Remembering #Srebrenica. In July 1995, 8372 Bosniaks, mainly men & boys, were brutally killed in and around Srebrenica. The Srebrenica genocide is one of the darkest pages of European history.

Dear PM Sanchez, the Council of Europe stands in solidarity with Spain following the devastating wildfires in the country. My thoughts are with the victims and their families, everyone affected, and the firefighters and emergency services working tirelessly on the ground.

The Council of Europe's reform starts with our member states. Today, I presented the next steps of the reform to the Committee of Ministers, with governments shaping the process, supported by independent strategic analysis. 🧵1/2 Read more: www.coe.int/en/web/porta...

Behind every important decision at the Council of Europe are dedicated diplomats working to uphold our shared values. 🧵1/2

Every new ratification strengthens the path to justice for Ukraine. I welcome Lithuania's ratification of the Council of Europe Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine. 🧵1/2

Seule une société éduquée, consciente de son patrimoine, peut comprendre son avenir et protéger la démocratie. 🧵1/2

AI has immense potential. But without law, it answers to no one. In my TIME op-ed ahead of the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, I look at how the Council of Europe developed the world’s first international treaty on AI, and why putting it into practice now matters. 1/🧵

Happy Fourth of July to the United States! 250 years since the Declaration of Independence. And 30 years since joining the Council of Europe as an Observer State. We look forward to continuing our cooperation in support of democratic security and a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.

The world is changing dramatically. Our institutions must adapt. An important conversation with Agenzia Nova on accountability for Russia's war against Ukraine, democratic security, migration, the Western Balkans and how @coe.int is adapting to a changing geopolitical landscape. Read here ↓

Another deadly night in Kyiv. Another reminder that accountability cannot remain only a promise. It must become reality. 🧵1/2

This morning, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Captains Regent of San Marino, the country’s joint Heads of State, to the Council of Europe. 🧵1/2

Welcome to the Council of Europe, dear OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu. Together, the @coe.int and the OSCE have a shared responsibility to strengthen democratic security, uphold human rights and reinforce peace through cooperation.

Europe's strength lies not in uniformity, but in democracies that each contribute their own history and traditions to our common future. A pleasure to welcome the Heads of State of San Marino, Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva, and Minister Teodoro Lonfernini to Strasbourg.

Speaking at the World Congress Against the Death Penalty in Paris today, I’ve highlighted that an entire generation in Europe has grown up without the death penalty. This is a fragile acquis, with old arguments resurfacing on our continent and setbacks at our borders. www.coe.int/en/web/porta...

Strong democracies need strong independent institutions and an active civic space. A valuable discussion with Debbie Kohner, Secretary General of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (@ennhri.bsky.social), and Louise Holck, Chair of ENNHRI. 🧵1/2

Avec Adrien Schnarrenberger (La Liberté), nous avons évoqué la sécurité démocratique, la nécessité de garantir la responsabilité pour les crimes commis contre l'Ukraine, ainsi que le rôle du Conseil de l'Europe pour défendre le droit face à la force. À découvrir ici www.laliberte.ch/articles/mon...

Dubrovnik is a reminder of what Europe can achieve. Once marked by conflict, it now hosts the Dubrovnik Forum - conversations about cooperation, democracy & our common future. Lasting peace is never built on force alone. It rests on trust, the rule of law and determination to keep working together.

Trust in democratic institutions is built every day in our national parliaments. As Croatia celebrates 30 years in the Council of Europe, this is also an opportunity to look ahead. As you so rightly noted, Speaker Jandroković, predictability has almost disappeared. 🧵1/3

What does security mean in an age of multipolarity? Joining PM Andrej Plenković, FM Antonio Tajani and OSCE SG Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu now at Dubrovnik Forum to discuss on Europe’s role in an increasingly fragmented world. Watch live: www.youtube.com/live/UiJP6xU...

A good meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Ukraine, the Western Balkans and the New Democratic Pact for Europe. Built on the Reykjavik Principles, it must speak to all 46 member states while staying anchored in shared European standards. 🧵1/2

Europe's common legal space is one of our greatest strengths. I thanked FM Tone Kajzer for Slovenia's steadfast support for the Council of Europe's mission. 🧵1/3

As fragmentation and geopolitical tensions test Europe’s cohesion, Croatia brings a unique role and experience. Croatia’s commitment to cooperation and dialogue reinforces the Council of Europe’s role as a stabilising force, strengthening democratic security across our continent. 🧵1/2

Looking forward to taking part in the Dubrovnik Forum. This year’s theme focuses on multipolarity. In a more fragmented world, democracy, human rights and the rule of law become even more important as anchors of stability, trust and security.

I believe in young people. Some of the most thought-provoking conversations I have had about democracy have been with young people. Not because they hold all the answers, but because they dare to dream, and ask the questions that others have stopped asking. 🧵1/2

Thank you to @pace.coe.int for today's Q&A. From Ukraine and democratic security to human rights, migration and the future of Europe, we covered many of the issues that matter most to our continent. Watch the full Q&A ↓ youtu.be/3KcDyY2TJEA

My warmest congratulations to Tanja Gonggrijp on your election as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. 🧵1/2

Justice for Ukraine, built step by step. I welcome Sweden's ratification of the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine and thank Ambassador Niklas Kebbon for Sweden's commitment to accountability and the rule of law.

À un moment où nos démocraties font face à des défis majeurs, je salue le début dynamique de la Présidence monégasque du Comité des Ministres du Conseil de l’Europe. 🧵1/2

Democracy begins with people meeting one another. This week, the @coe.int No Hate Speech Week and the Democracy Hackathon brought together participants from across Europe to share perspectives, challenge assumptions, embrace differing views and build new connections. 🧵1/2

Congratulations to the winners of the @coe.int Democracy Hackathon, and to every team that brought ideas, energy and imagination to Strasbourg. There will always be people who choose division over solutions. But you chose to build. Keep building. Europe needs people like you.

A pleasure to welcome my dear friend Giuliano da Empoli to the Council of Europe. Thank you for joining No Hate Speech Week and the Democracy Hackathon. Your reflections on democracy, technology and power challenged us to think with intention about the future we want to build.

The Council of Europe was built on a simple idea: when a problem affects all Europeans, we are stronger when we face it together. Today, hate speech and hate crime spread across borders with unprecedented speed. Our response should be just as determined.

Sports manipulation knows no borders. No country or sport is immune. During #FIFAWorldCup, national platforms from every continent work under the Council of Europe’s Macolin Convention to protect the tournament’s integrity. The Convention is open to every country. I call on all to join it.

The rule of law is only as strong as the people who uphold it. Protecting lawyers means protecting justice itself. A great pleasure to welcome Minister Félix Bolaños García today as Spain signed the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.

Day 1 of No Hate Speech Week and the Democracy Hackathon.    Workshops, and discussions on ethical technology, but more importantly…   New connections.   The start of a three-day journey to innovate for safer digital spaces and stronger democracies. Read more: www.coe.int/en/web/porta...

Before the internet, before AI, before all the technologies shaping our world today, there was democracy. Today, democracy faces new pressures and new risks. That is why I am happy to welcome innovators, democracy experts and digital thinkers from across Europe to the Democracy Hackathon. 🧵1/2

Hate rushes into the space where conversation has broken down. Rebuilding that space is exactly what the New Democratic Pact for Europe is about. 🧵1/2

Languages are more than a means of communication. They shape how we think and how we participate in society. As Europe's digital transformation accelerates, we must ensure technology protects and strengthens our linguistic diversity. 🧵1/2

Human dignity cannot be bought or sold. With the Netherlands’ signature of the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs, Europe takes another step towards closing the space for those who profit from human suffering. Thank you, Minister David van Weel.

Lawyers must be able to do their work free from intimidation, pressure or interference. I welcome Austria’s signature of the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer and thank MOJ Sporrer for this important step in strengthening the rule of law across Europe.

In Europe, less than 2% of the proceeds of crime are ever recovered. We have a gap. But we also have something unique: through the Council of Europe, 46 countries share a common legal space built on shared standards and cooperation. 🧵1/3

The issue we’re discussing today often stays out of sight. But it reaches deep into the democratic security of our continent. It is about money. Dirty money. Criminal money. Money that buys what should never be for sale: our democracies.

Accountability for Ukraine. Human rights and democracy in the age of AI. Protection for lawyers. These are essential building blocks of democratic security. I thank Minister of Justice Gogu for his signatures on behalf of Albania of three Council of Europe conventions covering each of these areas.

A strong move by Montenegro. I welcome the signature of @coe.int Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law by MOJ Božović. Environmental crime has real consequences for people, communities and future generations. Accountability must be part of protecting our environment.

The damage inflicted on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv is another escalation in the destruction. This UNESCO World Heritage site is one of Ukraine’s treasures and is a part of Europe’s shared cultural heritage. 🧵1/2

The agreement announced today between the United States and Iran is a welcome reminder that diplomacy remains the most powerful tool to end conflict and build peace. 🧵1/3

This room won’t be empty for long! On 17 and 18 June, experts from across Europe will gather in Strasbourg to tackle online hate speech. And you can be part of the conversation!
  🚨Deadline for registration - 14 June. Register here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Vienna reminded me of something important. Europe's strength does not come from thinking alike. It comes from our ability to stay around the same table, listen, disagree, find common ground and keep moving forward together.

La justice pour l’Ukraine sera difficile à construire. Mais ce n’est pas une raison de baisser les bras. Avec le Tribunal spécial, le Conseil de l’Europe contribue à bâtir dès aujourd’hui l’ordre juridique qui soutiendra demain une paix juste. J’explique pourquoi dans @letemps.ch ↓

The normalisation of force is one of the greatest dangers facing Europe today. Multilateralism must be strong enough to keep it contained in law. 🧵1/2