PM Frieden Highlights Importance of Human Rights, Democracy, Multilateral Cooperation in Council of Europe Speech

On Wednesday 29 January 2025, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Luc Frieden, addressed the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

Reflecting on his recent trip to Auschwitz, Prime Minister Frieden said this Council of Europe was “called upon to maintain, strengthen and materialise the meaning of a new European state of mind” after the Second World War. He added that Luxembourg had an “unwavering attachment” to the Council of Europe and "to the principles that guided its action from the first day remain as valid as they were in May 1949: the defence of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the promotion of democracy and the rule of law. Luxembourg attaches the greatest importance to the promotion and protection of human rights both at the international level and in my country”.

Prime Minister Frieden continued by saying: “There is no Europe without democracy, without respect for human rights and without respect for the rule of law. This is the very soul of our continent, this intangible force that we share beyond borders and from which we cannot be dissociated. These values gave birth to the European Convention on Human Rights.” He called on the Council of Europe and the European Union to work together to combat the rule of law “being called into question and our democratic values being put to the test”.

Prime Minister Frieden discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine at length, and reiterated Luxembourg’s support of the country in collaboration with other international organisations, in particular the United Nations, the OSCE and the European Union. “Support for Ukraine, both nationally and here within the Council of Europe, will therefore remain a central priority of the Luxembourg  Presidency of the Committee of Ministers because of the principles that we defend and that Ukraine defends for all of us.”

He spoke of the challenges linked to the erosion of respect for fundamental values in many countries and welcomed the “initiative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to conduct discussions with a view to developing an ambitious action plan for the revitalisation of democracy. Faced with the challenges of democratic backsliding, the Council of Europe is well placed to address these crucial issues for our continent and our societies.”

Addressing the issue of revitalising democracy, Prime Minister Frieden said: “The growing difficulties in implementing judgments of the European Court of Human
Rights, attacks on human rights defenders and other civil society actors, and violence against journalists are clear signs that must make us react. The deterioration of the rule of law primarily affects vulnerable people and minorities. The protection of minority groups must be an integral part of our common pan-European action. Because without this solidarity, which must be implemented in our Member States, our entire European architecture of democratic values is called into question.” 

He later spoke of the European Court of Human Rights’ role in guaranteeing the European Convention on Human Rights and confirmed Luxembourg’s wish to pursue a common legal area. He welcomed the Council of Europe’s draft Convention for the Protection of the Legal Profession, which was submitted for opinion to the Parliamentary Assembly in December 2024, explaining that it “aims to strengthen the protection granted to lawyers in order to enable them to freely exercise their profession without prejudice or hindrance”.  He added that Luxembourg will continue to support budgetary efforts to ensure the European Court of Human Rights maintains “the effectiveness and credibility of human rights protection in Europe”.

Luxembourg’s Prime Minister also mentioned the many other challenges facing Europe including climate change, migration movements and artificial intelligence issues. He emphasised the need for countries to tackle these issues together.

Prime Minister Frieden concluded by saying that Luxembourg “hopes that the Council of Europe will remain an organisation that is characterised by a high level of demands and boldness”. He confirmed Luxembourg’s commitment to supporting the Reykjavik Summit and of  “aligning its efforts with the strategic actions of the Council of Europe”.

“Let us maintain the moral ambition of the Council of Europe to maintain, strengthen and materialise the meaning of a new European state of mind”, he said.