Amicale

The Delegation of the European Union to the Council of Europe and the European Parliamentary Association are pleased to invite you to a debate entitled: “What’s next to strengthen Europe’s role in protecting human rights?”. This event will take place on Tuesday 12 December, from 20:00 to 21:15, in the villa of the European Parliamentary Association, at 76 Allée de la Robertsau, in Strasbourg.

The debate will be conducted in English and French (no interpretation) and will be followed by a cocktail reception.

This event comes between two important dates: on 10 December, we will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, while on 13 December, in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought will be awarded to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran.

In this context, we want to discuss how the European Union and the Council of Europe can strengthen their role in protecting human rights in the coming years, in a world increasingly marked by conflict.

We will have the pleasure to welcome three guest speakers who are actively involved in this matter:

- Stella Ronner-Grubačić, Deputy Managing Director for Values and Multilateral Relations and EU Ambassador for Gender and Diversity at the European External Action Service;

- Bernard Guetta, Member of the European Parliament from France. He is a member of the Renew Europe Group and is one of the Vice-Chairs of the Subcommittee on Human Rights;

- Christophe Poirel, Director of Human Rights at the Council of Europe.

Questions to be addressed include: What does the Universal Declaration of Human Rights still mean for the EU’s efforts to protect human rights? How can the Council of Europe and the EU further improve their alliance in this field? How can a peace-oriented entity such as the European Union ensure that its voice is heard in a world increasingly marked by conflict and human rights abuses?