Ministers’ Deputies

CM Documents

CM(2006)202        15 November 2006[1]

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983 Meeting, 13 december 2006
10 Legal questions

10.1  27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice
(Yerevan, 12-13 October 2006) –

Report by the Secretary General

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Introduction

1.         The 27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice was held in Yerevan on 12 and 13 October 2006 at the invitation of the Armenian Government. The agenda, list of participants and Resolutions adopted are set out in Appendices 1-3 to this report.

2.         The Bureaux of the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) and the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), as well as the Senior Officials, held their preparatory meetings on the eve of the Conference.

3.         The Minister of Justice of Armenia was elected Chair of the Conference. The Ministers of Justice of Moldova and Spain were elected Vice-Chairs.

4.         The theme of the Conference was “Victims: place, rights and assistance”:

5.         The main report was submitted by the Minister of Justice of Armenia;  the Secretary General also submitted a report on the follow-up to resolutions adopted in Helsinki at the 26th Conference of European Ministers of Justice. The list of documents appears in Appendix 4.

6.         The Prime Minister of Armenia, Mr. Andranik Margaryan, and the Director General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe, Mr Guy De Vel, opened the Conference.

7.         The Prime Minister of Armenia, Mr. Andranik Margaryan, wished a very warm welcome to all the participants. He underlined the great importance of the theme of the Conference

8.         On the occasion of the Conference, a number of Council of Europe Conventions were signed and/or ratified. Details are provided in Appendix 5 to this report.

9.         The Director General of Legal Affairs recalled that the topic of the Conference has been among the Council of Europe’s main concerns for a very long time and that two key texts dealing with victims have been adopted, the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, a comprehensive treaty mainly geared to protecting victims of trafficking and safeguarding their rights, and the European Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, which includes a provision on the protection of and compensation for victims of terrorism. He added that the Committee of Ministers has also adopted a number of recommendations on issues concerning the specific situation of certain categories of victims. He recalled that the latest legal instrument on the subject is very recent as the Committee of Ministers adopted a new recommendation on assistance to crime victims last June.  He stressed the importance of the negotiations which have just started on a convention against the sexual exploitation of children. He mentioned the Council of Europe’s new campaign against violence against women, including domestic violence. 

Report by the Minister of Justice of Armenia

10.       The Minister of Justice of Armenia, Mr Davit Harutyunyan, considered the following issues of the topic:

•     Assistance to particularly vulnerable victims

•     Compensation of crime victims

•     Victims and restorative justice.

He also presented the Armenian experience in this context and mentioned the role played by the Council of Europe instruments.

*

*   *

11.       The representative of the Committee of Ministers, Ambassador Anna Lamperova, the representative of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Armen Rustamyan, and the Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr Thomas Hammarberg, made statements to the Ministers.  The text of the speeches delivered during the opening Session appears on the Council of Europe website.

Summary of the discussions

12.       The European Ministers of Justice held extremely fruitful discussions.

13.       Many delegations expressed their gratitude to the Armenian Minister of Justice for preparing an excellent report. They indicated that this topic is of significant importance for modern societies and that the Council of Europe has a major role to play in seeking a legal solution to the problem at a European level. 

14.       Many delegations welcomed the fact that Council of Europe member states were increasingly introducing ideas of restorative justice into their criminal justice systems; the questions of victim support and of victim-offender mediation are seen as very important areas. Delegations noted that the Council of Europe provides considerable assistance to member states to improve their criminal justice systems in order to introduce features of restorative justice.

15.       The Ministers of Justice of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe recommended taking measures to improve assistance to victims, to reduce the chances of their also being victims of administrative procedures and red tape, and to facilitate their rehabilitation and compensation for the damage suffered.

16.       They stressed the need to identify good practices in terms of civil and administrative remedies to protect victims’ interests (such as legal aid and advice) and in terms of public and private insurance schemes.

17.       They also called on the Council of Europe to pursue its work against domestic violence by looking into the need for and feasibility of a further legal instrument, specifically on violence against partners[2].

18.       Welcoming the drafting of a European convention against the sexual exploitation of children, the Ministers pointed out that it was important for it to include victims’ rights, as does the European Convention against trafficking in human beings (2005).

19.       Finally, the Ministers adopted two Resolutions:

- on victims of crime;

- expressing their warmest thanks to the Armenian Government for the excellent organisation of the Conference and for its kind hospitality and taking note with gratitude of the invitation of the Minister of Justice of Armenia to hold the 28th Conference of European Ministers of Justice in Spain, in Autumn 2007.

*

*   *

20.       The Director General of Legal Affairs paid tribute to the Armenian authorities and thanked them for the excellent organisation of the Conference and the warm welcome extended to participants.

21.       The Ministers expressed their gratitude to the Armenian authorities for hosting the Conference and for their cordial hospitality.

Appendix 1

A G E N D A

1.         Opening of the Conference by the Director General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe

2.         Address by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia

3.         Address by the Director General of Legal Affairs of the Council of Europe

4.         Address by the Representative of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

5.         Address by the Representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

6.         Election of the Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen

7.         Adoption of the agenda

8.         “Victims: place, rights and assistance”

9.         Other business

10.        Adoption of Resolutions

11.        Close of the Conference

Appendix 2

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS  /  LISTE DES PARTICIPANTS

ALBANIA/ALBANIE :

- Mr Eduard HALIMI, Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Mr Viktor GUMI, General Director of Codification, Ministry of Justice.

ANDORRA/ANDORRE :

- Apologised / Excusé.

ARMENIA/ARMÉNIE :

- Mr Davit HARUTYUNYAN, Minister of Justice.

- Mr Gevorg KOSTANYAN, Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Mr Christian TER STEPANIAN, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe.

- Mr Nikolay ARUSTAMYAN, Head of the Department for Judicial Reforms of the staff of Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Victoria OHANYAN, Adviser to the Minister of Justice.

- Ms Nora SARGSYAN, Adviser to the Minister of Justice.

- Mr Emil BABAYAN, Assistant to the Deputy Minister of Justice.

AUSTRIA/AUTRICHE :

- Mr Roland Miklau, Director for Criminal Legislation, Ministry of Justice (CDPC).

- Mr Hermann GERM, Director General, Ministry of Justice.

AZERBAIJAN/AZERBAÏDJAN :

- Mr Zaver GAFAROV, Director of Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Zaur VELIYEV, Senior Advisor of Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Justice.

BELGIUM/BELGIQUE :

- Mr Daniel FLORE, Conseiller Général, Directeur de l’Office de Coordination en droit international et européen, Direction générale de la Législation, des Libertés et Droits fondamentaux du Service Public Fédéral Justice.

- Mme Vicky DE SOUTER, Attaché, Direction des principes de droit pénal et de la procédure pénale, Direction générale de la Législation, des Libertés et Droits fondamentaux du Service Public Fédéral Justice.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA/BOSNIE-HERZÉGOVINE :

- Mr Slobodan KOVAČ, Minister of Justice.

- Mr Omer VISIC, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Srpska.

- Ms Željka TOŠIĆ, Administrative Staff, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Milanko RENOVICA, Minister Assistant, Ministry of Justice.

BULGARIA/BULGARIE :

- Mme Antonia ANGUELOVA, Experte d’Etat à la Direction « Coopération juridique internationale et intégration européenne », Ministère de la Justice.

- M. Peycho PEEV, Président du Conseil d’études criminologiques, Ministère de la Justice.

CROATIA/CROATIE :

- Mrs Ana LOVRIN, Minister of Justice.

- Mrs Melanija GRGIĆ, Head of the Sector for mutual legal assistance, Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Natalija HMELINA, Ministry of Justice.

CYPRUS/CHYPRE :

- Apologised / Excusé.

CZECH REPUBLIC/RÉPUBLIQUE TCHÈQUE :

- Mr Roman POLÁŠEK, Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Mr Pavel ROTYKA, Advisor to Deputy Minister.

- Mr Ludvik KUMMER, Expert from the International Department, Ministry of Justice.

DENMARK/DANEMARK :

- Mr Lars HJORTNÆS, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministy of Justice.

- Mr Ole HASSELGAARD, Head of Criminal Division, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Joachim KROMANN, Head of Section, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Jesper HJORTENBERG, Assistant Deputy Director, Ministry of Justice (CDPC).

ESTONIA/ESTONIE :

- Mr Rein Lang, Minister of Justice.

- Mr Martin Hirvoja, Deputy Secretary General on criminal policy, Ministry of Justice.

FINLAND/FINLANDE :

- Ms Kirsti RISSANEN, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Pekka NURMI, General Director, Ministry of Justice (CDCJ).

- Mr Jarmo LITTUNEN, Director of the Criminal Policy Department, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Terhi HAKALA, Ambassador of Finland in Armenia.

FRANCE :

- M. Jean-Marie HUET, Directeur des Affaires Criminelles et des Grâces, Ministère de la Justice.

- M. Eric RUELLE, Chargé de mission pour les négociations pénales internationales, Ministère de la Justice (CDPC).

- Mme Nicole COCHET, Magistrat, Chargée de mission pour le droit européen et international, Direction des Affaires Civiles et du Sceau (DACS), Ministère de la Justice (CDCJ).

- Mme Annie BASSET, Chef du Bureau de l’aide aux victimes, Service de l'accès au droit et à la justice, et de la politique de la ville, Ministère de la Justice.

- Mr Henry CUNY, Ambassadeur de France en Arménie.

GEORGIA/GÉORGIE :

- Mr Gia KAVTARADZE, Minister of Justice.

- Mr George PANIASHVILI, Head of the Division of International Relations, Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Eleonora LAGUILAUA, Head of the Bureau of the Minister of Justice.

GERMANY/ALLEMAGNE :

- Mr Alfred HARTENBACH Vice-Minister of Justice.

- Mr Markus BUSCH, Head of the Private Office of the Vice-Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Eberhard DESCH, Head of Division of International Law, Ministry of Justice (CEPEJ).

- Mme PEITSCH, Ambassadeur d’Allemagne en Arménie.

GREECE/GRÈCE :

- Mr Anastasis PAPALIGOURAS, Minister of Justice.

- Mr Alekos IKONOMOPOULOS, First Consellor, Embassy of Greece in Armenia.

- Ms Evdokia KOLPONDINOU, Director, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Angelo ANDROULIDAKIS, Senior Adviser to the Minister of Justice.

- Ms P. MAVROMICHALI, Greek Ambassador in Armenia.

HUNGARY/HONGRIE :

- Ms Judit LÉVAYNÉ FAZEKAS, State Secretary, Ministry of Justice.

ICELAND/ISLANDE :

- Apologised / Excusé.

IRELAND/IRLANDE :

- Ms Valerie FALLON, Principal Officer, Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (CDPC).

- Mr Séamus CARROLL, Principal Officer, Civil Law Reform Division, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (CDCJ).

- Mr Paul MEMERY, Deputy to the Permanent Representative of Ireland to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

ITALY/ITALIE :

- M. Alberto Gaetano MARITATI, Sous-Secrétaire d’Etat à la Justice.

- M. Gianluca LUONGO, Secrétaire particulier du Sous-Secrétaire d’Etat à la Justice.

- M. Gian Lorenzo CORNADO, Conseiller diplomatique du Ministre de la Justice

- M. Enrico FERRI, Chef du Bureau de coordination des activités internationales, Ministry of Justice.

- M. Giovanni Maria ARMONE, Juge auprès du Département pour les Affaires de Justice, Coordonnement des Affaires Internationales..

- Mr Marco CLEMENTE, Ambassadeur d’Italie en Arménie.

LATVIA/LETTONIE :

- Ms Laila MEDIN, Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Juris JANSONS, Director of Legal Aid and Administration, Ministry of Justice.

LIECHTENSTEIN :

- Apologised / Excusé.

LITHUANIA/LITUANIE :

- Mr Petras BAGUŠKA, Minister of Justice.

- Ms Ausra BERNOTIENE, Director of the International Law Department, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Dainius RADZEVICIUS, Head of the Public Relations Department, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Kestutis STANKEVICIUS, Minister Counsellor, Ministry of Justice.

LUXEMBOURG :

- M. Marc Mathekowitsch, Conseiller du Gouvernement, Directeur des affaires pénales et judiciaires, Ministère de la Justice.

- Ms Claudine Konsbruck, Conseiller de Direction, Ministère de la Justice.

MALTA/MALTE :

- Mr Carmelo MIFSUD BONNICI, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs.

- Mr Marco CACHIA, Head of the Secretariat, Ministry for Justice and Home Affairs.

MOLDOVA :

- M. Vitalie PÂRLOG, Ministre de la Justice.

- Mme Diana BALAN, Directrice adjointe des Traités et de l’Intégration européenne, Ministère de la Justice.

MONACO :

- M. Philippe NARMINO, Directeur des Services Judiciaires.

NETHERLANDS/PAYS-BAS :

- Mr Sjaak JANSEN, Coordinating Counsellor of Legislation, International Affairs Section, Ministry of Justice (CDCJ).

- Mr Arijan DOESER, Directorate for Sanctions and Prevention Policy, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Gerard DE BOER, Legal Adviser, Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the Council of Europe, Strasbourg (France).

NORWAY/NORVÈGE :

- Mr Knut STORBERGET, Minister of Justice.

- Mr Øyvind NORDSLETTEN, Ambassador.

- Mr Morten RUUD, Secretary General, Ministry of Justice.

- Mrs Anne Kristin HERSE, Director General, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Inge Lorange BACKER, Director General of the Legislation Department, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Astri AAS-HANSEN, Political Adviser, Ministry of Justice.

POLAND/POLOGNE :

- Mr Andrzej DUDA, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Igor DZIALUK, Deputy Director of the Department of International Co-operation and European Law, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Cezary DZIURKOWSKI, Judge, Department of International Co-operation and European Law, Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Monica JANIEC, Head of the Victims of Crimes’ Division, Department of Executions and Probations, Minisry of Justice.

- Ms Magda FITAS, Interpreter.

PORTUGAL :

- Mr Miguel LOPES Romão, Director of the Bureau for International, European and Co-operation Affairs, Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Monica CALADO GOMES, Legal Advisor, Bureau for International, European and Co-operation Affairs, Ministry of Justice.

ROMANIA/ROUMANIE :

- Mme Monica Luisa MACOVEI, Ministre de la Justice.

- Mme Iuliana CARBUNARU, Directeur de la Direction Probation, Ministère de la Justice.

- M. Florescu CIOBOTORU MARIUS, Embassy of Romania.

- M Iulian DIMA, agent de sécurité.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION/FEDERATION DE RUSSIE :

- Mr Nikolay SAVCHENKO, Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Mr Arkady TONKOGLAS, Deputy Director, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Igor GROMYKO, Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia.

- Ms Olga REVYKINA, Embassy of the Russian Federation in Armenia.

SAN MARINO/SAINT-MARIN :

- M. Ivan FOSCHI, Ministre de la Justice.

- Mme Savina ZAFFERANI, Déléguée, Ministère des Affaires Etrangères.

SERBIA/SERBIE :

- Mr Vladimir DAVIDOVIĆ, Head of the Department for international co-operation and european integration, Ministry of Justice.

SLOVAK REPUBLIC/RÉPUBLIQUE SLOVAQUE :

- Mr Stefan HARABIN, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice.

- Ms Jana VNUKOVA, Deputy Director General, Department of International and European Law, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Stefan MINARIK, Deputy Director General, Department of Criminal Law, Ministry of Justice.

SLOVENIA/SLOVÉNIE :

- Mr Robert MAROLT, State Secretary, Ministry of Justice.

- Mrs Helena Jaklitsch, Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Justice.

- Ms Andreja LANG, Head of the Department for Criminal Legislation, Ministry of Justice.

SPAIN/ESPAGNE :

- Mr Juan Fernando López Aguilar, Minister of Justice.

- Ms Ana María De Miguel Langa, Vice-Minister of Justice.

- Mr David JIMENEZ GLUCK, Director of the Cabinet of the Minister.

- Ms Cristina LATORE SANCHO, General Director of International Judicial Cooperation.

- Mr Valentin DUENAS JIMENEZ, International Counsellor, Cabinet of Minister of Justice.

- Ms Bonifacia PENATE SANTANA, Director of the Press Department.

- Mr Alfredo PASCUAL, Counsellor, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Carlos Manuel ABAD RUIZ, Coordination Responsible, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Eduard KHOJAYAN, Honorary Consul.

- Mr Diego RUIZ ALONSO, Chancellor.

SWEDEN/SUÈDE :

- Apologised / Excusé.

SWITZERLAND/SUISSE :

- M. Luzius MADER, Secrétaire d’Etat, Sous-directeur de l’Office fédéral de la Justice.

- Mme Monique COSSALI SAUVIN, cheffe de la Division Projets et Méthodes législatifs de l’Office fédéral de la Justice.

- M. Frank Schürmann, Chef de la Section des droits de l’homme et Conseil de l'Europe de l’Office fédéral de la Justice.

"THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA"/

« L'EX-RÉPUBLIQUE YOUGOSLAVE DE MACÉDOINE » :

- Mr Mihajlo MANEVSKI, Minister of Justice.

- Ms Gorica ATANASOVA, Cabinet of the Minister, Ministry of Justice.

TURKEY/TURQUIE :

- Mr Behget Tufan TURAN, Judge,  Head of Department, Ministry of Justice.

UKRAINE :

- Ms Inna YEMELIANOVA, Deputy Minister of Justice.

- Ms Inna FESENKO, Deputy Director of Law Enforcement and Anti-Crime, Legislation Department, Ministry of Justice.

- Mr Olexander BOZHKO, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Embassy of Ukraine in Armenia.

UNITED KINGDOM/ROYAUME-UNI :

- Baroness Patricia SCOTLAND OF ASTHAL QC, Minister of State for the Criminal Justice System and Law Reform.

- Mr Jacob HAWKINS, Private Secretary to Baroness Scotland.

- Mr Richard BRADLEY, Head of the Judicial Co-operation Unit, Home Office.

- Mr Anthony CANTOR, Ambassador of United Kingdom in Armenia.

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SECRETARIAT GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION/SECRÉTARIAT GÉNÉRAL DU CONSEIL DE L'UNION EUROPÉENNE :

- Mr Ivan Bizjak, Director General, Justice and Home Affairs.

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COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS/COMITÉ DES MINISTRES :

- Mme Anna LAMPEROVÁ, Ambassadeur Extraordinaire et Plénipotentiaire, Représentante Permanente de la République Slovaque auprès du Conseil de l'Europe.

PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY/ASSEMBLÉE PARLEMENTAIRE :

- Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.

COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS/COMMISSAIRE AUX DROITS DE L’HOMME :

- M. Thomas HAMMARBERG, Commissaire aux Droits de l’Homme.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LEGAL CO-OPERATION /(CDCJ)

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE COOPÉRATION JURIDIQUE (Bureau) :

- Mr Sjaak Jansen, Chair of the CDCJ, Coordinating Counsellor of Legislation, International Affairs Section, Ministry of Justice (Netherlands).

- Mr Séamus CARROLL, Principal Officer, Civil Law Reform Division, Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Ireland).

- Mme Nicole COCHET, Magistrat, Chargée de mission pour le droit européen et international, Direction des Affaires Civiles et du Sceau (DACS), Ministère de la Justice (France).

- Mr Pekka NURMI, General Director, Ministry of Justice (Finland).

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON CRIME PROBLEMS /(CDPC)/

COMITÉ EUROPÉEN POUR LES PROBLÈMES CRIMINELS (Bureau) :

- M. Claude DEBRULLE, Président du CDPC, Direction générale de la Législation et des Libertés et Droits fondamentaux, Service public fédéral Justice (Belgique).

- Ms Valerie FALLON, Department of Justice, Equality & Law Reform (Ireland).

- Mr Jesper HJORTENBERG, Assistant Deputy Director (Denmark).

- Ms Andreja LANG, Head of the Department for Criminal Legislation, Ministry of Justice (Slovenia).

- Mr Roland Miklau, Director for Criminal Legislation, Federal Ministry of Justice (Austria).

- M. Eric RUELLE, Chargé de mission pour les négociations pénales internationales, Ministère de la justice (France).

EUROPEAN COMMISSION FOR THE EFFICIENCY OF JUSTICE (CEPEJ)/

COMMISSION EUROPENNE POUR L’EFFICACITE DE LA JUSTICE

- Mr Eberhard DESCH, Chair of the CEPEJ, Head of Division of International Law, Ministry of Justice (Germany).

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OBSERVERS/OBSERVATEURS

HOLY SEE/SAINT-SIÈGE :

- Mgr Claudio GUGEROTTI,  Nonce Apostolique en Arménie.

MEXICO/MEXIQUE

- Mr Guillermo VALLS-ESPONDA, Legal Attaché, Office for the European Union and Switzerland, Embassy of Mexico in Spain.

UNITED STATES/ETATS-UNIS

- Ms Cynthia LIE, US Embassy, Department of Justice.

- Ms Suzanna TOROYAN, US Embassy, Legal Assistant, Department of Justice.

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INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS/

ORGANISATIONS INTERNATIONALES

OSCE :

- Mr Vladimir PRYAKHIN, Ambassador, Head of Office.

UNITED NATIONS/NATIONS UNIES :

- Ms Consuelo VIDAL-BRUCE- UN Resident Coordinator - UNDP.

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SECRETARIAT GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE/SECRÉTARIAT GÉNÉRAL DU CONSEIL DE L’EUROPE :

- M. Guy DE VEL, Directeur Général des Affaires Juridiques, représentant le Secrétaire Général du Conseil de l’Europe.

DIRECTORATE GENERAL I - LEGAL AFFAIRS/DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE I - AFFAIRES JURIDIQUES :

- Mr Roberto LAMPONI, Directeur de la Coopération Juridique.

- Ms Margaret KILLERBY, Chef du Service des Problèmes Criminels.

- Ms Bridget O’LOUGHLIN, Chef de la Division de la Justice Pénale, Secrétaire du CDPC.

- M. Rafael A. BENITEZ, Chef de la Task Force contre le terrorisme, Adjoint au Chef du Service du droit public et privé.

- M. Patrick TITIUN, Secrétaire de la Conférence.

- M. Martins PRIEDITIS, Administrateur, Service du droit public et privé.

- Mme Catherine GALLAIS, Assistante administrative principale.

- Mme Liliane CAMPANA, Assistante administrative.

- Mme Susan BRADBURY, Secrétaire.

- Mme Christiane DECONINCK, Secrétaire.

SECRETARIAT OF THE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS/

SECRÉTARIAT DU COMITÉ DES MINISTRES :

- Ms Ulrika FLODIN-JANSON, Administratrice.

OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS/BUREAU DU COMMISSAIRE AUX DROITS DE L’HOMME :

- M. Alexandre GUESSEL, Administrateur.

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE /

BUREAU DES REPRESENTANTS SPECIAUX DU SECRÉTAIRE GÉNÉRAL DU CONSEIL DE L'EUROPE :

- Mme Bojana URUMOVA, Représentante spéciale du Secrétaire Général du Conseil de l'Europe en Arménie.

PROTOCOL/PROTOCOLE :

- Mme Isabelle FLECKSTEINER, Assistante administrative.

PRESS AND INFORMATION/PRESSE ET INFORMATION :

- Mrs Estelle STEINER, Press Officer.

LANGUAGE SERVICES/SERVICES DES LANGUES :

- M. Robert SZYMANSKI, Chef de l’équipe des interprètes.

INTERPRETERS/INTERPRÈTES :

- Mme Corinne HEMIER.

- Mme Elisabeth BERNECKER.

- Mme Sarah ADLINGTON.

- Mme Nelly SIDERIS.

- Mme Daniela CODARIN

- M. André Bernhard.

- M. Massimo CAMPAGNOLA.

- M. Christian KODERHOLD.

- M. Jan KROTKI.

- Mlle Anna TUNEVA.

Appendix 3

RESOLUTION No. 1 on victims of crime

1.         The Ministers participating in the 27th Conference of the European Ministers of Justice,

2.         Having discussed the topic of “Victims – place, rights and assistance” and in particular assistance to categories of vulnerable victims;

3.         Having regard to the extensive standards[3]  developed by the Council of Europe in this field and underlining that these standards should be widely disseminated, promoted and concretely implemented;

4.         Welcoming in particular Recommendation Rec(2006)8 on assistance to crime victims, which provides for extensive and effective assistance measures for victims of all types of crime, including victims of terrorism and the most vulnerable victims;

5.         Having regard to the progress report on future areas for the work of the Council of Europe in the fight against terrorism (CM(2005)172-Add), prepared by the Committee of Experts on Terrorism (CODEXTER) and the decisions of the Committee of Ministers on the basis thereof;

6.         Realising the growing public concern for victims of crime who are in a precarious situation, whether it be from a psychological, social, economic or physical point of view, so that their needs should be more fully taken into account;

7.         Recognising that, in order to receive assistance or to assert their rights victims are obliged to undertake a number of procedures, which, if inappropriate or complex, can contribute to the phenomenon of secondary victimisation;

8.         Convinced of the need to reduce the risk of secondary victimisation, in particular through simplifying procedures and facilitating access to the necessary institutions which can help them to obtain assistance;

9.         Considering that, in addition to the measures provided under criminal procedure, civil and, where necessary, administrative or other remedies should be made available;

10.        Underlining that the person committing the crime is the person primarily responsible for its consequences and for compensating the victim;

11.        Underlining further that insurance cover can be provided by both public and private schemes and that subscribing to appropriate optional insurance cover is the responsibility of the individual; 

12.        Aware of the important role of compensation schemes in expressing social solidarity towards victims and of the actual and potential role and impact of the insurance industry in covering damage of crime victims and the wide variety of ways in which compensation can be legally and institutionally structured and funded;

13.        Conscious of the need to prevent and treat violence and welcoming the work currently underway to draft a convention against the sexual exploitation of children as well as the launching, in November 2006, of a new Council of Europe campaign to combat violence against women, including domestic violence;

14.        Expressing particular concern about the extent of domestic violence, in particular violence against the partner, as well as concern for members of the family who witness such violence and determined to carry on with the action started by the Council of Europe in order to combat domestic violence, as demonstrated by Recommendation Rec(2002)5;

15.        Concerned to increase the attention paid to the phenomenon of violence against the partner and aware that such violence can be based on discriminating prejudices in terms of inequalities resulting from gender, origins and economic dependency;

16.        Referring to the Declaration and the Action Plan adopted during the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe;

17.        Welcoming the national contributions and noting the proposals contained in these contributions;

18.        AGREE that an effective and comprehensive protection of victims, in their role as witnesses, requires a multidisciplinary approach;

19.        DECIDE to promote measures at a national and international level to improve assistance to victims and their protection from repeat and secondary victimisation as well as to ensure, as far as possible, their psychological, social and physical rehabilitation as well as adequate compensation for damage suffered;

20.        RECOMMEND in particular that the Secretary General of the Council of Europe ensures that the activities of the Council of Europe in the field of training of police and personnel involved in the administration of justice include the question of the appropriate ways in which to deal with vulnerable persons, particularly victims;

21.        INVITE the Committee of Ministers to promote further the standards developed by the Council of Europe concerning victims by taking them into account in Council of Europe work, in particular concerning persons and bodies having contact with victims such as judicial and law enforcement agencies;

22.        INVITE the Committee of Ministers to entrust the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ), in co-operation with other competent bodies of the Council of Europe,  to study the question of civil, administrative and other remedies to be made available to victims of crime with a view to reducing the risk of secondary victimisation and contributing to their rehabilitation from crime suffered and adequate compensation for damage sustained, and to this end identify and analyse the existing best practices:

i)          concerning civil and administrative or other remedies, designed to protect the interests of victims, in particular provision of information on procedures, simplified procedures, legal aid and advice before, during and after the completion of criminal, civil administrative or other procedures bearing in mind the needs of categories of particularly vulnerable victims (for example, children, the elderly, disabled persons);

ii)          concerning the role of publicly or privately financed insurance schemes in ensuring compensation for damages sustained by victims;

iii).        concerning the role of the authorities, organisations and persons dealing with and representing victims, particularly with respect to vulnerable victims;

with a view to making proposals to the Committee of Ministers for possible follow-up action;

23.        INVITE the Committee of Ministers to entrust the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC) to:

1° - Assistance to crime victims

examine and promote, in co-operation with other competent bodies of the Council of Europe, the implementation of Recommendation Rec(2006)8 on assistance to crime victims;

2° - Domestic violence, in particular violence against the partner

a.         examine, in co-operation with other competent bodies of the Council of Europe, the measures concerning violence against the partner contained notably in the appendix to Recommendation Rec (2002) 5 on the protection of women against violence in order to determine the feasibility of and the need for an additional  Council of Europe legal instrument on violence against the partner taking into account the discussions of this Conference;

b.         report back to the Committee of Ministers on the results of this examination so that it can decide whether there is a need for the Council of Europe to carry out work in this field, possibly in the form of an international normative instrument to combat domestic violence, in particular violence against the partner;

3° - Crime prevention, restorative justice and mediation

            envisage further activities dealing with aspects of crime prevention and restorative justice, including mediation taking into account the discussions of this Conference (with a view notably to examining the implementation of the 1999 Recommendation No. R (99) 19 on mediation in criminal matters);

24.        ASK the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to report on the steps taken to give effect to this Resolution, on the occasion of their next Conference.

* * *

RESOLUTION No. 2

THE MINISTERS participating in the 27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice (Yerevan,
12-13 October 2006),

Aware of the advantage of arranging personal contacts between the Ministers responsible for their governments’ policy in the legal field in order to foster the progress of cooperation in this area in Europe,

EXPRESS the warmest thanks to the Armenian Government for the excellent organisation of the 27th Conference in Yerevan and for its kind hospitality ;

TAKE NOTE with gratitude of the invitation of the Minister of Justice of Spain to hold the 28th Conference of European Ministers of Justice in Spain.

Appendix 4

List of documents available on the website of the Conference

Reports presented by the Ministers of Justice of the following countries:

Armenia                MJU-27(2006) 1

Austria                 MJU-27(2006) 7

Belgium                MJU-27(2006) 8

Croatia                 MJU-27(2006) 4

Germany              MJU-27(2006) 3

Portugal               MJU-27(2006) 13

Romania               MJU-27(2006) 12

Slovenia               MJU-27(2006) 6

Spain                   MJU-27(2006) 11

Sweden                MJU-27(2006) 5

Switzerland           MJU-27(2006) 9

United Kingdom            MJU-27(2006) 10

Appendix 5

Signatures and ratifications of Council of Europe treaties on the occasion of the 27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice

On the occasion of the 27th Conference of European Ministers of Justice the following treaties have been ratified or signed by the member states below:

Convention on Cybercrime (CETS No. 185)*

This treaty was ratified by Armenia

Additional Protocol to the Convention on cybercrime, concerning the criminalisation of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems (CETS No. 189)*

This treaty was ratified by Armenia and Lithuania

Protocol No. 14 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, amending the control system of the Convention (CETS No. 194)*

            This treaty was ratified by Poland

Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No.196)*

This treaty was signed by Germany

Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings

(CETS No. 197)*

This treaty was ratified by Austria

Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism (CETS No. 198)*

            This treaty was signed by Greece

Council of Europe Convention on the avoidance of statelessness in relation to state succession (CETS No. 200)*

This treaty was signed by Norway