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Priorities of the Latvian Presidency
of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

(17 May – 15 November 2023)

In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Council of Europe was founded to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. As Europe’s leading human rights organisation, it has upholded a rules-based order on our continent. 

Russia’s unjustified and brutal aggression against Ukraine is a threat to peace and security in Europe. It undermines the existing rules-based international system and the core values the Council of Europe and its Member States. Therefore, more than ever, it is important for Europe to unite around the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. 

Latvia will assume its second Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at a critical juncture. The primary task of the Latvian Presidency will be to launch the implementation of the decisions taken at the Fourth Summit of the Council of Europe. Given the unique expertise this Organisation has accumulated over the years, it must provide all necessary support to UkraineRussia’s accountability for its crimes committed against Ukraine will be high on our Presidency’s agenda, including the call for a special tribunal on the crime of aggression, and establishment of a register of damages as part of compensation mechanism.

We will work together with other Member States to strengthen the political role, impact and visibility of the Council of Europe. While implementing the existing strategic priorities of the Council of Europe and initiatives introduced by the previous Presidencies, the Latvian Presidency will highlight the following thematic priorities

  1. Strengthening of democracy and the rule of law. 
  2. Promotion of freedom of expression, safety of journalists and digital agenda of the Council of Europe.
  3. Advancing reforms of the Council of Europe, including through implementing the decisions of the Fourth Summit.

While facilitating these thematic priorities, youth and civil society participation in democratic processes, as well as gender equality will be promoted.

 

  1. Strengthening of democracy and the rule of law

Latvia has always been a strong advocate of the values and principles enshrined in the legal instruments developed under the auspices of the Council of Europe, including the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. For more than half a century, this Convention and its Protocols, as well as rulings of the European Court of Human Rights have helped the Member States to improve domestic legislation and practice.  Often the Council of Europe Member States engage in the execution of judgments process, yet require guidance in the choice of means that would better address the inconsistencies with provisions of the Convention found by the Court. The Latvian Presidency will further explore the role of national courts in the execution of rulings of the European Court of Human Rights by organising an international conference for judges of Constitutional and Supreme Courts.

Latvia devotes particular importance to the rule of law through an effective functioning of justice system. One of its pillars is efficient organisation of work of the national judiciary. In order to exchange the expertise among Member States, Latvia will organise an informal conference of European Justice Ministers in support to resilience of Ukrainian judicial system at the time of war and post-war reconstruction.

The crucial role of education and youth in promoting democracy and the rule of law will be addressed at the 26th Session of the Standing Conference of European Ministers of Education. Conference “The Transformative Power of Education: Universal Values and Civic Renewal” will focus on the renewal of the civic mission of education, education in times of crisis and digitalisation, and the use of artificial intelligence in education. In addition, the Summer University of the Management Committee of the European Youth Policy University will be organised in Latvia to increase public understanding of the role of youth in strengthening democratic values ​​and civil engagement.

The Latvian Presidency will promote the right to a fair trial at an international conference “Rights to a fair trial in the hearings of anti-doping cases”. Member States will have an opportunity to analyse the progress in the implementation of the respective Council of Europe recommendations.

Corruption and money laundering cause threats to democracy and the rule of law, therefore financial ecosystem in Europe must be further strengthened. The conference “Future of Anti-Money Laundering: Building Resilience in the Evolving Financial Crime Environment” will gather experts from financial institutions, law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies to share best practices on managing and mitigating AML risks.

In light of the comprehensive work carried out by the Council of Europe for development and application of human rights-based responses in mental health care, the Latvian Presidency will address the protection and promotion of the autonomy and dignity of persons in mental health care. The international conference “Promoting person’s autonomy in mental health care” will share practices aiming to promote the autonomy of persons, including children and adolescents, with mental health conditions relevant to prevention, support and care. It will raise awareness and provide tools for application of human rights-based responses in mental health care services.

In order to strengthen the good governance at local government level, the initiative “European governance excellence mark” will be implemented in Latvia for the first time.

 

  1. Promotion of freedom of expression, safety of journalists and making headway with the digital agenda of the Council of Europe

Media freedom is a fundamental pillar of any democratic society. As the cornerstone of free expression and a basic human right, it must be respected and protected by all countries.  Unfortunately, there are alarming trends and challenges, including increasing censorship and suppression of independent media, information manipulation conducted by government-affiliated actors, harassment and violence against journalists.

Media freedom and the safety of journalists, including in the digital environment, is a long-standing priority for Latvia. Therefore, Latvian Presidency will work together with the Council of Europe to promote the protection of journalists and media professionals, including during conflicts and wartime. We will promote media and information literacy while addressing disinformation and illegal content online. These topics will be discussed at an international conference on freedom of expression and safety of journalists in digital age.

There is also a need to address the questions about impact of new technologies in our daily lives. Applications powered by artificial intelligence are developing faster than our ability to understand their societal, political and economic impact. It must be ensured that applications meet standards of protection of human rights and that they do not infringe on democratic processes of our societies. In that respect, experts’ discussion on the human rights and societal impact of post-social media technologies will be organized.

The Latvian Presidency will contribute to the work of the Council of Europe in the area of artificial intelligence by supporting the ongoing negotiations on the framework convention on artificial intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. 

 

  1. Advancing reforms of the Council of Europeincluding through implementing the decisions of the Fourth Summit

The current geopolitical situation not only demands a strong and effective response, but also provides an opportunity for changes of the Council of Europe as an organisation. The Fourth Summit of the Council of Europe will seek ways for the Organisation to become more impactful, efficient, responsive and resilient to external challenges. The Latvian Presidency will launch the process of the implementation of the Summit’s decisions.

The current working methods of the Council of Europe, especially those of the Committee of Ministers, no longer correspond to the standards of openness and transparency of the 21st century. We should modernise the existing operational practices and make the Council of Europe more accessible and visible to the outside world. The civil society and youth should be involved in the policy discussion processes in order to improve the quality of the Council of Europe decisions. The Latvian Presidency is committed to increase the transparency of the work of the Committee of Ministers.

The Latvian Presidency will support the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General to increase the mobility of the staff and to improve the communication of the Council of Europe in order to increase its visibility.

More on Agenda see here:

Date

Place

Event

25-26 May Riga

Meeting of the Presidential Committee, Meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly and Meeting of the Standing Committee of the PACE with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs

26 May Riga

Conference "Ensuring good governance in local municipalities: challenges and solutions"

Video recording of the Conference

29-31 May Riga

Expert conference "The sense of contemporary architecture in heritage preservation"

1-2 June Riga

109th meeting of the Bureau of the Steering Committee for Human Rights

15-16 June Riga

Conference "The Nicosia Convention: a criminal justice response to offences relating to cultural property"

27-30 June Riga

2023 European University on Youth Policies – Summer University of the CDEJ

11 September Riga

Informal conference of Ministers of Justice

11-12 September Riga Conference "Partnerships for Democracy, Development and Peace"
14 September Strasbourg

Informal discussion “Human Rights and societal impact of post-social media technologies”

21 September Riga

Conference "The Role of the Judiciary in Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights"

28-29 September

Strasbourg

Standing conference of European Ministers of Education "The Transformative Power of Education: Universal Values and Civic Renewal"

3 October Riga

Conference “Right to fair process in anti-doping proceedings”

5-6 October

Riga

Launch of the Council of Europe Campaign for the Safety of Journalists and Conference “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword? Meeting today’s challenges to freedom of expression and the safety of journalists”

6 October Riga

Meeting of the Government Agents before the European Court of Human Rights

21 October Riga

Expert discussion "Stories that cross borders: Shaping European drama series co-production"

6-7 November

Riga Conference “Future of AML: Building Resilience in the Evolving Financial Crime Environment”
14 November Riga

Conference "Promoting person's autonomy in mental health care"

Cultural Programme

31 May-21 June

Strasbourg Exhibition "The Nature and Architecture of Latvia"

31 May-21 June

Strasbourg Activity "Travel Latvia in Strasbourg"
13 June-30 September Strasbourg

Exhibition "Letters written on birch bark in Siberia"

20 June

Strasbourg

Concert of the choir "STARO" and a photo exhibition
9 July

Strasbourg

Transmission of the gala concert of XXVII Nationwide Song and XVII Dance Festival

1-30 September

Strasbourg Photo exhibition on 100 years of Latvian history
October

Strasbourg

Latvian children's books in French, the Media Library of André Malraux
October

Strasbourg

Concert of the choir “STARO” and a photo exhibition, the Council of Europe
1 October-15 November Strasbourg Exhibition of the Puppet Museum of the city of Liepaja, the Media Library of André Malraux
15 November Strasbourg The Presidency handover concert in cooperation with Liechtenstein, the Council of Europe