Ensuring rights for all in Europe: challenges for the Council of Europe and the European Union

Since the end of the Cold War, the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Union (EU)have contributed tremendously to the development and the consolidation of human rights, the
rule of law and democracy in Europe.

At the same time, they have both extended their
membership and are confronted to new challenges on
their respective agendas. Contemporary developments in cultural, economic, political, and social fields have indeed given rise to new rights, which challenge both organisations and their institutional capacities.

In this context, this seminar is an opportunity to
reflect upon the CoE and the EU common priorities and synergies on how best to ensure human rights, rule of law and democracy for all in the Europe of tomorrow.

In order to focus the discussion, this overview pap
er introduces considerations on the roles of both the CoE and the EU, and their interaction in three specific dimensions. First, taking the case of the fight against racism and discrimination, this paper ponders ways to enhancecooperation in the future.

Then, the paper raises the issue of monitoring of the rule of law as a prerequisite for the European Union Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. With the
Stockholm programme, which will define the EU priorities in the field of Justice and HomeAffairs (JHA) for the next five years, the paper looks in particular at how the CoE monitoring system will help strengthening trust amongst EU member states’ judicial systems.

Finally, considering the pan-European scope of the CoE, the
last part of the paper looks at the interaction between CoE membership and EU’s external relations.

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