Monaco prepares to chair Council of Europe Ministers
By Laurent Duval, MonacoViews Editorial
The Principality is set to assume the rotating presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers for the first time since joining in 2004.
A final steering committee meeting took place on Tuesday 12 May ahead of Monaco's historic first presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Chaired jointly by Minister of State Christophe Mirmand and Government Councillor for External Relations Isabelle Berro-Amadei, the session brought together all Monegasque institutions involved in preparing for the handover.
The meeting was used to present the principal communications tools that will be deployed during the presidency. For a principality of Monaco's size, holding this rotating chair carries real diplomatic weight, placing the government at the centre of pan-European ministerial debate for the duration of the term.
Monaco has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2004, making this presidency a milestone in the country's multilateral engagement. The Committee of Ministers is the organisation's decision-making body, responsible for monitoring member states' compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights and overseeing the execution of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights.