European Commission

On May 5, 1949, Ireland , Belgium , Denmark , France , Netherlands , Luxembourg , Norse , Sweden , Italy and Britain in London Signing of the Council of Europe Regulation formally establishing the organization. The European Commission is headquartered in France Strasbourg , in Paris Has an office.

47 Member States (May 2007) : Ireland , Austria , Belgium , Iceland , Denmark , Germany , France , Netherlands , Liechtenstein , Luxembourg , Malta , Norse , Portugal , Sweden , Switzerland , Cyprus , SAN Marino , Türkiye , Spain , Greece , Italy , Britain , Finland , Hungary , Poland , Bulgaria , Slovenia , Republic of Lithuania , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Estonia , Romania , Andorra , Moldova , Albania , Latvia , Ukraine , Macedonia , Russia , Croatia , Georgia , Azerbaijan , Armenia , Bosnia and Herzegovina , Serbia , Monaco , Montenegro . besides America , Canada , Japan , Mexico and Vatican Five European Committees Council of ministers An observer State. In addition, Canada, Mexico and Israel Or the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Observer state .

Its purpose is to protect the primacy of human rights, parliamentary democracy and rights in Europe; A Europe-wide agreement to harmonize national social and legal behavior; To promote the unity of European culture.

By reviewing major issues of common concern to all member States other than defense, promoting the signing of conventions and agreements and making recommendations to the governments of member States, the European Commission seeks to take unified action in the political, economic, social, human rights, scientific, technological and cultural fields, and often expresses its views on major international issues.

The criteria for membership must be European countries that practice pluralistic democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. In addition, member states must sign the European Convention on Human Rights ".

Speaker of the Parliament: Peter Schieder (Austrian), elected in January 2002 as the 22nd Speaker of the Parliament for a one-year term (renewable for two terms).

President of the Conference: Rik Daems. ^[4]

Vice President of the Assembly: Peter Tolstoy, Russian, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma. ^[5]

Former Secretary-General: Walter Schwimmer (Austria), elected in June 1999 for a five-year term.

Current Secretary General: Maria Pejichnovic Bridge, Croatian, elected in June 2019 for a five-year term. ^[6]

France Strasbourg . With offices in Paris.

Address: Conseil de l 'Europe 67075 Strasbourg Cedex France

The flag is a blue canopy ringed with 12 gold stars. The meeting song is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Chinese ballad Ode to Joy "Overture.

English and French , is also used by parliamentary meetings German , Italian and Russian Act as Working language .

Forum, quarterly journal, English, French, German and Italian; Catalogues of Publications of the Council of Europe, annual journal.

By the end of 2000, the Council of Europe had adopted 178 conventions or agreements. Among the more important legal documents are: European Convention on Human Rights (1950), European Social Charter (1961) European Convention on Social Security (1972), European Convention on Culture, European Protection Wild animals and plants And the natural environment convention, suppression terrorism Convention (1977), European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987), European Tax aspects mutual Administrative assistance Convention (1988), Framework Convention for the Protection of Human Beings from Biomedical Harm (1990), Convention on the Localization of Migrants Frankfurt Declaration (1991), the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities (1994), the Convention on Illicit Trafficking by Sea (1994), the new revised European Social Charter (1996), the Treaty on Human Rights and biomedicine (1997), the Criminal Convention on Corruption (1998), the Convention on Criminal Corruption (1998), and the Convention on the Protection of National Minorities (1994). Civil Convention on Corruption (1999), on objections Racial discrimination Protocol No. 12 (2000) on all forms of discrimination European Convention on Human Rights ").

The Member States of the European Commission hold summits from time to time. 1993 Congress of Vienna The Vienna Statement on the protection of national minorities and the reform of human rights institutions was issued. The year 1997 Strasbourg The conference adopted a political declaration and a programme of action, emphasizing the values of democracy and human rights and reaffirming the role of the European Commission in maintaining stability in Europe. The third meeting will be held in Poland from 16 to 17 May 2005 Warsaw Hold.

On 8-9 October 1993, the Council of Europe responded to the President of France Mitterrand The initiative in Vienna The first summit meeting was held. All of the 32 member states, with the exception of the United Kingdom, Greece and Hungary, were represented by heads of state or government. Asked to join the group Russia , Albania , Belarus , Croatia , Macedonia , Moldova , Latvia , Ukraine Representatives were also invited to attend. The meeting focused on the changes in the European landscape Former Soviet Union The "building of democratic politics" and the protection of the rights of national minorities, and adopted the Vienna Declaration.

On October 10-11, 1997, the second Summit of the Council of Europe was held in Strasbourg, France. This is since... The Commonwealth of Independent States For the first time since the accession of Eastern European countries, the presidents or prime ministers of 40 member countries attended the summit. The final declaration and action plan issued after the meeting called for building Europe into a "freer, more tolerant and more just society" and proposed the establishment of a new Europe-wide human rights court European Social Charter Concrete action plans such as strengthening cooperation in the field of combating terrorist activities. On the question of the role of the Council of Europe, the Western European countries emphasized the role of the Council of Europe in the development of human rights standards, while the CIS and Eastern European countries, led by Russia and Ukraine, hoped that the Council of Europe would play a greater role beyond human rights. During the meeting, the French president Chirac Chancellor of Germany Kohl and President of Russia Boris Yeltsin They agreed to establish a mechanism for leaders of the three countries to meet regularly to discuss issues of common interest.

The highest decision-making and executive body, consisting of a representative of each member state (usually the foreign Minister), meets twice a year. There is a Council of Ministers' Representatives, composed of one permanent representative (at ambassadorial level) from each member state, to deal with day-to-day affairs. The chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers rotates among the representatives of the Member States.

Advisory body with debating power but no legislative power. A plenary session is held each year in January, April, June and September or October. At present, there are 315 members and 315 alternate members, who will be replaced by alternate Members when Members are unable to attend the meeting for any reason. All parliamentarians and alternates are elected by the parliaments of the Member States on the recommendation of their own parliamentarians. The number of recommended persons varies according to the size of the country. In January each year, national parliaments confirm their recommendations to the Commission. The MPS are divided into five groups: the Socialist Group, European People's Party Group, Freedom, Democracy and Reform Group, European Democrats Group and European United Left Group, as well as independent parliamentarians. A mixed committee (which coordinates the work of the Parliament and the Committee of Ministers), Standing committee (meeting at least twice a year to represent Parliament when it is not in session) and 10 special committees; Some specialized committees have sub-committees, such as the Committee on Political Affairs, which has a sub-committee on relations with non-Member States. The Parliament shall have a Speaker, who shall be elected by the members for a term of one year and may be re-elected twice. The current Speaker is Rene van der Linden (Dutch, member of the People's Party), who took office in January 2005.

These include the offices of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, the Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Secretariat of the Parliament, the Secretariat of the Assembly of local and regional Authorities, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, European Court of Human Rights The Secretariat, three divisions (Communications and Research, Strategic Planning, Protocol) and six General Divisions (Political, Legal, Human Rights, Social Solidarity, Education, Culture, Heritage, Youth and Sport, and Administration and Logistics). The General Secretariat consists of a Secretary-General and a Deputy Secretary-General, both of whom are recommended by the Committee of Ministers and elected by the Parliament for a term of five years, renewable. The current Secretary general is Terry Davis (British national, Socialist), who took office on 1 September 2004.

On 26 June 2019, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elected Croatia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Maria Pejcic Brich, as the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe, replacing former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland.

The Court was established in 1950 as required by the European Charter of Human Rights. At that time, the Human Rights Commission and the court were composed of two parts, and the cases received were first considered by the Commission and then referred to the court for judgment. In 1993, the European Commission Summit decided to merge the two bodies and make them permanent; At the 1997 Summit, it was decided that, with effect from November 1998, a single European Court of Human Rights Each member State may propose one candidate for appointment as a judge by vote of the Parliament. The European Court of Human Rights can receive complaints directly from citizens of member States. Any Member State of the European Commission and its residents (including those who do not have the nationality of a Member State of the European Commission) may bring an action against a Member State of the European Commission before the Court. The Court shall have a President and two vice-presidents elected by the plenary session of the Court for a term of three years, renewable. The current president is Luzius Wildhaber (Swiss national), who took office on 1 November 1998 and was re-elected on 1 November 2001 and 1 November 2004.

It is composed of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and his office. The Commissioner is elected by Parliament for a non-renewable six-year term to promote education and human rights in the member States of the European Commission. The current Commissioner for Human Rights is Thomas Hammarberg, Sweden He took office on 1 January 2006.

Established in January 1994, it is an advisory body of the European Commission, whose purpose is to promote local and regional autonomy, assist Member States in strengthening local and regional democratic institutions, enhance cooperation between local and regional regions, and ensure the participation of local and regional groups in the European Association process and the work of the European Commission. The Assembly is divided into regional and regional assemblies, with 315 deputies and alternate deputies, and meets in Strasbourg once a year in plenary session. Representatives are appointed by each government from among the elected public officials of the country, and representatives of the houses of local authority are usually mayors and municipal senators. A Standing committee is set up under the Congress to handle daily affairs. The General Assembly shall have a President, who shall be elected by the General Assembly alternately among the representatives of the two houses for a term of two years, which cannot be renewed. The current president is Giovanni Di Stasi (Italian, Socialist), who took office in May 2004.

In addition, the Commission has a development bank, a North-South Centre, European Youth Centre The European Committee on Democracy and Rights.

Council of Europe and the European Union ( European Economic Community Relations are close, and the parliaments of the two organizations meet in joint session once a year. In September 1995, the Council of Europe adopted two reports, one on the accession of the European Union to the Convention on Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and the other on the position of the Council of Europe on the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference of the European Union, calling on the European Union to amend it Maio It recognizes the role and achievements of the Council of Europe in defining the legal, judicial and democratic standards of European society.

On 1 April 1998, the UK Presidency of the European Union assumed responsibility for European affairs Secretary of State Andreessen, European Commissioner van den Broek, European Commission Council of ministers State Minister Schaefer of Germany and Secretary General of the European Commission Tartsis are present Strasbourg The Quartet held a meeting to discuss issues such as strengthening mutual cooperation, the EU's eastward enlargement process, and jointly advocating cooperative security with the OSCE. The meeting stressed the need to strengthen the relationship between the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and European Parliament It is proposed that quadripartite meetings of the two organizations should include parliamentary representatives of the EU and the Council of Europe.

On February 10, 1999, Council of the EU German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Verheugen, Commissioner van den Broek of the European Commission, Permanent Representative of Hungary to the Council of Ministers of the European Commission Bereni, Secretary-General of the European Commission Tartschis Strasbourg Holding the 13th Quadrangle meeting, affirming the positive significance of the EU's eastward enlargement, which will bring prosperity and stability to the European continent; Exchange of views on Kosovo; Consultations were held on the establishment of a Charter of Fundamental Rights and Duties.

Presidency of the Council of the European Union since 14 March 2000 Portugal Costa, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Commissioner of the European Commission Chris Patten European Commission Council of ministers Rotating chairman Ireland State Minister Jeter and Council of Europe Secretary General Schwimmel, meeting in Strasbourg, said the two organizations should work together to avoid violations of democracy, the law and human rights. The two sides expressed concern over the Chechnya issue and, while reaffirming their respect for Russia's territorial sovereignty, called on Russia to resolve the conflict peacefully, guarantee freedom of the press and uphold human rights. The two sides also stated that they will further strengthen cooperation in the region of Southeast Europe, affirming the European Commission's commitment to the implementation of the" Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe "In the goals of the contribution.

On April 3, 2001, Council of the EU The rotating presidency of the Swedish Prime Minister's Office responsible for European Union and international affairs Danilson, European Commissioner Chris Patten President, Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe Latvia State Secretary Riekszinsch and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Schwimmel were there Strasbourg The four-party meeting was held, and the Statement of Partnership and Cooperation was issued, proposing to jointly promote democracy and stability in the region and cooperate in promoting human rights; Stressing the importance of maintaining stability in South-Eastern Europe, the arrest of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milosevic The action was welcomed and urged South with International Court of Justice in The Hague Full cooperation. The EU also informed the European Commission of the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the EU Summit in Stockholm.

On 20 November, Ms. Neitz-jotbroek, Minister-level Assistant for Foreign Affairs of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Commissioner of the European Commission Chris Patten European Commission Council of ministers Chairman Foreign Minister Valio of Lithuania Nice And the Secretary General of the European Commission, Schwimmel Brussels A quadripartite meeting was held and a joint opposition was proposed in order to strengthen international cooperation terrorism Make a contribution. The two sides also discussed Russia, Ukraine, the South Caucasus and the eastward expansion of the European Union.

Since May 1992, when Russia formally requested to join the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe has discussed the question of its admission on various occasions. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution in February 1995 in support of European Parliament The resolution called on the EU not to ratify the "Partnership Agreement" with Russia and decided to suspend consideration of Russia's membership in the Council of Europe for the time being, while stating that it would continue to maintain dialogue and contacts with Russia through different channels and continue to implement the "intergovernmental assistance program" aimed at strengthening "democracy and human rights" in Russia.

In April 1995, the Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe met Strasbourg Met with the Russian Foreign Minister and reiterated their hope for a speedy resolution Chechen crisis Russia also reiterated its desire to join the Council of Europe. On January 25, 1996, Russia was admitted as the 39th member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. At the same time, the Council of Europe has imposed many conditions on Russia, in addition to requiring it to comply with the rules laid down by the Organization European Convention on Human Rights It is also required to ratify the Convention on the protection of national minorities within one year of full membership and, from the date of full membership, to postpone the execution of the death penalty, to abolish it within three years, to improve prison conditions, to place prisons under the administration of the judiciary, to resolve the conflict in Chechnya by peaceful means, to ratify the extradition convention, to honour its disarmament commitments, to return property belonging to some member States, and so on.

On 28 September 1999, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Johannes Joneston, issued a statement saying that the Council of Europe was concerned about the violent conflict in Chechnya and supported Russia in opposing it terrorism But asked it to stop blind air strikes to avoid civilian casualties and urged Russia to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner. On November 4, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted resolution 1204, calling for an end to Russian military strikes in Chechnya and a ceasefire. On December 13, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe issued a statement warning that if Russia does not achieve a ceasefire, it will consider whether to continue to allow Russia to participate in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

On 6 April 2000, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe was presented Strasbourg Make a decision that Israel and Russia will not stop at Chechnya The Russian parliamentary delegation's right to vote in the Council of Europe was suspended. In the first half of 2001, the Council of Europe restored Russia's voting rights, but on 28 June and 12 July, Lord Joneston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Schwimmel, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, issued statements expressing dissatisfaction with Russia's handling of the Chechen issue and its actions, urging Russia to resolve the issue through political means. He said frequent exchanges between the European Commission and Russia would help to rein Russia in. From September 13 to 16, a delegation of Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and members of the Russian State Duma visited Chechnya North Caucasus Members of the Council of Europe reiterated the need to find a political solution to the Chechen problem.

In April 2014, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe passed a resolution revoking Russia's voting rights and other rights on the grounds of the Crimea issue. ^[7]

On June 30, 2017, Russia decided to suspend its contribution until the Council of Europe "unconditionally" restores all the legal rights of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). In June 2019, the parliamentary Assembly fully restored the rights of the Russian delegation. The Russian delegation began to resume normal work. ^[8]

On April 11, 2019, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ^[13] A resolution was passed calling on Russia for the first time to form a delegation and pay its dues. ^[3]

On January 29, 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted in plenary to approve the restoration of the full competence of the Russian delegation. Among them, 96 lawmakers supported the restoration of the Russian delegation, 44 voted against and 7 abstained. ^[9]

On February 25, 2022, the Council of Europe announced that it had decided to suspend Russia's representation in the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers and Parliamentary Assembly as a result of Russia's military action against Ukraine. ^[11]

On March 10, 2022, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Russia will no longer participate in the Council of Europe in the future, and Russia does not intend to continue to tolerate the subversive practice of the West to replace international law with its own order. ^[12]

On March 15, 2022 local time, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Peter Tolstoy On social media, Russia decided to withdraw from the Council of Europe, the Russian foreign minister said Lavrov The relevant letter was sent to the Secretary-General of the Organization. ^{[14, 15]}

On March 16, 2022, the Council of Europe officially announced the exclusion of Russia from the organization. ^[16]

On March 24, 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the closure of the Permanent Representative Office of Russia to the Council of Europe. ^[17]

On February 16, 2023, the Russian State Duma terminated the Charter of the Council of Europe in Russia. In addition, 21 treaties signed between Russia and the Council of Europe have also been terminated. ^[19]

In the late 1970s, China began to establish ties with the Council of Europe. The two sides have mutual contacts. In February 1979, Koster, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, visited China. In October of the same year, the Chinese Ambassador to France attended the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as a Chinese observer. In September 1980, he became Vice Premier and Foreign Minister of The State Council Huang Hua He was invited to address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

In October 1985, President Arens of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe visited China. In May 1988, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted the Report on Economic Relations and Cooperation between Europe and the People's Republic of China, requesting the member States of the Council of Europe and the People's Republic of China European Community We will give China more preferential treatment, expand the scope of the GSP for China, allow more Chinese products to enter the European market, and support China's return General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade . From May 11 to 19 of the same year, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Louis Jung led a parliamentary delegation to China. From 27 March to 2 April 1994, President Martinez of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe led a delegation to China at the invitation of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China. In September 1995, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Danielle Tartsis, led a delegation to Beijing to attend the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women.

June 18-19, 1998, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Jiang Chunyun He led a NPC delegation to pay a friendly visit to the Council of Europe. From April 16 to 22, 1999, at the invitation of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Lord Russell Joneston, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, led a delegation of eight members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to pay an official goodwill visit to China. In August 2001, Director General de Jonge of the External Relations Department of the European Commission visited China. Vice Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in September Li Shuzheng He led a delegation to visit the Council of Europe and met with its President and Secretary-General.

Newspapers and magazines often refer to "the European Commission" as "the European Commission", which is not accurate. The European Commission is an independent body and must not be confused with the European Commission.

European Union There are "4" institutions: European Commission , European Parliament , Council of Europe , European Court of Justice . European Commission It is equivalent to the "government" in Europe, but its functions have not yet developed to the stage of government. The EU has an embassy in Beijing, and the links between China and the EU are also government-to-government. Council of the EU It is a body made up of each country sending a minister to the EU headquarters. The ministers' job is to represent their country's interests when the Council is discussing specific issues. European Court of Justice It was founded by the Italian jurist Gralangieres, and the constitution of the court was drafted as a result of it. European Parliament There are two stages in its development. The first stage of the European Parliament is composed of members of the national parliaments of the European Union. The second stage is elected by universal suffrage in member states. But there are problems. After all, Europe is still divided into different countries, and it is difficult for residents of one country to know much about other candidates. This makes universal suffrage very difficult. You may not have noticed an expression like this: European Commission Proposed vote of the European Parliament. This shows that EU sovereignty has not been fully transferred from the Commission to the Parliament. That is because the EU is a work in progress. Its guiding ideology is clear, but its concrete approach has not yet reached its ultimate goal. The EU, as Mr Uri once said, is still only a "reception unit".