Gougaud Aurelie Monday, 3rd October
S00115106
European Affairs: Impact of the Council of Europe
Before the courses of European Affairs, I had never heard of the Council of Europe. I knew that there were numerous institutions but I couldn’t quote them. After a few lessons, I could begin to get an idea about this institution. I think it is an international organization which works every day to the proper functioning of Europe. The CoE works in several areas through legal standards for “Democracy”, “Human Rights” and “Rule of law in member states”. Before studying in details the CoE, I thought that each countries put in place its owns laws, regardless of how other countries.
This institution was founded May 5, 1949 by the Treaty of London and involved 10 member states: Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. Currently, it is composed of 47 member states and the head office is located in Strasbourg (France), near the European Parliament. Since its inception, there have been many changes.
The 4th of November of 1950, the states signed the Convention for the Protectionism of Human Rights of the Council of Europe. It was a big step because with it, the CoE could ensure the protection of Human Right and it shows that the dignity of citizens is really important for the member states. The Convention was put into force in 1954.
The 8th and the 9th of October of 1993, the first summit of the CoE took place in Vienna. This has allowed the CoE to implement laws to protect minorities and to fight against all forms of intolerance. The 8th of December of 1955, the European Flag was adopted and became the emblem of the Council of Europe. In my opinion it is a big step because with this emblem, the cohesion of all member states is even more striking.
The 28th of April of 1983, the member states signed the protocol concerning the abolition of the death penalty. In my opinion, this protocol was a key achievement for the Europe. I think no human being, good or bad, doesn’t deserve such penalty. Indeed, some people in their own life don’t make the right choices and commit horrible things: lie, cheat, steal, murder...
Despite this, I remained convinced that any person, who has power or not, should be able to decide if somebody, has the right to live or die. Who can dare claim to have this power? Moreover, it is the ultimate sanction with no turning back...What would happen if we see that the person was not guilty?
In USA, the 22nd of September, a man received a lethal injection. He was convicted in 1991 for killing a white police officer following an altercation with a homeless. At that time, 9 people had demonstrated his guilty, but then seven of them were back on their statement. Many doubts hanging over the guilt of Troy. However, he was sentenced to death. I am glad to live in a country which doesn’t allow this kind of thing. But I know it is not the same laws all over the world.
In Europe, we are lucky to have this kind of organization which sets standards for many issues: racism, homophobia, disabilities, sustainable development, terrorism... I think the most important area is the Human Rights. In France, our quotation is “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” and, in my opinion these three words are a right for every human being. For example, if we take the example of the racism, the “ECRI” organization was set up by the CoE specifically to address this issue. But it is not easy because of the racist, homophobe groups which resisting the laws and trying to promote their ideals by any means. I believe that the work of the CoE is a struggle every day. Indeed, the organization must arrive to promote policies that need to be approved by members; it can be a great space for debate. Then they must be implemented, it takes time and a certain budget.
To conclude I would like to say that since its inception, I believe that the CoE has helped Europe to achieve great improvements in the social, legal, environmental... It is an essential organization for the proper functioning of Europe and the respect of citizens. He has faced many difficulties and I think it is not finished, because its main challenge it is to reach an agreement of all member states and to rally other European countries to its cause...