Information Documents
SG/Com(2010)1080 (restricted)         24 March 2010

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Dialogue with the

Secretary General and the

Deputy Secretary General

at the 1080th meeting of the

Ministers’ Deputies (24 March)

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Dialogue with the Secretary General

1.           Meetings in Strasbourg

Mr Raphaël Alomar, Governor of the Council of Europe Bank

(3 March)

On 3 March I met with Mr Raphaël Alomar, Governor of the Council of Europe Bank.  I had invited the Governor to meet with the aim of continuing the dialogue which we had initiated at our first meeting in Paris, last November.  We discussed inter alia the possible strengthening of Bank support to Council of Europe projects.

Mr Alexandru Tanase, Minister of Justice of Moldova

(16 March)

On 16 March I had a meeting with Mr Alexandru Tanase, Minister of Justice of Moldova. We held an exchange on the recommendations by the Venice Commission; on the current projects which are being implemented by the Council of Europe in Moldova; and about the state of the reforms of the Public Prosecutors' service. The Minister assured me that his government is committed to complying with Council of Europe standards. For my part, I reiterated the Council of Europe’s readiness to assist the Moldovan authorities in their reforms.

Mr Morten Kjaerum, President of the Governing Board of the Fundamental Rights Agency

(17 March)

On 17 March, I met Mr Morten Kjaerum, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). He was accompanied by Ms Ilze Brands-Kehris, the new Chair of the Management Board and Mr Guy de Vel, independent person appointed by the Council of Europe to the FRA governance bodies. We spoke about co-operation between the Council of Europe and FRA and about ways to improve this co-operation even further.

Ambassador Eberhard Koelsch, Vice-Chair of the North-South Centre Executive Council, Chair of the Think-Tank

(17 March)

On 17 March I met Ambassador Eberhard Koelsch, Vice-Chair of the North-South Centre Executive Council.  During this meeting we discussed inter alia the upcoming 20th anniversary ceremony to be held in Lisbon on 18 May, and the newly-created Think Tank which is to assist the Secretariat in preparing and evaluating the Centre's annual programme of activities.

Mr Rainer Steckhan, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Bank

(22 March)

On 22 March I met with Mr Rainer Steckhan, Chairman of the Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Bank, who confirmed the perspective of an increased involvement and co-operation between the CEB and Council of Europe activities which I had earlier this month discussed with the Governor of the Bank.

18th Plenary Session of the Congress

(16-18 March)

I addressed the 18th Plenary Session of the Congress and my speech is available on the Council of Europe web site.  My speech was followed by a Question and Answer Session, and a number of the questions posed by the Congress members focused on my proposals for the Reform of the Council of Europe, but with specific reference to the Congress.  I should like to thank the Congress and its members for the support that they have shown thus far for these proposals.

2.        Official visits / meetings outside Strasbourg

Official contacts – meeting with President Herman von Rompuy

Brussels (2 March)

On 2 March, I paid a visit to Brussels to meet EU President Herman van Rompuy. The meeting was preceded by a working luncheon with key members of the European Parliament dealing with the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights.

I recalled that both the European Union and the Council of Europe play a key role in promoting multilateral co-operation and stability in the larger European area. I underlined the importance of the relationship between the European Union and the Council of Europe to work together with a view to further developing a pan-European legal area, based on the respect of human rights, the rule of law and democracy, which are the shared values of the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Council of Europe has an important role in promoting common European standards and values throughout Europe. President Van Rompuy agreed to the importance of promoting multilateral standards, co-operation and problem-solving.

We discussed the question of the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights which  is currently at the top of the agenda of both our Organisations. President Van Rompuy expressed the wish that the negotiations on accession will go well, and that they would be brought forward speedily. I referred to my recent visits to the Russian Federation and Turkey, and emphasised the important implication of the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights for these countries, as well as the other non-EU member countries of the Council of Europe.

I also referred to the links between the European Convention on Human Rights and other Council of Europe human rights instruments, and suggested that both Organisations should exploit the potential for strengthened co-operation.

Official contacts – High Level 2+2 meeting

Geneva (5 March)

On 5 March I travelled to Geneva for the 2+2 meeting with the OSCE, together with the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Ms Micheline Calmy Rey, and with the participation of Mr Kanat Saudabayev, OSCE Chairman and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, and Mr Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary General of the OSCE. This was a useful opportunity for an exchange on a number of issues of common interest. The order of business, as well as the joint declaration have both been distributed. I met both Mt Saudabayev and Mr Perrin de Brichambaut bilaterally, to discuss ways to further improve the co-operation between OSCE and Council of Europe. I received the invitation by the Chairman-in-Office to attend two events organised in Kazakhstan this year, namely a Ministerial meeting in July and a suggested OSCE Summit in November. The bilateral meeting with the OSCE Secretary General was also an opportunity to discuss ways to reinforce day-to-day communication and co-operation between our two Organisations. We also had a very good, in-depth exchange on the situation in Georgia.

My visit to Geneva also included meetings with Ms Navanethem Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Mr Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director General of UN Office in Geneva. I used this opportunity to introduce Ambassador Jean-François Kammer, my new representative to the international organisations in Geneva, who was seconded by the Swiss Government, and I should like to use this opportunity to thank them again for their important contribution towards better co-operation with our strategic international partners.

Meetings of the Political Affairs and Economic Affairs Committees of the Parliamentary Assembly

Paris (18-19 March)

I met with members of the Political Affairs Committee and Economic Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly during my visit to Paris on 18-19 March.

At the Political Affairs Committee, I gave an introduction on key developments in the Council of Europe over the last six months (including European Union accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, Protocol 14/Interlaken Conference, reforms). I underlined that recent developments in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be an important issue for the Council of Europe. On the background of reports prepared by the PACE rapporteurs, Björn von Sydow and Sinikka Hurskainen, we also had an exchange of views on Kosovo and Belarus respectively.

At the Economic Affairs Committee, I emphasised the very difficult budgetary situation for the Council of Europe, including the need to finance a shortfall of 3.8 million Euro. I explained that I have asked all CoE services (including the Parliamentary Assembly) to prepare proposals that include 2% savings to cover this shortfall. I also explained that I plan to change dramatically the budget presentation for 2011. I underlined that I have requested all operational services to propose an additional 5% saving for 2011, so as to create a pool of money for priority and unforeseen activities. The participation in the meeting of the Chairperson of the GR-PBA, Ambassador Yevhen Perelygin was greatly appreciated by the members of the Committee.

3.       Summary note from the Secretary General on the implementation review of the budget and programme and activities

Further to the publication of the detailed Progress Review documents [CM/Inf(2010)9 and 10], I have issued earlier this week a summary note (SG/Inf(2010)9 drawing some conclusions for the ongoing reform agenda and the preparation of the programme of work of the Organisation for 2011.  Many of these conclusions will be translated into concrete proposals in the document on Priorities for 2011 which will be issued next month.

Some of the most important conclusions concern:

As you know, it is my intention to provide you with an update on reform and present draft priorities for 2011 at your 1083rd meeting which will take place on 21 April.

4.       Early termination of service of permanent staff

Following the enlargement of the Organisation in the 1990s and the two programmes of reinforcement of the resources of the Court in the period 2003-2008, the Council of Europe has an abnormally low average age of staff.  The number of staff reaching compulsory retirement age will be: 2010: 7; 2011: 15; 2012: 22.  In an organisation of the size of the Council of Europe it could be expected that this figure would be around 50-60.  It is apparent that the containment of staff expenditure will imply during the next few years the implementation of measures of early termination of service of permanent staff, using existing rules, with the suppression of the posts concerned.

The ordinary budget already contains a provision for these purposes amounting to € 484 800.  I consider this provision to be very low  but in the present budgetary circumstances it seems very difficult to increase it with ordinary budget resources. The provision, therefore, should be used with great care and with a medium term perspective. This is why I am asking you to adopt a five-year approach to its use, as it was indeed the case in 2000 and 2005.  An early decision on this issue is essential to allow me to be able to propose suppressing a few occupied posts in the context of the document on priorities for 2011 to be published next month.

I consider the implementation of these measures, which are aimed at better staff expenditure and ensuring a closer match between staffing needs and levels, an important element of the reform process. Other  proposals will be submitted to your Committee in the context of the priorities 2011 document which will be issued next month.

5.       Staff Matters (in camera)

Dialogue with the Deputy Secretary General

1.       Meetings in Strasbourg

Mr Steven Allen, UNICEF Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

(25 February)

On 25 February, I had an intensive working meeting with Mr Steven Allen, Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, UNICEF.

The meeting covered several areas of work including child-friendly justice, child participation, Roma children, education and violence against children. In 2007, the CoE and UNICEF signed a joint declaration setting the basis for a more structured and reinforced co-operation. Our assessment of the implementation of this joint declaration was extremely positive and we agreed to further exploit the potential synergy in a number of areas. UNICEF, who is substantially contributing with its expertise to our standard setting work, agreed to support ratification and implementation of a number of our instruments through the work of its field offices and at UN level. We also agreed on concrete ways of supporting the mandate of the UN SG Special Representative on violence against children. Mr Allen referred to UNICEF's research on the impact of economic crisis on children and I agreed to draw our partners' attention to its result once finalised. Finally, we agreed to create opportunities for high level meetings in the near future.

Mr Mikhail Gulevsky, Mayor of Lipetsk (Russian Federation) on the occasion of the Plenary Session of the Congress (18 March)

I met the Mayor of Lipetsk at his request during the Congress Session in order to discuss the Mayor's initiatives in the field of cultural and youth policy in the city of Lipetsk.

Mr Gagik Beglaryan, Mayor of Yerevan (Armenia), on the occasion of the Plenary Session of the Congress (18 March)

I met with Mr Gagik Beglaryan at his request during the Congress Session. It was our first meeting after the Mayor's election in May 2009, following the adoption of the new electoral procedure with the assistance of the Council of Europe. During the meeting the Mayor presented the first measures undertaken by the newly-elected municipality.

2.       Events in Strasbourg

Opening of the Fifth European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF)

(24 February)

On 24 February, I opened the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Roma and Travellers Forum.  This occasion was an important one as the ERTF was electing its new President and Executive Committee.  Several delegates from newly-created umbrella organisations in the member States were also present for the first time at a Forum Plenary meeting.  I encouraged the members of the Forum to build up their internal co-operation and good functioning with thus the ambition of making the most of the opportunity provided to them by this unique body, which is working on behalf of the 10 to 12 million Roma and Travellers in Europe.  The Council of Europe, for its part, will continue to support the ERTF on the basis of the partnership agreement renewed by the Committee of Ministers for a further two years in November 2009.

Signature of the European Code on Social Security by Mrs Viera Tomanova, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic

(24 February)

On 24 February I received Mrs Viera Tomanova, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic, who signed on behalf of her country the European Code on Social Security. We discussed together ways to safeguard adequate levels of social protection in the current economic crisis and some of the particular issues faced in the Slovak Republic, including work underway to improve the situation of the Roma communities.

International Women’s Day

(8 March)

On 8 March I opened our traditional Conference organised on the occasion of International Women's Day.  This year, the Conference, open to all staff, Permanent Representations and Judges of the European Court of Human Rights, covered the topic of representations and stereotypes of women in the media. 

Opening of the 9th meeting of the United Nations Inter-Agency Committee on Bioethics

(26 February)

On 26 February, I made the opening speech at the 9th meeting of the United Nations Inter-Agency Committee on Bioethics, organised on this occasion by the Council of Europe. An exchange of views on the Joint Council of Europe - United Nations Study on trafficking in organs, tissues and cells took place with participants from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the European Commission and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). All participants underlined the importance of this serious global human rights issue and the need to tackle it.  Clear support was expressed for the elaboration of a legal instrument to that end. In this context, it was considered that the Council of Europe, having already adopted the reference instrument, (the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine), could be a driving force to this initiative. 

Second Informal Meeting of the Presidents of Monitoring Mechanisms of the Council of Europe

(19 March)

On 19 March I participated in a meeting of the Presidents of a number of Monitoring Mechanisms of the Council of Europe.  During this meeting, I provided the participants with an overview of the reform process currently underway in the Organisation, and invited them to play an active role in this process, by examining ways to strengthen their collective action, in particular by means of continued co-ordination of calendars, sharing resources on content (knowledge-sharing), and their contribution to ensuring a single access point for information.

Opening of the Octopus Interface Conference on Co-operation on Cybercrime

(23 March)

On 23 March, I made an opening speech at the Octopus Conference on Co-operation against Cybercrime. In my speech, which is available on the website of the Council of Europe, I insisted on the global capacity effort which is required to combat the global threat of cybercrime and cyber terrorism and the need to help countries improve their legislation, train criminal justice authorities, empower and protect children, strengthen public-private co-operation and co-operate internationally. I believe that the best chance to succeed in this respect is that we unite around the Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention.

The Conference was attended by 300 participants from all continents from both the public and private sectors.

In the margins of the Conference, I met with a delegation from Argentina who officially requested accession to the Cybercrime Convention. I also met with a delegation from Indonesia who at this stage expressed an interest in acceding to this Convention. The Cybercrime Convention has now been ratified by 28 countries, following the recent ratifications by Azerbaijan and Montenegro.

3.       Official visits / meetings outside Strasbourg

Meeting with Real Madrid Football Club in the framework of the corporal punishment campaign

Madrid (4 March)

On 4 March, I participated in the opening of the Forum "Luis de Carlos" devoted to sports and values. The Forum was organised by the "Real Madrid Foundation" and gathered together an impressive number of experts and organisations which use sport as a means of fostering reconciliation following armed conflicts (as in Sierra Leone), relief in emergency situation (as in Haiti), social integration (as in Colombia or Peru) and as part of therapy for children traumatised by violence.

On this occasion, I received signatures of support from all the Real Madrid football players to our campaign against corporal punishment of children. The endorsement of our message by players such as Ronaldo, Casillas, Raul or Benzema have a particular impact as they have become the idols of millions of children and adults. During the Forum, I had the opportunity to discuss with several participants, including Mr Wilfried Lemke, the UN SG Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, whom I invited to address the EPAS Governing Board in May.

During my visit to Madrid, I had a separate meeting with Mr Jaime Lissavetzky, Spanish Secretary of State for Sports. Mr Lissavetzky is Vice-Chair of CAHAMA and, since 2008, he is the elected representative of the  European public authorities in the WADA Executive Committee. We discussed ways of increasing the influence of the European voice in WADA with a view to having European concerns (such as those related to data protection) better taken into account.

Children's Law Centre Annual Lecture 2010 "The Protection of Children's Rights in European Justice Systems”

Belfast (5 March)

On 5 March I delivered a speech on the occasion of the Annual Lecture organised by the Children’s Law Centre in Belfast. 

The lecture's subject was “The Protection of Children’s Rights in European Justice Systems” and the event was hosted by the Inn of Court, Old Bar Library, Royal Courts of Justice and chaired by The Right Honourable Sir Declan Morgan, Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. The audience was composed of senior judges, lawyers, ombudspersons, NGOs and duty bearers as well as children and young people gathered to discuss first hand children’s rights in this jurisdiction and in Europe.

The issues addressed in my speech and subsequent discussions focused on child-friendly justice (in particular concerning children in conflict with the law), rights of children seeking asylum and elimination of corporal punishment of children. 

I presented the Council of Europe's work within the framework of the Programme “Building a Europe for and with children” and elaborated the standards applicable for each of the themes discussed. I also reported on progress made in the drafting of the Council of Europe guidelines on child-friendly justice.

Human Rights Council’s Annual full day meeting on the Rights of the Child

Geneva (8 March)

On 8 March I travelled to Geneva to address the UN Human Rights Council. I took the floor in the context of the annual discussion devoted to children’s rights, which this year focused on the issue of sexual violence. The Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse is the only international legally-binding instrument addressing all forms of sexual violence against children. Following the ratification by San Marino last Monday, this treaty will enter into force on 1 July. In my speech, I referred to this ground-breaking instrument, which is open to non-European States, as well as to the launching of the Council of Europe campaign to stop sexual violence against children in November 2010 (see below).

The Council of Europe policy guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children against violence were the topic of a side event we held on 7 March in Geneva. Organised in co-operation with the Finnish permanent mission in Geneva and the UN SG Special Representative on violence against children, the debate was moderated by Ambassador Irma Ertman and aimed at the promotion of the guidelines' text and methodology beyond the European Region.

I also had a working dinner with Ms Marta Santos País (UNSG Special Representative on Violence against Children). We discussed ways of promoting the Council of Europe’s results beyond the European region, which is the objective of the Conference we are organising in Vienna (20-21 May) in co-operation with the Austrian authorities.

Bureau and Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly

Paris (11 – 12 March)

On 11 and 12 March I attended the Bureau and Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

Meeting with Ms Simonetta Matone, Head of the Private Office of Ms Mara Carfagna, Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities

Rome (16 March)

When we met in New York last year, the Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities mentioned her willingness to support the speedy ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, as well as the forthcoming campaign to stop sexual violence against children. On 16 March, I met, in Rome, Ms Simonetta Matone, Head of Ms Carfagna’s Private Office. We discussed both issues and Ms Matone confirmed the Italian government’s offer to launch the campaign in Rome on 29 and 30 November 2010. She also reported on the good progress made with regard to the ratification of the Lanzarote Convention by Italy. The Convention has been submitted to the Senate.