Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
The Council of Europe is made up of 46 member states, including Switzerland.
Keystone / Martin Ruetschi
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.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Русский
ru
Президент Швейцарии: «Совет Европы остро необходим»
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.
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
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
External Content
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Almost finished… We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you.
Deeply Read
More
Science
Switzerland says it can’t afford to take part in Copernicus programme
Swiss summit divides: neutrality under fire amid Ukraine conference
This content was published on
Leading figures in the Swiss Peoples' Party have argued Switzerland should not have hosted this weekend's summit without Russia.
This content was published on
Art dealers, collectors, and gallery owners from around the world wrapped up several multi-million-dollar deals at Art Basel.
Zelensky wants to ‘make history’ at Swiss peace summit
This content was published on
While Swiss President Viola Amherd spoke of modest objectives at the two-day Summit on Peace in Ukraine, her Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky was more proactive, saying he wanted to make history.
US announces $1.5 billion aid for Ukraine at Swiss peace summit
This content was published on
US Vice President Kamala Harris has announced more than $1.5 billion in aid in part for Ukraine’s energy sector and its humanitarian situation.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.