Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 16-17 May 2005)

Extract from the Action Plan

We, Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the Council of Europe, meeting in Warsaw on 16 and 17 May 2005, have outlined the following action plan laying down the principal tasks of the Council of Europe in the coming years.

I - PROMOTING COMMON FUNDAMENTAL VALUES: HUMAN RIGHTS, RULE OF LAW AND DEMOCRACY

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3. Strengthening democracy, good governance and the rule of law in member states

We will strive for our common goal of promoting democracy and good governance of the highest quality, nationally, regionally and locally for all our citizens and pursue our ongoing fight against all forms of totalitarianism.

We decide, within the existing structures of the Organisation as a whole, to:

- establish, a Council of Europe Forum for the Future of Democracy to strengthen democracy, political freedoms and citizens’ participation, keeping in mind inter alia the conclusions of the Barcelona Conference on 17-19 November 2004. It shall be open to all member states and civil society, represented by policymakers, officials, practitioners or academics. It shall enable the exchange of ideas, information and examples of best practices, as well as discussions on possible future action. The Forum will act in close co-operation with the Venice Commission and other relevant Council of Europe bodies with a view to enhancing, through its reflection and proposals, the Organisation’s work in the field of democracy;
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