Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić took the floor at the opening of the Fundamental Rights Forum 2024 “Rights in motion – Embracing human rights for Europe’s future” in Vienna.
She lauded the excellent co-operation between the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the organiser of the event, and the Council of Europe: “At a time when extreme nationalism and populism, anti-rights movements, and new challenges to the way we live, all threaten the enjoyment of human rights, our determination and close working relationship remain vital. Together, we can better ensure that social, economic, and technological changes in our societies take our human rights forward. This is my understanding of what we mean when we speak about ‘rights in motion’.”
While in Vienna, the Secretary General also held bilateral meetings with the Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs, Alexander Schallenberg, and the Minister of Justice, Alma Zadić.
During her meetings, the Secretary General discussed the follow-up to the Reykjavík Declaration, the accountability for Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, challenges to human rights posed by artificial intelligence and environmental degradation, the forthcoming 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe, as well as other current issues on the Organisation’s agenda.
