Dozens of European leaders will gather in Iceland on Tuesday for a rare Council of Europe summit. Among other things, they will talk about the situation in Ukraine.
Since the Second World War, the Council has been monitoring the rules and agreements that the countries have made about the maintenance and restoration of human rights in Europe. But those rules are under pressure because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The human rights organization has convened the leaders of the 46 member states for the first time in eighteen years. That would be necessary to “renew Europe’s conscience”. The summit in Reykjavik takes two days. In its almost 75 years of existence, the treaty organization has only held a summit three times before.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte travels on behalf of the Netherlands. He discusses with his colleagues how those responsible for the war against Ukraine can be punished and how justice can be done to that country. For example, work is being done on a tribunal and a damage register.
Russia and Belarus are the only countries not members
According to some, the European Convention on Human Rights, on which the Council of Europe relies, could also use an update. The leaders are thinking about adding the right to a clean living environment and protecting people from derailing artificial intelligence (AI).
Almost all of Europe is a member of the Council. Russia withdrew its membership last spring when it became clear that the other member states wanted to expel the country because of the war in Ukraine. In recent years, Russia has become less and less aware of the provisions of the Council.
Russia and its ally Belarus are now the only European countries not to be members. Member States must, among other things, listen to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Council of Europe is separate from the European Union and focuses mainly on harmonizing national legislation between the member states.
Ontvang meldingen bij belangrijk nieuws over de oorlog in Oekraïne
2023-05-16 06:42:46
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