Turkey to push for reform of the Council of Europe

Author: Cillian Donnelly

14 November 2010 – Issue : 911

Turkey has vowed to continue the reform agenda of the Council of Europe (CoE) as it takes over the six-month chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers.

Turkey took over the chairmanship of the Committee, the decision-making body of the 47-member organisation based in Strasbourg, on 10 November. Speaking on the occasion of his country’s taking over the position, which will last until 11 May,  Ambassador Daryal Batıbay, the Permanent Representative of Turkey to the CoE, said that Turkey would continue the reform agenda outlined by CoE Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland.

“His reform agenda seeks to make the organisation politically more visible and relevant”, sais Batibay. “The Turkish chairmanship fully shares this objectives. The first priority of the Turkish chairmanship will be to support the reform agenda of the organisation”.

Batibay said that he felt the Council of Europe has “been overshadowed” by the other EU institutions. Outlining the key Turkish priorities for the next six months, he said that “greater political commitment” was needed on behalf of its members to make the Council more relevant.

Other areas that Turkey will focus on will be reforming the European Court on Human Rights, including improving the “quality and coherence” of judgements and the efficiency of their implementation.

The EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights will also be a priority. “With the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the accession of the the European Union to the Convention on Human Rights has moved to the forefront of the European political agenda”, said Batibay. “EU accession will achieve a coherent system of fundamental rights protection across Europe”.

“Accession to the Convention will give a strong political signal of coherence between the EU and wider Europe. It will further result in all European legal systems being subject to the same protection of human rights”.

Other priorities include strengthening the Council’s monitoring mechanisms, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, as well as supporting the work of the Turkish-initiated Group of Eminent Persons, the body set up to study the causes of intolerance and discrimination in Europe led by Joschka Fischer.

“To make headway in this agenda requires the co-operation and support of all the member states”, concluded  Ambassador  Batıbay. “It is the hope of the Turkish chairmanship that the member states will make the political commitment which will maintain the Council of Europe as a relevant actor in the European political scene”.

via Turkey to push for reform of the Council of Europe – New Europe.