Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd, who also holds the country’s rotating presidency, emphasised on Sunday the importance of the Strasbourg-based institution on its 75th birthday.
Thanks to the Council of Europe, democracy, human rights and the rule of law were re-established in Europe 75 years ago, Amherd wrote on Sunday. The institution represents a “successful attempt” to rebuild the continent after the devastation of the Second World War, she said.
+ A day at the Council of Europe, with Swiss delegates
In 2024 however, Europe’s security and prosperity are particularly threatened by the Russian war against Ukraine, Amherd went on, adding that if Europeans want their political, economic and social model to remain influential, they must be committed to defending the values that Europe has helped to shape.
The members of the Council of Europe reaffirmed this core task at a summit in Reykjavik last year. The anniversary is therefore also a moment for self-confidence and optimism, Amherd said: after all, the history of the Strasbourg body shows that “the most difficult situations” can give rise to something promising for the future.
Switzerland is therefore also committed to the organisation, and with the candidacy of former government minister Alain Berset as Secretary General, Bern is reaffirming its attachment both to the institution and to “a rules-based, democratic and peaceful Europe”, Amherd said.
Adapted from German by DeepL/dos
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