Turkey Announces Priorities As Chair of CoE Committee Of Ministers

Improving the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights and encouraging EU accession to the Human Rights Convention will be at the heart of Turkey’s chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.


The priorities announced today include:

Reform of the Council of Europe: Turkey will support the ambitious reform package presented by the Secretary General, which aims to put the Council of Europe back in a central position on the international scene, as an innovative, flexible, high-profile organisation, capable of adapting to Europe’s changing political landscape.

Reform of the European Court of Human Rights: to secure the long-term effectiveness of the European system for the protection of human rights, Turkey will continue its predecessors’ work, hosting a conference on the reform of the Court following up on the process launched in Interlaken in February 2010.

Strengthening independent monitoring mechanisms: the Turkish Chairmanship will hold seminars, round table meetings and workshops to raise awareness about these tools which make the Council unique. Other European and international partners will be involved to highlight the comparative advantage of the Council’s mechanisms.

EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights: Turkey will encourage all partners to accelerate the accession process and help to identify solutions to any technical problems which may arise.

Meeting the challenges of multicultural societies in Europe : Turkey is convinced that the Council of Europe is the best placed regional and international body to meet the new challenges posed by the resurgence of intolerance and discrimination in Europe. At its instigation, a Group of Eminent Persons has been appointed to open new lines of inquiry and make new proposals on how to “live together.”