Although no continent apart from Europe has ever developed such a strong system for upholding democracy and human rights, in parts of the Old Continent, democratic backsliding can be seen, the Council of Europe Secretary-General, Marija Pejcinovic-Buric has told the Croatian state news agency Hina.

She gave the interview ahead of the two-day summit meeting of heads of state and government of the Council of Europe that will start on Tuesday in Reykjavik.

The Council of Europe, established 74 years ago, has so far held only three summit meetings of this kind. The first one took place in Vienna, Austria, in 1993, the second in Strasbourg, France in 1997, and the last one in Warsaw. Poland in 2005.

“Summits take place when member states decide to hold one – often in light of significant geopolitical developments on our continent,” the CoE Secretary-General said.

“Russia’s brutal, illegal and ongoing aggression against Ukraine, set against a backdrop of democratic backsliding in parts of Europe, have meant that member states see the importance of a Summit now,” Pejcinovic-Buric said.

“It will agree to new measures for Ukraine, including ensuring accountability for Russia’s actions. The Summit will also consider measures to protect the rights of Ukrainian children affected by the war,” she says.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will represent Croatia at the gathering in Iceland.

Pejcinovic-Buric, a former Croatian minister of foreign and European affairs, served also as the deputy Prime Minister in the Plenkovic cabinet from 2017 to 2019 before she became the CoE Secretary-General.

Last month, she travelled to Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During her stay in Kyiv she said that the Council of Europe would stand by Ukraine as long as necessary.

“Since the beginning of the war of aggression last year, we have taken a range of measures to help the Ukrainian government and people. These include a joint Action Plan on Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction, assistance for Ukrainian refugees who have fled their country, and our support for the Ukraine’s Prosecutor General in the investigation of mass human rights violations.  All of this will continue,” she said.

“On top of that, we have new measures to ensure accountability, including the Register of Damage, which I discussed with President Zelenskyy.  We are also ready to play our part in any tribunal process that addresses the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Finally, we will take action to support children affected by the war.”

After Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, on 16 March that year the Committee of Ministers voted to expel Russia from the Council of Europe council with immediate effect.

“The Russian Federation does remain a party to some of our specific treaties open to third countries and it should live up to its commitments under these – for example, our Lanzarote Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, which is very relevant given the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia,” said Pejcinovic-Buric.

“Russia has now left the European Convention on Human Rights, but it is legally bound to execute relevant judgments made before it ceased to be party.  So, it should, for example, release Alexei Navalny.  Sadly, Russia is not cooperating on these matters, as it is obliged to do – much less executing important judgments.”

Nationalism, hate speech, climate change

According to Pejcinovic-Buric, the Reykjavik summit meeting will also address the issue of extreme nationalism.

She went on to say that “this is the right moment for European leaders to give a firm commitment to the values and standards that underpin the Council of Europe.”

“Human rights, democracy and the rule of law must be protected and promoted in the interests of every European at a time when extreme nationalism and anti-rights movements are threatening them.  More than this, our values must also be applied to the new challenges our societies face, including the rise of artificial intelligence and the existential threat posed by environmental harm and climate change.”

She also underscores that “no continent has ever developed such a strong system for upholding democracy and human rights.  We have a European Convention on Human Rights, interpreted by a European Court of Human Rights that has the force of law, and to which everyone in our member states has the ultimate right of appeal.  This – along with the range of tools and treaties that we have put in place to address specific challenges – amounts to a towering achievement.  People’s lives have been transformed for the better. ”

“But that achievement is at risk,” she says adding that democratic backsliding is commonplace in parts of our continent.

“Freedom of speech is being suppressed, with journalists subject to increased intimidation and violence, including murder. Freedom of assembly and association are under threat, with civic space shrinking.  Hate speech is on the rise. These are just some examples. Unfortunately, there are many more.”

Asked about her assessment about the state of affairs  in Croatia concerning the human rights , democracy, she answers that “every country has its challenges to overcome, so it is natural that Croatia is no exception.  Where issues are identified, through monitoring or Strasbourg Court judgments for example, we are committed to supporting Croatia to take action.”

Kosovo and Serbia

Last month, the Council of Europe  gave a greenlight to Kosovo’s membership of this organisation, after 33 member-states (that is two thirds) voted for the accession of the youngest European country to the CoE.

However, Serbia does not recognise the independence of Kosovo and is opposed to its admission to the CoE. Therefore, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has said that he will boycott the summit meeting in Iceland.

Pejcinovic-Buric did not want to comment on Serbia’s response.

“The application for accession to the Council of Europe was received a year ago and, last month, it was sent to our Parliamentary Assembly, which will prepare an opinion. Our Committee of Ministers – our member states – make the ultimate decision on membership, while, at this point, it has not changed its status-neutral position.”

Artificial Intelligence

Asked about her plans to run for another term at the helm of the CoE, she says that her focus focus right now “is the success of the Council of Europe 4th Summit and the unity of the member states. After the Summit, I want to oversee the implementation of the Leaders’ decisions, including in support of Ukraine.”

“I also look forward to further progress on our new conventions on Artificial Intelligence and on human rights and the environment.  These are defining challenges of our times and it is crucial that we address them.”

“Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve our quality of life in all kinds of ways.  Left unregulated, however, it also poses risks.  For example, the use of algorithms can decide what information we see online – or what is withheld from us – which could result in discrimination.”

“The Council of Europe has already developed tools that address some of the issues around AI and we are at work now on a general, transversal treaty that will be designed to help governments move forward with AI in a way that enhances our democracies and does not undermine human rights.”

“The European Convention on Human Rights, the foundation of our standards, is designed to apply to all aspects of life on our continent. Europe’s societies are changing fast, so what we need to do is to apply our standards to these new circumstances.  We can do that, and we are doing that.

“The need to set standards, to monitor their implementation, and to cooperate on progress will remain, and I am confident that the Council of Europe will meet that need,” she concluded.