on Human Rights under all circumstances, and to collectively guaranteeing a healthy environment for future generations.

The virtual meeting also focused on adopting four decisions on the importance of multilateralism in the context of COVID-19, the effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights following the Interlaken reform process, the Council of Europe’s policy on neighbouring regions and the human rights situation in parts of Europe affected by conflict and crisis.