As delivered by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Vice-President of the European Commission,

Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights,

Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Dear friends,

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Council of Europe and the Fundamental Rights Agency share a common outlook.

Both are committed to European standards in human rights –

And to removing the barriers that prevent people from benefitting from them.

This perspective underpins our excellent co-operation.

At a time when extreme nationalism and populism –

Anti-rights movements –

And new challenges to the way we live, all threaten the enjoyment of those 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”.

The themes addressed at this Forum are pressing and urgent –

And on each, the Council of Europe is hard at work.

Human rights and democracy go hand-in-hand –

And we recognise the need to move from “erosion to empowerment”.

Democratic backsliding can be found throughout Europe today.

One of its forms is the use and misuse of laws to limit legitimate protest and shrink civic space.

This is utterly wrong.

It runs contrary to the right to freedom of assembly and association –

Enshrined in Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights –

Which has the force of law in our member states –

Including the EU 27.

When European leaders met last year for our Reykjavík Summit, they reinforced this point –

Adopting 10 Reykjavík Principles of Democracy –

In which they “commit to supporting and maintaining a safe and enabling environment where –

“Civil society…can operate free from hindrance, insecurity and violence” –

This recognises that a flourishing civil society is necessary for a healthy democracy.

And now we are supporting our member states as they work to turn the tide on restricting it –

And all other forms –

Of democratic backsliding.

You are also right to address the need to create a socially and environmentally sustainable Europe.

The social rights laid out in the European Social Charter are of vital importance here.

When governments ensure that these rights are a reality, this provides equality, solidarity and dignity –

And our approach to supporting this will be further considered at a high-level conference in Vilnius, this July.

On the environment too, there are big milestones ahead.

For many years, we have been active in this area.

But we recognise that the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and the loss of biodiversity poses an ever-greater threat to human rights –

And we are now at work on new instruments in this field.

The same is true for ensuring rights-compliant digitalisation.

Again, we have a range of groundbreaking treaties.

Our Data Protection Convention – Convention 108 –

And its upgraded version, 108+ –

Our Cybercrime Convention and its Additional Protocols –

Which extend the hand of justice further into cyberspace –

And our range of tools on Artificial Intelligence –

Which will soon include our new Convention on AI and human rights, democracy and the rule of law –

The negotiations are at a crucial moment – this week.

And I call on all member and non-member states participating in the negotiations –

As well as on the European Union, to do their utmost to reach an agreement during the CAI meeting this week in Strasbourg –

So that the Convention can be finalised in time for our Ministerial Session on 17 May –

Made in Europe, this will be an open convention, that can be signed and ratified by countries around the world –

So that we can all harness the benefits of AI –

While upholding our rights, rather than undermining them.

This work – all of it – was endorsed by European leaders in the Reykjavík Declaration issued at our Summit last year.

They made clear their determination that our rights should apply to the world as it is today –

And we are now deep into the delivery phase.

Part of this must also be the EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights –

To help complete our continent’s human rights architecture.

I am happy that good progress has been made on this –

And hope that the EU will soon be able to complete the last outstanding steps that remain –

So that the package of instruments that we have agreed can be adopted.

Because it is in all our interests to work in harmony, as we seek the same ends.

This Forum is an opportunity to explore new ways in which this should be done.

And I wish you every success.