Council of Europe Summit in Warsaw

WARSAW The Council of Europe will seek to redefine its role in the face of an ever-widening enlargement of the European Union when government leaders and heads of state meet here at a two-day summit starting Monday.

With democracy and the rule of law firmly established in the 25-member EU, the continent's first pan-European political organization now acts mostly as a human rights watchdog. But with the EU planning to establish its own human rights agency, the council, based in Strasbourg, is asking political leaders to clarify its mandate.

The Council of Europe was created in 1949 - originally to oversee the democratization of Western Europe after the end of World War II and to standardize member states' social and legal practices.

It is still the only European body where former Soviet countries such as Moldova or Azerbaijan can be heard.

Council of Europe Focus on Human Rights

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The Council of Europe will seek to redefine its role in the face of an ever-widening enlargement of the European Union when government leaders and heads of state meet here at a two-day summit starting today.

With democracy and the rule of law firmly established in the 25-member EU and improving rapidly in the countries waiting at its doorstep, the continent's first pan-European political organisation now acts mostly as a human rights watchdog.



But with the EU planning to establish its own human rights agency, the Strasbourg, France-based Council of Europe is asking political leaders to clarify its mandate.

"There must be no double standards, no new dividing lines in Europe. The European Union should not duplicate our work but use the experience, institutions and instruments of the Council of Europe," said Rene van den Linden, chairman of the Council's Parliamentary Assembly.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are among the 46 leaders - each representing a Council of Europe member state - taking part in the summit at Warsaw's Royal Castle.

France will be represented by Foreign Minister Michel Barnier; Britain is sending Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is attending for Russia.

The Council of Europe was created in 1949 - originally to oversee the democratisation of western Europe after the end of World War II and to standardise member states' social and legal practices.

On the summit's agenda will be the massive backlog of cases at the European Court of Human Rights, which is directly supervised by the Council, and the signing of three new treaties on fighting terrorism and human trafficking.

The treaty on the prevention of terrorism calls on all European countries to stop terror groups from recruiting new members, to improve extradition and mutual assistance arrangements, and to ensure that victims of terrorist attacks receive government compensation.

A second treaty on the financing of terrorism urges member states to curb money laundering and ensure quick access to information on assets held by criminal organisations, including terrorist groups.

The third treaty aims to combat human trafficking and ensure the protection of victims' rights.