COUNCIL OF EUROPE AS „ORGANISATION OF VALUES”
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Uniwersytet Humanistyczno-Przyrodniczy
Jana Kochanowskiego w Kielcach
Publication date: 2020-01-26
Studia Politologiczne 2010;17
ABSTRACT
Council of Europe, one of the oldest European organization (established in 1949),
is characterized as an “organization of values”. Such a characteristic is based
especially upon an observation, that CoE is specializing in creation of standards in
the area of democracy, rule of law and protection of human rights. Special meaning
has the European Convention of Human Rights and CoE conventions’ system,
legally binding. But in CoE important role is played by the co called “soft law” as
well, e.g. CE Committee of Minister’s recommendations. Formally such a law is
not legally binding but member States should observed them knowing specificity
of CoE as an “organization of values”.
CoE should be described as an “organization of values” based on the wide
catalog of democratic values it created, but in practice this organization has
problems with fulfilling such a standards in Member States. It is especially actual
with the “soft law”. Additionally CoE does not poses strong sanctions, enabling
execution of standards, especially in those States which do not intend to join the
European Union (fulfilling CoE’s standards is a condition for joining EU). In the
future, if the CoE wants to preserve its characteristic as an “organization of values”,
it should more emphasized execution of democratic standards by the Member
States. It will influence its authority and perception by the European society.