This highly esteemed position now being passed on to a Norwegian. The Norwegian foreign secretary Jonas Gahr Støre says that ‘Norway has always been a staunch supporter of the Council of Europe. We will continue to support the organisation as it now enters a period with a Norwegian at its helm. I would like to thank all those who have worked hard to promote Mr Jagland’s candidature’.
Norway - a non member of the EU - was one of the ten founding members of the Council of Europe, which is the oldest organization for unity and cooperation in Europe. It has a particular emphasis on legal standards, human rights, democratic development, rule of law as well as cultural co-operation. It has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens.
Modernization needed
“The Parliamentary Assembly is one of the most valuable assets of the Council of Europe, and we need to make better use of its full potential,” Mr Jagland says. “There is a need to strengthen the position of the Council of Europe and modernise the organisation to make sure it remains politically relevant in today’s Europe. The different organs of the organisation, in full respect of their different roles and mandates, should work more closely together towards these common goals.”