Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 November 2022
187. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline Ireland's impact on the recent decision by the Council of Europe to hold a fourth summit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58502/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland assumed the rotating Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in May at a point of profound challenge for the organisation as it responded to the invasion of Ukraine and consequent expulsion of the Russian Federation as a member state.
In signing the Treaty of London in 1949, Ireland was amongst the ten states to found the Council of Europe. Since then, the Council has held just three Summits - in 1993, 1997 & 2005 - each marking a point of significant change for the organisation.
On assuming the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, I argued that the magnitude of the crisis now facing our continent demanded that leaders of the Council's 46 member states convene for a fourth time to reaffirm our collective commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Over the subsequent months, we set about securing support for that call and detailing a strategic agenda on which a Summit might focus. To guide that work, I backed the Council’s Secretary General in first establishing an independent High Level Reflection Group, of which our former President Mary Robinson was ultimately elected chair. Its recommendations, presented to the Committee of Ministers in October, provide a blueprint for institutional renewal. These will shortly be complemented by a second related report, prepared for the Council’s Parliamentary Assembly by Senator Fiona O’Loughlin, head of the Oireachtas’s delegation in Strasbourg.
Political investment will ultimately be key to delivering on these reports’ vision and the Council of Europe's future. In that context, on 7 November, in the final week of our term, I was delighted to secure agreement within the Committee of Ministers to the convening of a Summit and to join the Icelandic Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir in confirming that it will be held in Reykjavik next May.
At a time when our values are threatened, the Summit presents a critical opportunity to reinforce democracy, human rights and the rule of law across our continent. Having initiated the process, we are committed to supporting the Icelandic Presidency on the road to Reykjavik and to ensuring the Summit’s success as an enduring legacy of our Presidency term.
