Democracy and human rights for Europe
Subtitle: the Council of Europe's contribution
By: Jean Petraux
Contributors: Council of Europe
Publisher: Council of Europe Pub.
Published: 2009
Place of publication: Strasbourg
Language: eng
Number of pages: 337
ISBN-13: 9789287166678
Copyright date: 2009
Subjects: Democracy; Human rights; Council of Europe
Description: "Over 800 million Europeans can individually obtain a ruling from a European court against their state if it has violated their human rights. There is an assembly in Strasbourg where members of the Icelandic, Russian, Portuguese, German, Georgian and other European parliaments all sit together. A Congress exists whose sessions are attended by representatives of 200,000 local and regional authorities of Europe." All these statements relate to the Council of Europe, the first of the European institutions to be founded. Now 47 member states strong, the Council - which is to celebrate its 60th anniversary this year - has become one of the main institutions of intergovernmental cooperation. This book looks at the political role of the Council of Europe, which is now not only a forum for democracy and a gage of stability, the home of human rights and the forum of cultural diversity, but also the crucible of Europe and the future for politics. The author examines all that is specific to the Council of Europe within the European architecture, particularly vis-à-vis the European Union.--Publisher's description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 331-337).
Table of contents: title: Forum for democracy, gage of stability. An institution born of history - and compromise; title: Reuniting Europe, fostering democracy; title: Grass-roots Europe : garden of delights - and seedbed of democracy; title: The home of human rights and the forum of cultural diversity. An exceptional achievement with a political content : human rights; title: Europe right side out : culture at the heart and cultural diversity at the head; title: The culture of human rights : law at the service of a political ambition; title: The crucible of Europe and the future of politics. The Council of Europe and the European Union : a new and vital synergy; title: The Council of Europe : regenerating a Europe stuck in the mud.