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State Secretary Siri Bjerke

Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Council of Europe, 100th Session of the Committee of Ministers

6 May 1997

Madam Chairman,

The offer by France to host the second Summit of the Council of Europe is both timely and welcome. It will give us an opportunity to define the role, tasks and priorities of a new, enlarged Council.

The Norwegian Government shares the views and suggested priorities for the coming Summit expressed by the incoming Chairman, the French Foreign Minister. The Summit should be action-oriented and the Norwegian Government agrees that in addition to a brief declaration, we should aim to adopt a plan of action.

We need a plan for the further development of the Council of Europe for the 50th anniversary in 1999. The summit should address the future tasks of our organization and prepare for the way ahead. Three important tasks should be given priority in our preparations for the summit and should also be highlighted in the Summit declaration.

Firstly, we need to strengthen the legal controls relating to human rights. Norway urges those member countries which have not yet ratified Protocol No. 11 to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights to do so without delay. Our goal should be to ensure that the Protocol is ratified by all states prior to the Summit. The new single court would then be established in 1998. The legal control system should be given adequate resources to meet the expected increase in the number of cases. Practical assistance to human rights projects in member countries should also be increased. The Council of Europe plays an important role in helping governments to overcome obstacles to progress in protecting human rights.

Secondly, the Summit should ensure that the Committee of Ministers' monitoring mechanism can be effectively implemented. This is a particularly appropriate task since the monitoring mechanism is the result of an initiative taken at the first Council of Europe Summit in Vienna in 1993. The member countries should once again confirm their clear political will to develop the procedures further. I am pleased to note that satisfactory results have been achieved so far, and that monitoring is now a regular feature of the activities of the Committee of Ministers' Deputies.

The third task concerns the development of closer cooperation between the Council of Europe, the European Union and the OSCE. There has been clear progress here, but it is extremely important that these different organizations, all of which have important tasks and roles, constantly work to avoid unnecessary duplication of their efforts. It is our duty to make the best possible use of the limited resources available.

Since the establishment of the Council, work on human rights issues has been one of its main tasks, and this should continue to receive high priority in the future. Norway supports Finland's proposal to create a position for a Human Rights Commissioner in the context of the establishment of the single Court of Human Rights. The commissioner's mandate should be clearly defined with a view to strengthening the human rights control mechanisms.

We welcome the Secretary General's proposal to launch an Action Programme for Democratic Stability in Europe. This should be based on the organisation's priorities and elaborated within the framework of the Council of Europe's reinforced cooperation with the European Union and the OSCE.

The Council of Europe has played an instrumental role in dealing with the crisis in Albania. I should like to pay tribute to the Secretary General and his staff for their contribution in this respect. This shows the relevance of the Council of Europe in today's Europe and the important role it can play in current political affairs.

Thank you, Madam Chairman