The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, will chair the Foreign Ministers Meeting of the 46 Member States of the Council of Europe, including the 27 EU Member States, to be held in Turin on 19-20 May. The 132nd session of the Committee of Ministers will mark the close of Italy’s 6-month presidency and the handover of the presidency to Ireland.
The meeting of the Committee of Ministers, the Organization’s decision-making body, will enable the exchange of opinions on the issues of greatest interest to the Council of Europe and on the current political situation, with a special reference to the war in Ukraine. In the light of the recent exclusion of the Russian Federation from the Organization, a reflection will be promoted on the future prospects and role of the Council of Europe.
The six-month Presidency of Italy, which chairs the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for the eighth time, focused on three priority lines of action: renew, reinforce, and build. It aimed to renew its commitment to the principles and values shared by the Council of Europe and its member States through projects that reinforce dialogue, inclusivity, and the identity of the Organization. In this respect, the Italian Presidency concentrated on sectors such as the protection of cultural heritage, social rights, sport, the right to health, female empowerment and the rights of children and adolescents, and promoting policies for young people. The aim of the Italian Presidency’s agenda was to build a people-centered future, concentrating special attention on the effectiveness of justice, especially restorative justice, and on the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law also against the risks arising from the development and application of artificial intelligence.
During its six-month Presidency, Italy promoted numerous events, including a meeting of the Ministers of Justice in Venice on 13-14 December, a meeting of the Ministers of Culture in Strasburg on 1 April and a meeting to launch the new Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child, held in Rome on 7-8 April.
