Council of Europe
The Council of Europe (CoE) has its Headquarters in Strasbourg, France. It is the oldest European political organisation (established by the Treaty of London on 5.5.1949) and its mandate is based on three pillars: Democracy, the Rule of Law and Human Rights. The Council of Europe's (CoE) mission is to "… achieve a greater unity between its members for the purpose of safeguarding and realizing the ideals and principles which are their common heritage and facilitating their economic and social progress." The Organization’s founding members are Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, and Italy. Currently, it comprises 46 members (the Russian Federation was expelled in 2022 due to its military invasion of Ukraine), while the Holy See, the United States of America, Japan, Canada, and Mexico have been granted observer status. Moreover, Israel, Canada, and Mexico have been granted observer status within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council.
The primary legally binding instrument of the Council of Europe (CoE) is the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), signed in 1950, to which its members (including the 27 EU member states and the United Kingdom) are signatories. Its significance remains pivotal even today; it serves as a standard of reference in the field of human rights’ protection and their legal safeguarding. The European Court of Human Rights monitors the implementation of the ECHR's provisions by its members through the examination of individual or State applications. The European Court of Human Rights is a significant institution that has given the Council of Europe a prominent role as a human rights protection Organization in the European continent, a role that is expected to be further enhanced when the EU accedes to the ECHR (relevant negotiations are nearing completion).
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) - European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
Undoubtedly, the most significant contribution of the CoE in the field of human rights protection is the European Convention on Human Rights, which was adopted in 1950 and entered into force in 1953. Greece ratified it in 1974. The Convention sets out a number of human rights that member states are legally obligated to guarantee to all persons within their jurisdiction. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), charged with ensuring respect for the obligations of the member states under the Convention, is the most important judicial mechanism for the protection of human rights internationally because of its jurisprudence, which allows for both State and individual applications, provided relevant conditions are met.
Moreover, Greece has an active presence within the Council of Europe’s institutions. In particular:
• The Greek Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), headed by MP Dora Bakoyannis, consists of seven full and six alternate members.
• Ms. Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis was elected Secretary General of the PACE in January 2021; the first woman in the history of the CoE to hold this position.
• The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities includes seven Greek representatives and an equal number of alternates.
• Mr. Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, Professor of Law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and former Greek Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, was elected President of the Court on April 1, 2019. His term in office expired on 17.5.2020.
• Greece is represented in the European Commission for Democracy through Law (the Venice Commission), an independent body of the CoE, by Mr. Nikos Alivizatos, Professor Emeritus of Constitutional Law, while the position of alternate member is held by Mr. Panagiotis Vogiatzis.
• On June 20, 2023, Ms. Maria-Adriani Kostopoulou was elected Chairperson of the Group of Experts on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence - GREVIO).
• Ms. Maria-Daniella Marouda, Assistant Professor of International Law at Panteion University, has served as Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) since January 2020.
• Greece is also a member of the CoE North-South Centre's Executive Committee.
• In January 2024, Mr. Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/DC) was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), taking over from Mr. Tiny Kox (Netherlands, UEL). He is the first Greek national to hold this office.
Greek Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE (May-November 2020)
France held the six-month rotating Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) from May to November 2019 and Georgia from November 2019 to May 2020, with Greece taking over in May - November 2020.
The annual CoE Ministerial Meeting is held in mid-May in the country holding the Presidency for the November-May semester. In 2020, Georgia requested that it be held in Strasbourg on May 15 of that year.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 130th Annual Ministerial Meeting was postponed and was organized during the Greek Presidency. It was held online (e-chairmanship), together with the Presidency's main event, a celebratory meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states of the Council of Europe on 4.11.2020, on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights (Rome, 4.11.1950). This event had two goals: to highlight the significance of the ECHR for the protection of human rights in Europe, as well as to emphasize Greece’s commitment to the fundamental principles and values of Democracy, Peace, Cooperation, Solidarity and Human Dignity, even when confronted with pandemic crises.
In light of the above, considering that the CoE had to prioritize the unprecedented challenge posed by the pandemic to our culture and our way of life, the central theme of the Greek Presidency was "the protection of human life and public health in pandemic conditions and the effective management of a health crisis with full respect for human rights and the principles of Democracy and the Rule of Law".
In this regard, the thematic priorities of the Greek Presidency were: a) the impact of the pandemic on society, democracy and the economy; b) lessons learned from handling the pandemic and good practices that relate to crisis management; c) compatibility prerequisites between preventive measures designed to protect public health and the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
It should be noted that the Greek Presidency supported the prospect of the European Union's accession to the ECHR in order to ensure greater consistency in the protection of human rights in Europe; moreover, following the Interlaken Process, it aimed to renew the political commitment necessary for reaffirming the decisive role of the system of the European Convention on Human Rights. Furthermore, a theme relating to the "Independence of Justice and the Rule of Law" was designated a top priority for the Greek Presidency. A Special Conference of the Ministers of Justice from the CoE’s member states was convened on this issue.
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