Following the conclusion of the 130th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Alternate Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Miltiadis Varvitsiotis presented the “Declaration of Athens”,
a political and legal text of principles to protect democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the context of a pandemic. It was approved by the overwhelming majority of Council of Europe member states and is the legacy of the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe for generations to come.
Furthermore, Mr Varvitsiotis announced the establishment of an Observatory for History Teaching in Europe.
The Session of the Committee of Ministers culminated in the attendance of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who thanked Mr Varvitsiotis and congratulated him on the successful Greek Chairmanship which, due to the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, was held digitally (e-Chairmanship) for the first time in the history of the institution.
“This ‘e-Chairmanship’ may have been dictated by circumstances, but has already proven a useful experience and a valuable tool for the countries that will succeed Greece in chairing the Council. We have found a new way to cooperate. And this, combined with the Declaration of Athens and the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe, is a positive, tangible contribution to the Council's ongoing work”, stressed Mr Mitsotakis.
In reference to the Declaration of Athens, the Prime Minister underlined that it reinforces Treaty of Rome. “At the time, the objective was to consolidate democracy and the rule of law. The need at present is to address new, global challenges. Challenges that, sadly, are accelerating and coming to a head with unforeseeable consequences. However, I believe that today, 70 years later, we are better prepared to face the challenges of the present and the future”.
Following the conclusion of the Session, the Alternate Minister and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, made joint statements, during which Mrs Burić praised Mr Varvitsiotis for the well-organised Greek Chairmanship.
During his statements, Mr Varvitsiotis stressed that the Greek Chairmanship resorted to new modes of communication in response to the challenges of our times. As he noted, “this is the first e-Chairmanship in the history of the Council of Europe, having successfully organised over 100 digital events to date and covering approximately 70 hours of material in total, which led to the adoption of very important conclusions”.
As regards the Declaration of Athens, the Alternate Minister highlighted that, while complete unanimity was not achieved due to the narrow-minded approach of certain states, particularly with regard to women's rights, the importance of the Declaration is nevertheless not diminished. “The Declaration of Athens enjoys the support of the overwhelming majority of Council of Europe member states and concerns the way in which democratically organised societies must address such pandemics: through proportionate measures that must undergo continual scrutiny and enjoy democratic legitimacy”, he added.
With respect to the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe, Mr Varvitsiotis spoke of an independent organisation that will oversee or assist member states that wish to raise matters relating to history teaching at their schools, not to alter the nature of history. “Because”, in his words, “historical knowledge always helps us feel more confident about the past and the future and identify elements that could cause tension in the future”.
Finally, after addressing the dilemmas facing a modern democratic government and modern democratic governors during a pandemic, as presented earlier by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mr Varvitsiotis announced the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the signing of the European Convention on Human Rights, to be held that afternoon at the Hellenic Parliament, with the President of the Republic as the keynote speaker.
November 5, 2020