Foreign Minister Jan Petersen will take over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at a meeting in Strasbourg on 12 and 13 May. Norway will hold the chairmanship until November 2004.

There have been enormous changes in Europe since 1989, when Norway last held the chairmanship. These changes have also affected co-operation in the Council of Europe, which has doubled the number of member states – to 45 – with a total of over 800 million inhabitants.

"Norway views a comprehensive pan-European co-operation as an important contribution to progress in Europe," said the Foreign Minister. "We wish to continue and intensify this co-operation".

"The Council of Europe’s strength lies in its ability and determination to safeguard fundamental human rights and develop and implement standards of democracy and the rule of law. These are an essential contribution to conflict prevention. At the same time we recognise that reforms are needed that will strengthen the Council of Europe and make it more efficient.

"This applies particularly to the work of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Court plays a unique and central role in the protection of human rights in Europe. In recent years, however, the Court has been struggling with an explosive increase in its workload. At present, the Court terminates almost 20 000 cases a year, while it has more than 65 000 cases pending before it. Every month the backlog increases by approximately 1500 new cases.

"We must encourage states to fulfil their obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, in particular by ensuring access to effective domestic remedies, and we must contribute to improving the efficiency of the Court. I will give high priority to this work. The European Convention on Human Rights will be amended so that the Court does not use more resources than necessary for more straightforward cases. At the same time we must ensure that the legal safeguards for individuals are not undermined.

"As chairman I will work to strengthen the values on which the Council of Europe is based. It is important to focus on the organisation’s core tasks and on its strengths. International co-operation that helps to promote human rights, the rule of law, democracy and good governance in the whole of Europe is an important condition if an undivided Europe is to become a reality. The Council of Europe both can and will continue to play an important role in these efforts."