Events

Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will pay an official visit to Brussels. Several high-level meetings are on the agenda with:

• President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen;
• European Commission High Representative and Vice-President in charge of co-ordinating the external action of the European Union Josep Borrell Fontelles;
• European Commission Vice-President for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová;
• European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders;
• European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi.

The Secretary General and the Commissioner Várhelyi will inaugurate two major co-operation programmes between the European Union and the Council of Europe for the promotion of rule of law and fundamental rights:

• Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III 2023-2026;
• Partnership for Good Governance (PGG) III 2023-2026.

Marija Pejčinović Burić will also take part in the high-level debate “Why did we create Europe, as we know it today, in the first place?”, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) together with Executive European Commission Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager and the representative of the Belarusian democratic opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Giuseppe Zaffuto, tel. +33 6 86 32 10 24; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Standing Committee (*) of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), will bring together around 60 of the Assembly’s members.

After the opening of the meeting by PACE President Tiny Kox, the President of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) Jan Anthonie Bruijn and the Vice-President of the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) Tom van der Lee will deliver welcoming addresses.

A special event will commemorate 75 years since the Congress of Europe in The Hague, with an exchange of views with Franc Weerwind, Minister for Legal Protection in the Netherlands, and Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić. Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will also take part in the session.

On the #RoadToReykjavik: ahead of the Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government that will take place in the Icelandic capital on 16-17 May, the participants will hold an exchange of views on the future of the Organisation with President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek and other guest speakers (to be confirmed).

During the meeting, parliamentarians are also due to debate reports on European solidarity in the context of asylum and international protection; on Cultural Routes as platforms for intercultural dialogue; on promoting online education and research across national borders; and on innovative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

(*) The Standing Committee, which acts on the Assembly’s behalf between plenary sessions, is made up of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, the chairpersons of political groups, the chairpersons of national delegations and the committee chairpersons, totalling some 60 parliamentarians from the Council of Europe’s 46 member States.

Special page - More information - Draft agenda

Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 3 88 41 33 35

27 February, Geneva (Switzerland)

Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will participate (by video message) in the High-level segment of the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council.  

Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, tel. +33 6 86 32 10 24

28 February, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing two judgments concerning Romania.

More information - ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

1 March, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will hold a Grand Chamber hearing in the case of Humpert and Others v. Germany (9.15 am).

This case concerns the sanctions imposed on the applicants, teachers with civil-servant status, for going on strike in order to improve their working conditions.

More information - ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

1 March, The Hague (The Netherlands)

Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will participate in the Civil Society Summit on the Council of Europe Reforms (CURE).

Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89

2 March, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 91 judgments and/or decisions concerning Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

More information - ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

3 March, The Hague (The Netherlands)

Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will participate in a round table on “The Role of men and boys in stopping gender-based violence”.

Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89