The Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states will hold their annual session on 17 May 2024, in the context of the organisation’s 75th anniversary.
The agenda will include the measures which the Council of Europe is continuing to take in response to the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, implementation of the Reykjavik Declaration (adopted at the Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2023) and the adoption of a Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
The ministers will review the organisation’s work in areas such as human rights, including social rights and children’s rights, democracy, the rule of law, the fight against the death penalty, education and culture, the participation of civil society and young people, human rights in the digital age, migration and trafficking in human beings, the protection of journalists and measures to counter disinformation, antidiscrimination and inclusion, gender equality and the environment. They will also discuss co-operation between the Council of Europe and the European Union.
At the end of the ministerial session, Liechtenstein will hand over the presidency of the Committee of Ministers to Lithuania. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein, Dominique Hasler, will take stock of her presidency. The Lithuanian Prime Minister, Ingrida Šimonytė, will present the priorities of her country’s presidency.
On 16 May, the Foreign Ministers will take part in a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.
Photo gallery: 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe
Photo gallery: Committee of Ministers Session
