SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC AT THE SUMMIT OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE ,

STRASBOURG, OCTOBER 11, 1997

May I first - like my colleagues who have spoken before me - thank France and President Chirac for inviting us to Strasbourg to hold the second ever Summit of the Council of Europe. To convene this meeting now is most timely. The year 1997 may well go down in history as the year of the summits. But all these summits have had their important place and role in forging the new Europe, which we have seen taking shape during the last eight years.

The Amsterdam and Luxemburg Summits pave the way for deeper and broader European cooperation within the framework of the European Union. The NATO Summit decisions in Madrid laid the foundations for a new kind of European security cooperation and institutions, such as the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

The goal of our Summit is to strengthen democratic stability in Europe by promoting human rights and pluralist democracy throughout the Council of Europe area of common values.

As I have the privilege to be the last speaker from the current member countries of the Council of Europe, it might apposite to attempt to sum up what I think are the main points raised during the Summit.

Almost exactly four years ago in Vienna, the Heads of State or Government of the member countries stated that the Council of Europe was " the pre-eminent political institution capable of welcoming on an equal footing and in permanent structures the democracies of Europe, as soon as they had brought their institutions and legal systems in line with the basic principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights". In line with this undertaking the Council has since welcomed eight new member countries. All of us hope that the observer countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Georgia (who will speak after me) - will soon bring their institutions and legislation in harmony with the Council requirements so that they, too, would be able to join our ranks.

Moreover, it was underlined during the Vienna summit that the member countries were "resolved to ensure full compliance with the commitments accepted by all member States within the Council of Europe". This joint pledge brought about the development of the monitoring systems both within the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers.

Full compliance with the obligations of membership is the top priority of the Council of Europe. The raison d'être of the monitoring procedures is that they must lead to concrete results on the ground. This is a challenge which all of us should welcome, not as a burden but as an opportunity. Monitoring is a way to develop cooperation to support member countries in their efforts to reform their legal systems and institutions so that they comply with the requirements of the Council of Europe.

We all share the view that the European Court for Human Rights has been the centrepiece in developing human rights and their defence. The enlargement of the Council of Europe has created a new situation which calls for new solutions. This is what I had in mind when in January 1996 I made the proposal to create within the Council of Europe the new post of a Commissioner for Human Rights.

A year and a half later I am just as convinced that the time has come to create the Commissioner for Human Rights to meet the expectations of individuals and to give the human rights system of the Council of Europe added credibility, and a human face. The Commissioner for Human Rights would enhance the possibilities of the individual to assert his or her rights, an aspect which sometimes is forgotten when development of institutions is discussed. The Commissioner would also be a part of the monitoring system of the Council of Europe, strengthening the fulfillment of our undertakings within the framework of the Human Rights Convention.

I share the view that the importance of the question of minorities cannot be overrated. Violations of minority rights breed resentment, instability and even violent conflict, as we have seen throughout European history. Europe is a place where different linguistic and ethnic groups meet and mingle. This kaleidoscope of minorities is a richness not a threat, and should be a cause of pride for all of us.

The Council of Europe has a unique role to play on furthering minority rights. Four years ago in Vienna, the decision was taken to draft a Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorites - a task which now has been completed. In addition, there is the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages which was already drafted before the Vienna Summit.

We have the instruments. What me must now do is to put them in force and live up to them. The first thing to do is for all members of the Council of Europe to ratify these instruments. I urge my colleagues to urge their Parliaments to act, and act soon.

All our societies face serious challenges. Budget constraints have compelled our governments to modify or even drastically cut their social safety nets; unemployment still plagues many member countries, certainly it does my own country. Social cohesion is under strain with the persistence of poverty and social exclusion in many member countries. The sense of growing inequality can undermine the legitimacy of democratic institutions.

There is hence a special need to develop strategies of common responsibility. The Human Dignity and Social Exclusion Research Project, the final conference of which will be hosted by Finland in the spring of 1998, should point the way toward practical steps that would make a real difference in the daily lives of our peoples.

All those who spoke before me showed great confidence in what the Council can and should do. Consequently we are in few minutes time going to adopt a declaration and an action plan in which the tasks given to the Council are considerable. But are we also prepared to give the Council the necessary financial means to fulfil these tasks in our common quest for a juster, more inclusive and more caring Europe?

When Finland took over the Chairmanship of the Council about a year ago Foreign Minister Halonen expressed her strong belief in the need for additional resources for the Council. Her appeal is, unfortunately, just as timely today as it was a year ago.