Avui es compleixen 60 anys de la creació del Consell d’Europa, l’organisme europeu del que formo part com a representant de Catalunya al seu Congrés de poders locals i regionals. La defensa dels valors democràtics i dels drets humans han estat la raó d’ésser d’aquest organisme , com diu la nota de premsa que signen Lluís Maria de Puig, President de l’Assemblea parlamentària, Miguel Angel Moratinos, que presideix en aquest moment el Consell de ministres i Terry Davis, el seu Secretari General. “El Consell ha ajudat a reconciliar un continent després de dècades de divisió ideològica“.

Joint statement by Secretary General Terry Davis, PACE President Lluís Maria de Puig and Committee of Ministers Chairman Miguel Angel Moratinos

Strasbourg, 4 May 2009 – In the first sixty years of its existence, the Council of Europe has helped to reconcile a continent after decades of ideological divide, created a Europe-wide court in which individuals can seek protection of their human rights, outlawed the death penalty in Europe, and produced an arsenal of more than 200 international treaties to defend and extend the Council of Europe values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Political stimulus is provided through a Parliamentary Assembly which also elects the organisation’s most important officials through an open and competitive vote. Grassroot democracy is cultivated by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

From the ten founding members in 1949, the Council of Europe today has 47 member states – all the European countries with one exception . The last remaining State will hopefully soon embrace the Council of Europe values and join the all-European family.

The mandate of the Council of Europe has not changed, but the circumstances in which we operate have changed dramatically. Technological, scientific, political, social and economic developments have brought about new opportunities, but also new threats to democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The mark of the Council of Europe is a combination of robust and practical legal cooperation with strict respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms combined with positive measures to promote tolerance, dialogue and understanding between people. That is how the Council of Europe has responded to threats such as terrorism, organised crime, trafficking in human being, sexual exploitation of children, cybercrime, violence against women and other threats to individuals and societies as a whole. The new generation of Council of Europe conventions is open to countries from other continents, and we are determined to improve our cooperation with the European Union, the OSCE, the United Nations and other partners in Europe and beyond.

In a week’s time, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will meet in Madrid to commemorate the important Anniversary which takes place this year and to chart the priorities for our future work. We have no doubt that the Council of Europe will be up to the task.