The Council of Europe
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
1 S considers that the Council of Europe's work has changed significantly since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which has led to an increase in urgent matters 1. S emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the principles of the rule of law, human rights, and women's rights 1. 2 SD argues that the delegation is very active and that the cooperation between the parties works very well 2. SD emphasizes that Turkey's lack of democratic vision is a weakness that the delegation has agreed to criticize 2. 3 M highlights the need to combat political prisoners and criticizes Putin's Russia for reviving the repressions of the Soviet era 3. M considers it important that Sweden and the Council of Europe continue to support the opposition in Belarus 3. M argues that Sweden has taken the initiative for a new sanctions regime against Russian individuals and organizations that oppress civil society and violate human rights 3. M emphasizes that the government supports millions of Russian war opponents through aid to human rights defenders and independent media 3. 4 MP safeguards the Council of Europe's role as an independent guardian of fundamental freedoms and argues that Sweden should be an active voice when rights are violated 4. MP considers that Sweden should be proactive in strengthening the legal protection for people in the wake of the climate crisis 4.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Mattias Jonsson (S)
Mr. Speaker! We have here a report on the Council of Europe's annual report from last year. I intend to give an overview of what has happened and what is happening regarding the Council of Europe. It is not entirely simple to briefly recount what is occurring within the framework of the Council of Europe's work. I will try to paint a picture of what we see but also of the shift that is occurring very rapidly and which affects the fundamental values in all of Europe. I will also mention some of the most acute crises that we in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are currently dealing with.
The changed global situation has had a direct impact and influence on the assembly's work. The parliamentary assembly, as most know, consists of 600 members from 46 European countries. We meet approximately every three months.
New crises, of which there are quite a lot, are picked up quickly and sometimes end up almost immediately on the agenda for the Europe session. Previously, we in the Council of Europe had a few urgent matters to handle at each session. They have now increased from two or three to around eight, as at the last session in April. That is more than a 50 percent increase compared to what was previously normal.
What has often been discussed has been Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey. But the development and the work for us in the Council of Europe has completely changed since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. From previously mainly concerning already known areas, the agenda has changed to include an increasing number of countries and crises, which have not been as easy to predict.
The situation in Azerbaijan has for some time been deeply concerning and has been the subject of several urgent debates. The country's lack of respect for the Council of Europe's statutes led to its participation in the assembly being questioned, which in turn caused Azerbaijan to itself withdraw from continued participation.
Georgia is another country that has been on the agenda. There, we have seen a rapid dismantling of democracy, which has led to the assembly temporarily depriving the country of its right to participate fully in the work until clear democratic criteria are met again in Georgia. Georgia no longer participates in the assembly's work either.
Mr. Speaker! In Serbia, the political situation is extremely unstable with large demonstrations and unrest, something that is closely followed by the Assembly. At the same time, Serbia is one of the countries that strongly opposes Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe.
There is also a concern regarding the developments in Central Europe. There, Hungary has drawn particular attention, for example, through the ban on pride parades. In the Western Balkans, the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly concerning.
Turkey is a recurring item on the agenda. The focus there has been the lack of respect for democratic principles and human rights. It remains very problematic, not least because they ignore judgments from the European Court of Human Rights regarding the release of political prisoners. In addition, the situation regarding the imprisonment of Istanbul's mayor has once again become a pressing issue.
Ukraine, of course, also continues to be at the center of much of the Assembly's work. The focus is particularly on accountability for war crimes and the Ukrainian children who have been taken away from Ukraine. A special working group and network have been established here to pool resources on these issues. The Council of Europe is now working, at the initiative of the Assembly, to establish a registry of damages for war crimes in Ukraine and to develop a mechanism for economic compensation.
Belarus is one of the few European countries that is not a member of the Council of Europe, but it is monitored by the Council from a human rights perspective. Since a decision in the Assembly, representatives from the Democratic Coordination Council have been able to participate in the work. During the January session, we had a meeting with the country's former Speaker regarding the regime's brutality. We can note that she has unfortunately been missing since March 25.
Mr. Speaker! The situation in Gaza has also been the subject of several urgent debates since the attack on October 7, 2023. Since both Israel and Palestine participate in the assembly's work – Israel as an observer and Palestine as a partner for democracy – the issue is constantly relevant and very important for us to raise.
The question of Greenland and information regarding the American administration's interest in the area is also on the assembly's agenda and is usually handled in committee work, but we also have bilateral meetings with Denmark on this.
Against the background of the serious developments, the Swedish delegation has intensified its work. We are working actively to ensure that Sweden's voice is heard in the assembly, especially in issues where the Social Democrats, the Moderates, and the Sweden Democrats have a clear consensus. This concerns, for example, the support for Ukraine, the defense of the principles of the rule of law, and the protection of human rights, women's rights, trade union rights, and so on.
The members of the delegation participate in more debates, and we also increase the number of bilateral meetings with like-minded delegations to build relationships and maintain good contact, despite a much more pressured schedule during the session weeks than we are used to from before.
At the last session, we had meetings, among others, with Denmark, Serbia's opposition, and Canada. Our presidium also participates at every session together with the Nordic-Baltic countries to strengthen cooperation in our region and to exchange information on how we can act jointly in different ways.
It is also worth mentioning that Swedish members have an unusually large number of special assignments in the Assembly. We are, for example, country rapporteurs for Poland, Armenia and Serbia. Furthermore, a Swedish member holds the role of general rapporteur for political prisoners.
Mr. Speaker! I have here tried to outline the shift that is currently taking place in the Council of Europe. In many countries, there is increased pressure on democracy. At the same time, there is a growing concern that previously stable structures are beginning to crumble. I have also wanted to highlight some of the most acute issues that we are currently handling. But I want to conclude with an important reminder.
Parallel to the acute crises, the assembly continues its work in its nine committees. Together, we produce over 100 reports every year, which in turn result in around 80 resolutions. They cover everything from foreign influence and corruption to the protection of journalists and lawyers, and on how we should safeguard human rights in connection with rapid technological developments, for example within AI and what impact that may have.
Common to all these efforts is that they defend Europe's core values – democracy, the principles of the rule of law and human rights – for the over 700 million people covered by the European Convention and by the European Court of Human Rights.
I would like to vote in favor of the proposal in the report.
Markus Wiechel (SD)
Mr. Speaker! Oh, how time flies! Now we stand here again to debate the year that has passed for the Council of Europe delegation. Just as Mattias Jonsson stated, many issues have been discussed, and it is almost impossible to mention everything. But I thought Mattias did a good job. Much is recurring, but much has also happened that is new. The year 2024 was also a bit special because the Council of Europe celebrated its 75th anniversary. This was done in several ways. Among other things, I and member Victoria Tiblom participated in the celebration in Rome. The delegation also held a very appreciated seminar with interesting invited guests.
This milestone also reminds us of the important work we all in the delegation contribute to, and just as Mattias mentioned, the Council of Europe adopts nearly 80 resolutions and recommendations every year, which is a very large number. It reflects the challenges the delegation and also Europe face. In addition, election observations are conducted, among other things, which are very important efforts to ensure fair and transparent election processes in our member countries.
Mr. President! We note with concern that several member states are having difficulty following the fundamental principles upon which the Council of Europe's statutes rest. Debates often revolve around this, and we face increased legitimacy problems when member states fail to comply with the European Court of Human Rights' decisions. This situation is, of course, a threat to the organization, not least to its credibility as Europe's foremost defender of human rights.
Mr. Speaker! During the year, the work has for the most part once again been about the war in Ukraine and Russia's various atrocities. We are also many who have repeatedly spoken out in favor of Ukraine and against the Russian aggression. Other current issues have also been addressed, but as I said earlier, it is difficult to mention everything here today.
Something I particularly want to highlight is that we, from left to right in the delegation, have criticized Turkey's recurring shortcomings in the application of the assembly's core values, not least the lack of democratic vision. There are obviously some differences between the parties in the Riksdag, sometimes small, sometimes substantial, but the Turkey issue nevertheless shows the delegation's strength when we are united on the important issues our work in the assembly is based on. This is very fine.
I would like to express my gratitude for being part of the delegation, which I appreciate very much. After quite a few years in the delegation, I have also noted that the work between the parties and between the members works very well.
Participating in the Council of Europe is both meaningful and significant. It does not only give us the opportunity to uphold the organization's purposes, such as democracy, human rights, and the principles of the rule of law, but it also allows us as members to learn and to develop personal networks that we can benefit from in our work here in Sweden. It is invaluable for us as Swedish parliamentarians and strengthens, as said, our work in Sweden, in Europe, and in many cases also in other parts of the world.
Mr. President! During the past year, our delegation has, as you know, participated in all sessions. We can be proud of our work in the committees and our participation in the various debates. We stand out as a very active delegation, and we definitely make our voices heard in the debates. Just as Mattias Jonsson mentioned, we have held a number of different meetings with interest groups and delegations from other countries, sometimes with people who do not think like we do, sometimes with like-minded individuals. In January this year, the delegation also held a very well-attended side event to honor the Swedish hero Raoul Wallenberg.
Mr. Speaker! It is our common responsibility to uphold and strengthen the work that the Council of Europe stands for. Let us therefore continue to work together for a stronger and more united future in Europe.
Let me finally thank everyone in the Swedish delegation for this year. I look forward to working with you again during the summer session in a couple of weeks.
Boriana Åberg (M)
Mr. Speaker! On Monday, I and my colleagues Marcus Wiechel and Mattias Johnsson interviewed the candidates who will represent Sweden in the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Other Inhuman and Degrading Treatment. The committee has an important task, especially in these times when dictatorial regimes throw their political opponents into prison without trial or with a trial where the outcome is predetermined.
Unfortunately, it rarely happens, if not never, that the committee against torture is allowed to visit the prisons in the countries that have political prisoners, even though it is the political prisoners who usually are subjected to the worst abuses and atrocities by both guards and criminal fellow prisoners.
At its core, one of the Council of Europe's tasks is to work towards ensuring that there are no political prisoners, as there should be no countries where the exercise of freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and freedom of association is punishable.
During 2024, a number of reports were processed and resolutions were adopted regarding political prisoners. They concerned well-known individuals such as Aleksej Navalnyj and Vladimir Kara-Murza but also thousands of others, unknown to us, who are in Russian and Belarusian prisons.
Winston Churchill's vision when the Council of Europe was formed was that the horrors of the Second World War and the ravages of fascism and communism would never be repeated. Unfortunately, that vision has not been fulfilled. 75 years after the formation of the Council of Europe, Putin's Russia is doing everything to surpass the repressions of the Soviet era. According to estimates made by Memorial, Russia's most respected human rights organization, which received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, there are at least 700 political prisoners in Russia. The total number of people who have been punished for expressing dissatisfaction with Putin's regime is a staggering 116,000 – 116,000, Mr. Speaker!
Furthermore, Memorial was banned by Russia's Supreme Court in December 2021. It was accused of violating the so-called agent law. During the trial, the prosecution claimed that Memorial had created a false image of the Soviet Union that "makes us ashamed of the Soviet past, instead of remembering its glorious history."
Just as during the Soviet era, when all criticism of the regime was punished, even the slightest hint of criticism of the war of aggression in Ukraine is punished draconianly. Youths who put up signs saying "No to the war" or quote the Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko are sentenced to long prison terms. In fact, there have been more political trials during Putin's fourth presidential term than there were during the three decades when Khrushchev and Brezhnev ruled the Soviet Union.
Putin's regime has also revived old KGB methods from the Soviet era: intimidating people into silence by locking them up in mental hospitals or forcibly taking their children. And just as in the Soviet era, all individuals who are unpleasant to the regime are portrayed as criminals, extremists, spies, lunatics, or traitors.
The situation in Belarus is similar. There, 1,600 people are imprisoned for having protested against Russia's war in Ukraine. They are held imprisoned under horrific conditions without the possibility of communicating with the outside world and without access to care or medical assistance. People are dying in Belarusian prisons.
Without an independent press, with dismantled civil society organizations and without the possibility for international journalists and observers to enter the country, it is very difficult to get information about what is happening in Belarus. Therefore, it is important that the Council of Europe and Sweden continue with the support for the country's opposition.
Mr. Speaker! The year 2024 was also the year when Putin's regime, following poisoning attempts, rigged trials, and inhumane prison sentences, killed Putin's foremost critic Aleksej Navalnyj.
The Council of Europe's report is titled Aleksej Navalny's death and the need to fight against Putin's totalitarian regime and its war against democracy. It is a very telling title that shows the connection between Russian internal repression and external aggression.
After Navalny's death, Sweden took the initiative to establish a completely new sanctions regime to act against the increasing political repression in Russia. The proposal was adopted by the EU in May 2024 and implies, among other things, that sanctions can be targeted at persons and organisations that repress civil society, violate human rights, and undermine democracy and the principles of the rule of law in Russia.
Mr. Speaker! I want to conclude with something positive. It was a proud and moving moment when Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is sentenced to 25 years in prison after giving a speech against Putin's war in Ukraine, stood before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and thanked us for our commitment, which contributed to his release through a prisoner exchange. He thanked for the joint efforts and for the common voice that our democratic countries had spoken with in the Council of Europe and other parliamentary assemblies.
In his speech, Vladimir Kara-Murza said that in the West we only see Putin, only the oppression, only the aggression, and only the official side. The other side is invisible. But there are millions of people in Russia who reject everything that Putin's regime stands for and represents, everything from the kleptocracy to the crimes against humanity. It is these millions of war opponents that the government supports through the aid to Russian civil society and the Russian human rights defenders and to independent media in and outside Russia. It is completely in line with the Council of Europe's resolutions.
Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank my colleagues in the Swedish delegation to the Council of Europe and move for the adoption of the proposal in the committee report.
Jacob Risberg (MP)
Mr. Speaker! I promise not to be particularly long-winded. But I must first comment on the fact that the Committee on Foreign Affairs is a committee that differs slightly from others. We have today's absolutely thinnest report and no reservations. Still, we stand here in the rostrum and debate this. I think it is fantastic. Not even the Committee on the Constitution, which had three significantly fuller reports, chose to debate them. I think it is a bit funny nonetheless and a bit symptomatic. We perhaps want to manage to say a few things before the onset of summer.
Mr. Speaker! The Council of Europe is one of Europe's most central institutions for protecting human rights, democracy, and the principles of the rule of law. The Council of Europe stands as the guarantor of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is a legal foundation that has provided protection and justice to millions.
We in Miljöpartiet safeguard the Council of Europe's role as an independent guardian of our most fundamental freedoms, and I believe there are more who agree with this. In a time when authoritarian forces are gaining ground, when the independence of the judiciary is threatened in certain member states, and when civil society's space is shrinking, the Council of Europe is more important than ever.
The work for human rights must not stop at mere gestures. The Council of Europe must receive sufficient resources and support from the member states to be able to act effectively. Here, Sweden has an obligation to be an active voice, not least when rights are violated within the Council of Europe's own framework, for example in Turkey where we see that political opponents and journalists are imprisoned and Kurdish voices are silenced.
Mr. Speaker! We also see that the Council of Europe is developing, albeit slowly, its work in new areas, for example, the impact of the climate on human rights. Sweden should also be leading here. The climate crisis is not just a question of the environment and global warming. It is also a question of justice, of access to water and food, of health and of dignity. Therefore, it is time to strengthen the legal protection for people in the wake of the climate crisis.
Mr. Speaker! In times of setbacks, we must defend what we have built. The Council of Europe is in no way a bureaucratic relic. It is a hope that justice shall prevail over power. Let us never compromise on the values it represents.
With that, I move for approval of the committee's proposal for a decision.
The deliberation was hereby concluded.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.