CM Chairmanship - United Kingdom
United Kingdom passes Chairmanship to Albania
23 May 2012 - The 122nd Session of the Committee of Ministers was held in Strasbourg under the chairmanship of William Hague, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom. The meeting concluded the six months of UK Chairmanship of the Committee, centred chiefly on seeking means to guarantee the continued effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights system.
At the close of the meeting, after having presented a stocktaking of his Chairmanship, Mr Hague handed the Chairman's office over to Edmond Haxhinasto, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Albania, who then presented the priorities for his country's six months in the Chair. (more...)
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague today stressed the determination and political commitment of his government to drive forward essential reforms of the Court of Human Rights during the British chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers.
Speaking shortly before the official handover from present chair Ukraine, Mr Hague said that human rights were central to UK foreign policy and an overarching theme for the chairmanship. The UK – a founding party to the European Convention on Human Rights - would broker a wide consensus on reform of the Court of Human Rights.
"We have a long tradition in the UK of protecting fundamental rights and freedoms, therefore we want the court to operate effectively and concentrate on the most serious human rights violations," he said, adding his concern that the court had been too ready to substitute its own judgments for that of national courts.
He also stressed his support for the principle of EU accession to the European Convention of Human Rights, but warned that negotiations within the EU would be needed to get it right from the start.
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland welcomed the start of the UK chairmanship.
Priorities of the UK Chairmanship
Committee of Ministers website
Photo Gallery
Press stand-up - video recording
Reference sites
- UK delegation to the Council of Europe
- Committee of Ministers
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom
"Global conversations"
Chairmanship
- Priorities of the Chairmanship
- Stocktaking of the Chairmanship
- Cultural programme
- Photo gallery
- Previous Committee of Ministers' Chairmanships
The United Kindom and...
- the Council of Europe
- the Parliamentary Assembly
- the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
- the European Court of Human Rights