Council of Europe calls for democracy to be restored in Europe ahead of Reykjavik summit
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on member states to commit themselves to restoring democracy in Europe at the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik on 16-17 May. According to the official, the Council's standards must be applied to all aspects of Europeans' lives.
The annual report, published on Council of Europe Day on Friday, which looks at the strengths and weaknesses of democratic institutions, highlights several challenges, such as Russia's aggression against Ukraine, which has caused extraordinary suffering: hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, horrific stories of torture, rape and loss. Added to this is the increased violence against journalists, the targeting and intimidation of journalists, hostile tactics ranging from bans to imprisonment to prevent investigative journalists from doing their job.
These negative trends, according to the report, are not present everywhere, and it is important to recognise that there are also positive developments in some Member States.
The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 and brings together all the democratic states of the European Union as well as other central and eastern European states.
The Republic of Moldova joined this forum on 13 July 1995.
