§ Mr. PlaskittTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements are being made to commemorate the 50 Anniversary of the Council of Europe in London on 5 May; and if he will make a statement. [82997]
§ Ms QuinMinisters of Council of Europe Member States and guests from Strasbourg have been invited to a ceremony in the Palace of Westminster on 5 May at which my hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor will make a keynote address on the importance of the Council of Europe. Her Majesty The Queen will grace a reception at St. James's Palace, where the Council of Europe's Statute was signed 50 years ago on 5 May 1949. The Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra will give a concert in the Barbican Centre on 4 May in the presence of HRH Princess Alexandra,
The United Kingdom is an active member of the Council of Europe which plays a valuable role in promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. The Council of Europe has helped to set the standards which must form the basis of a stable modern Europe. In recent years, it has played a vital part in fostering these values in the newly democratised States of Central and Eastern Europe and in providing practical assistance to help them achieve the standards to which all Council of Europe members are committed. The Council of Europe is also contributing its expertise to the efforts of the international community to restore peace and stability in the Balkans.
The Council of Europe, through the legally binding mechanisms of the European Convention on Human Rights and the newly created Single Court, has set the pattern and standard for the protection and promotion of human rights in Europe. The work of the Council in 260W promoting the protection of the rights of members of national minorities is particularly vital to the development of the region and the well-being of its citizens.
The United Kingdom has been active in the work being done to follow up the report of the Committee of Wise Persons, set up after the Council's second Summit in 1997, to enhance the Council of Europe's ability to address the key threats to democracy and fundamental freedoms in Europe today.
As a signal of the importance that the United Kingdom attaches to this, Her Majesty's Government has put forward a candidate, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill (Mr. Davis), for election to the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, which falls vacant at the end of August.