29th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, 20-22 October 2015)

Address by Mr Igor CRNADAK, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bosnia and Herzegovina

20 October 2015

Mr President,

Distinguished members of the Congress,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is with particular pleasure that I address your plenary session here today on behalf of the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As you already know, this is the first Chairmanship of my country since its accession to the Organisation. I am pleased with the results we have achieved over the past five months and am very enthusiastic about the events still to take place at the end of October and beginning of November, which will bring our Chairmanship to what I hope will be a successful closure. 

Since this is the first and only time I have the pleasure to address you in my capacity as the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, I will use the opportunity to recall briefly the events which are still to take place under the auspices of the Chairmanship. Firstly, as we speak today, a very important event is taking place in Sarajevo - a Conference on the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Prevention of Violence against Women, particularly Domestic Violence, or the so-called Istanbul Convention. The Istanbul Convention was originally conceived as one of the main priorities of our Chairmanship, but when the idea was tabled, we thought in the terms of promotion of the Convention. That was barely two years ago. Today, however, we are well into the implementation phase. This fact speaks volumes on the significant work done by the Council of Europe and by those countries who were its main proponents in promoting the Convention. I can proudly say that Bosnia and Herzegovina was one of them.

Another important event still to be held under the Chairmanship of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Council of Europe Exchange on the Religious Dimension of Intercultural Dialogue, which will take place on 2 and 3 November 2015 in Sarajevo, and which will include influential and high level participants from the religious communities of Europe, civil society, multilateral organisations and government officials. The conference will be attended by the Secretary General, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly and the President of the Congress. I wish to take this opportunity and thank your President Mr Jean-Claude Frecon for supporting the conference with his participation. The conference will deal with the issue of “Building inclusive societies”. I need not mention the importance of local and regional communities in fostering inclusiveness, therefore I have no doubt you will take careful note of the results of this Conference.

At the Ministerial Session in Brussels on 4 and 5 May , which marked the beginning of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Chairmanship, the Committee of Ministers adopted a political declaration and a three-year action plan on the fight against violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism. One chapter of the action plan – to prevent and fight radicalisation through concrete measures in the public sector, in particular in schools and prisons, and on the Internet – is particularly focused on action at the local level. From this perspective, the Congress’ “Guidelines to combat radicalisation and manifestations of hate at grassroots level” are an invaluable and complementary document to the Committee of Ministers Action Plan. For local authorities have a crucial role to play in this area.  They clearly have the expertise and understanding at local level which is essential in reaching persons vulnerable to radicalisation and also with a view to empowering and mobilising local communities in this process.  

In addition, the ministers adopted the first set of legally-binding international standards to help tackle so-called "foreign terrorist fighters”. These standards are contained in the additional Protocol to the Council of Europe's Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. Incidentally, this Protocol will be open for signature at an event which will be held in Riga, Latvia on 22 October 2015 – one of the closing events of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s six month Chairmanship.  Therefore, the process of establishing the international legal ground to tackle the issue of foreign terrorist fighters has been fully realised during the past six months. We are proud of that fact. Naturally, I will attend the event and sign the Protocol in person on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The overarching theme chosen for your sessions this year is “Local Responses to Human Rights Challenges – Migration, Discrimination and Social Inclusion”.  This aptly highlights major challenges currently faced by all our societies and which must be a priority for all levels of government.  In this respect, I would like to first inform you of the most recent developments within the Committee of Ministers related to these areas and subsequently address a couple of other issues of direct relevance to the Congress.

Much has already been said with regard to the unprecedented flow of refugees which Europe has witnessed these last months.  And much more will probably be said in the coming weeks and months.  In a first instance, as Chair of the Committee of Ministers, I should like to pay tribute to the huge efforts and solidarity provided by so many local authorities in cities, towns and villages, with a view to providing a dignified welcome to the refugees arriving on our Continent.  The majority of these have fled war, terrorism and human rights violations.  They are weak and vulnerable, having undergone arduous journeys. They need compassion.  They also urgently need practical assistance in the form of accommodation, food and medical care.  And it is the local and regional authorities who bear the greater burden in this respect.

Unfortunately, these pressures are unlikely to relent in the near future as the numbers of refugees arriving is likely to continue to rise.  It is not an easy situation, but has to be dealt with to ensure that each man, woman and child on European territory is guaranteed enjoyment of his or her fundamental rights, like any other citizen.  

Given the gravity of the situation, the Committee of Ministers for its part held an in-depth discussion on the issue last month.  The debate gave rise to a number of decisions.  In particular, the Committee underlined that addressing the crisis is a responsibility for all member States and called on them to intensify their efforts.  It reiterated the obligations falling to the member States under the various international legal instruments, and in particular the European Convention on Human Rights, with regard to the protection of refugees and asylum seekers.  The Committee welcomed the initiatives by the Secretary General to help member States to address the current crisis and emphasised the importance for the Council of Europe to work, in its areas of competence, in close co-operation with other relevant international organisations.  The Committee of Ministers also welcomed the activities planned by the Organisation to assist in areas such as improving reception conditions, fighting people smuggling and trafficking in human beings as well as measures to promote anti-discrimination and inclusion. 

Ladies and gentlemen, there is a general mobilisation to tackle the current crisis.  However, the situation, as you know, is complex and will not be solved in the short term.  There is no quick fix.  It is therefore important that together – at all levels of government and in all institutions of this Organisation – we continue to uphold our common European values, however difficult the situation.  In this respect, the Committee of Ministers will follow closely your debate on Wednesday, and any subsequent activities in this area to ensure that we work together in synergy.

The work of the Congress in the promotion of social inclusion and non-discrimination is of course a long standing and long term objective of the Council of Europe.  One which is more pertinent than ever, not least in the light of a growing fragmentation of society, a worrying rise in anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and hate speech as well as high levels of disinterest and even sometimes discrimination towards certain vulnerable groups of society.  There is also the risk that this growing intolerance in our societies will be exacerbated by the current refugee crisis when it is seen as a further pressure on public services and resources. 

Social inclusion calls for a multi-faceted approach as it includes economic, social, political and cultural aspects.  To this end, an action plan on building inclusive societies is currently under consideration by the Committee of Ministers.  This action plan focuses on three main areas: education, combating intolerance and anti-discrimination and support for effective integration policies.  Again these are ambitions which require us all to pool our resources, our expertise and our specific competences to work towards more cohesive, while culturally diverse, societies.  The proposal that this year’s European Local Democracy Week take the theme “Living together in multicultural societies: respect, dialogue and interaction” is once again a good example of complementary action.

More specific issues such as fighting the increasing poverty of women and the protection of children’s rights in times of austerity – which will be discussed during your session this week – are also important questions to address in pursuing social inclusion.  The financial and economic crisis and the resulting austerity measures have undeniably had an impact on public resources and services. It is therefore crucial to remain vigilant to the needs of more vulnerable groups of persons such as children.  The effects of austerity on children is a factor which will not be neglected in the new Strategy for the Rights of the Child, currently being prepared and which should encourage member States to give particular attention to child poverty and social exclusion.  Similarly, certain categories of women, such as single mothers, the working poor or low-income pensioners call for particular attention in order to ensure their full access to economic and social rights, but also civil and political rights. 

The importance of the European Social Charter as a key set of minimum standards to safeguard the rights of families and children is of course particularly relevant in times of economic austerity and special attention should be given to the follow-up of the conclusions and decisions of the European Committee of Social Rights in this respect.

I would refer to one last element with regard to social inclusion which is of course the need to maintain and intensify efforts with regard to the integration of Roma.  Discussion will soon take place within the Committee of Ministers on the Secretary General’s Thematic Action Plan on the inclusion of Roma and Travellers.  In this respect it is encouraging to see the proposal to bring the management of the “Alliance of Cities and Regions for Roma Inclusion” closer to the operational activities of the Special Representative of the Secretary General’s Roma Support Team, whilst remaining under the competent stewardship of the Congress.  The aim is of course to increase the Alliance’s outreach which must be welcomed as it is an excellent example of the value of concrete and practical initiatives at the grassroots level. 

On 1 and 2 December 2015, the first new dialogue event with Roma organisations will also take place.  The Congress will certainly have a role to play in this context, given its expertise in a number of the themes to be discussed such as anti-Roma hate speech, Roma and the police and forced evictions.  This is an area where the competences and commitment of local and regional authorities are primordial.  Finally, I would like to inform you that the Committee of Ministers has also recently agreed in principle to the creation of a European Roma Institute for Roma Arts and Culture, the definitive name of which is still to be decided.  

Ladies and gentlemen, assisting member States in strengthening local and regional democracy is a highly valued part of the work of the Congress.  I would therefore like to commend your contribution to the action plans that are prepared with a view to assisting member States in reforming democratic processes, as well as strengthening the rule of law and human rights protection. The most recent action plan adopted for Armenia is an example of concrete synergies that can be created between the various bodies of the Council of Europe.  A complete chapter of this action plan is devoted to local democracy and the Congress’ contribution will be crucial to its success. The same has been demonstrated with regard to the Action Plan for Ukraine, which, as you know has a very strong local democracy component. 

Finally I should like to congratulate the Congress on its commitment to promoting the participation of youth delegates in your session and in debates concerning youth participation and active citizenship.  The voice of the younger generation must be encouraged – it can be enlightening and innovative and thus bring a most valuable contribution to deliberations.  Youth has been one of our Chairmanship’s priorities and as such we have had the pleasure of hosting a number of conferences on youth related matters such as youth mobility and measures to combat radicalisation, on the “no hate speech” campaign and also on youth policy and the social inclusion of youth in south-east Europe.  These have been fruitful events which, I hope, will be followed by others. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Europe today is at a turbulent juncture in its history.  It is unsettled and in constant movement.   There are many questions being asked, many challenges being thrown at us - and the answers to these are not always easy to find, and even if found, even less easy to implement.  However the raison d’être of the Council of Europe – which is to protect our fundamental human rights, our democratic processes and the rule of law – remains unchanged.  But to succeed, we do require innovation, creativity, determination and most importantly a real belief in the common values which we seek to uphold.  If we have that belief, we can – together – continue to strive to create the type of European society to which we all aspire – one which is thriving, inclusive, tolerant, open and diverse and where the rights and dignity of each individual are guaranteed.

I am sure that the Congress, like the Committee of Ministers, will continue to work towards this ideal.  I wish you continued success in your valuable work. 

Thank you for your attention.