Greece assumes Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (15 May 2020)

At 12 noon tomorrow, Friday, 15 May 2020, Greece assumes the six-month Chairmanship of the Council of Europe, taking over from Georgia.

The handover ceremony will take place on line, due to conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Also to participate in the video conference are the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, David Zalkaliani, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Rik Daems, the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Linos-Alexandre Sicilianos, the Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, the Permanent Representatives of the 47 member states to the Council of Europe, and the Presidents of other Council of Europe institutions, such as the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations.

At the video conference, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, whose portfolio includes European Union and Council of Europe affairs, will, as new Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, present the priorities of the Greek Chairmanship. The central theme of the Greek Chairmanship is “Protection of human life and public health in the context of a pandemic – Effectively responding to a health crisis with full respect for human rights, the principles of democracy and the rule of law.”

The video conference will be streamed live via the Greek Chairmanship’s official website, https://coegreekchairmanship2020.gov.gr/?lang=en, and via the Greek Chairmanship’s official channels on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.