Switzerland’s activities at the Council of Europe

Bern, 23.05.2008 - On Wednesday 21 May 2008, the Federal Council adopted for the attention of the National Council and Council of States its annual report on Switzerland’s activities within the Council of Europe in 2007 together with the 9th Report on Switzerland and the Conventions of the Council of Europe. Switzerland remains convinced that it is important to take an active part in the activities of the Council of Europe in the future.

Switzerland will continue to concentrate on the Council of Europe’s three areas of expertise: the rule of law, democracy, and respect for human rights. In particular, Switzerland will develop its commitment to ensure the efficiency of the European Court of Human Rights as well as to implement the judicial standards already established by the Council of Europe and to set new standards in these three areas of expertise.

During the year under review, the European Court of Human Rights handed down decisions on seven cases concerning Switzerland. In six of the cases, it noted a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights. In the seventh, the Grand Chamber rejected a complaint of violation of the freedom of expression.

At the beginning of each legislative period, the Federal Council compiles a report on all the Conventions of the Council of Europe that Switzerland has not ratified.

In line with its Message to Parliament on 23 January 2008 on the programme of the legislative period, Parliament should review the following Council of Europe conventions in the course of the current legislative period: the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine together with its Additional Protocols on the Prohibition of Cloning Human Beings and on the Transplantation of Organs and Tissues of Human Origin; the Convention on Cybercrime; the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; the Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds of Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism; the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

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