On 25 April 2023, the Head of the Directorate of Security Policy and International Organisations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Janis Zlamets, informed diplomats from foreign embassies in Riga about Latvia’s upcoming chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe (CoE) for the period from 17 May to 15 November 2023.
Latvia will take over the chairmanship of from Iceland at the end of the CoE Summit of Heads of State and Government to be held in Reykjavik on 16-17 May. The agenda of the Latvian chairmanship will consist of three components: launching the practical implementation of decisions taken at the CoE Summit of Heads of State and Government and going forward with the existing strategic priorities; current issues on the CoE’s agenda; and the implementation of national priorities.
Jānis Zlamets then outlined the three national thematic priorities that the Latvian chairmanship intends to highlight:
- strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Europe, in particular, by asserting the authority of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and an effective enforcement of its judgments;
- strengthening of freedom of speech, the security of journalists and the digital agenda of the CoE;
- promotion of CoE reforms, including the implementation of decisions to be taken at the upcoming CoE Summit of Heads of State and Government scheduled for this May.
Jānis Zlamets underlined that Latvia expected the CoE summit meeting of its member states to pledge unwavering support for Ukraine, with a special focus on the CoE’s expertise in order to establish Russia’s international accountability for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Many Latvian institutions that are involved in the day-to-day work of the CoE in line with their competence will contribute to the implementation of the chairmanship. 17 thematic events are planned in Riga and Strasbourg, including an informal Conference of Ministers of Justice and a Conference of Ministers of Education, as well as a conference organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ombudsman’s Office and the CoE on freedom of expression and the safety of journalists. Further details of the chairmanship events will be available on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as from the beginning of May.
Background information
The Council of Europe, established in 1949, is the oldest political organisation in Europe and now has 46 member states, comprising almost the entire European continent. The aim of the Council of Europe is to establish a common area of respect for and protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Latvia joined the Council of Europe in 1995.
This will be Latvia's second chairmanship since accession to the organisation. During the six-month term of the chairmanship, the Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs will chair the work of the CoE Committee of Ministers and represent it at the organisation’s key events and sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
