Michael P. Kitt
Question:56 Mr. M. Kitt asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the enlargement of the Council of Europe; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4956/95]
Written Answers. - Council of Europe Enlargement.
The Preamble to the Statute of the Council of Europe, adopted in 1949, states that "it is necessary forthwith to create an organisation which will bring European States into closer association".
For 40 years the division of Europe ensured that this association was limited to the States of the western part of Europe only but the momentous events of 1989 provided an historic opportunity to make a reality of the preamble and construct an organisation of all European States. Since that time we have seen the organisation grow to its current membership of 34 States. Almost one-third of this number is composed of the democratic States that have emerged from the collapse of communism. Seven others, including Russia, have applied to join.
The Government welcomes this development. We believe that the enlargement of the Council of Europe to embrace the new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe is one of the most important contributions which can be made towards underpinning the stability of the countries concerned and, ultimately, of the Continent as a whole.
The Council of Europe is now engaged on the task of entrenching its norms and values in these States, with the aim of creating a common political and legal culture throughout the whole of Europe. This is one of the major challenges for the remainder of the century. The successful accomplishment of this process requires the strongest possible commitment on the part of the Council of Europe's older members.
I believe that we need to reassess our priorities for the organisation. We need to acknowledge that the process of enlargement may require substantial change in the overall orientation of the council which for so long has been focused on the established democracies of the western part of Europe. We need to identify those areas where the Council of Europe can be of most assistance to the new States and, where necessary, increase activities there. We need to regularly review the programme of assistance to assess the extent to which they are helping to promote reform and target them more effectively, where required.
However, if the Council of Europe is to make an effective contribution to the stability of the Continent it is essential that its standards are not compromised by the process of enlargement. Therefore, I welcome the new procedures which have been introduced to monitor member states' compliance with their accession commitments. However, it is important that these procedures are used constructively to identify problem areas and assist the new member states to overcome shortcomings.
At the Council of Europe Summit in Vienna in October 1993 Heads of State and Government concluded that the Council of Europe was the pre-eminent European political institution, capable of welcoming on an equal footing and in permanent structures, the democracies of Europe freed from communist oppression. They agreed that, for that reason, the accession of those countries to the Council of Europe was a central factor in the process of European construction based on the organisation's values. Ireland fully shares these views and will continue to work actively to assist the Council of Europe through its enlargement process to contribute to the consolidation of peace and stability on the Continent.