© Michał Zajączkowski
As exclaimed by Dr. Machińska: “Standing beside the standards of human rights and the importance to protect them, became my life mission. The values we share in the Council of Europe were giving me the force of the argument in discussions with any regime. Still not many people is aware, that this organisation is a stronghold for the protection of human rights in Europe. On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, I would like CoE to be more visible among the citizens of its member states”.
In 1991, the Council of Europe became the most important organization integrating Poland into the community of democratic states, paving the way for EU membership. In that same year, Dr. Machińska organized the pilot Centre for Information and Documentation of the Council of Europe. The Centre eventually became the Council of Europe Office, which she headed until 2017. This project later became a role model for the Organisation in establishing similar centres. One of the first projects of the Centre, was the translation of CoE conventions and ECtHR judgments to Polish. The flagship training organised by Dr. Machińska also accelerated the Europeanization of the Polish justice system.
All her work regarding conferences and seminars, training courses, book publications, and the quarterly Bulletin of the Office of the CoE, was fundamental in preparing Poland for its accession to the EU. For her outstanding dedication to European values, she was awarded the Council of Europe Pro Merito medal.
The project “75 women in 75 years of Council of Europe history” is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe with the Council of Europe and the Permanent Representations of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
