Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge paid a working visit to Sweden on 23 February 2023. He met with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billström and members of Swedish delegations to the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities.

Discussions focused on the organisation´s crucial role supporting Ukraine as well as the need to strengthen democracies in Europe. The visit coincided with the Council of Europe marking the passing of one year since the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. At an extraordinary meeting on 24 February the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted a decision reaffirming the need for a strong and unequivocal international legal response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. It welcomed ongoing international efforts to ensure accountability for the crime of aggression and recognised the urgent need for a register to record and document evidence and claims for damage, loss or injury as a result of the Russian aggression. 

During his visit to Stockholm, the Deputy Secretary General also discussed the recently launched visibility project Council of Europe Days – Telling the CoEs story and how delegation members could raise awareness of the Council of Europe´s work in Sweden through concrete examples.