Check against delivery – Speech by Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Madam Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Constantinidou,
Mr. Manolis, Director of Studies,
Excellencies, Ambassador Burgener,
Members of the Cypriot Diplomatic Corps,
Thank you for your warm welcome.
And I am particularly pleased to see the next generation of Cyprus’s diplomatic service here today.
I. INTRODUCTION
Two generations are in this room.
In 1961, Cyprus joined the Council of Europe.
That spring, Yuri Gagarin circled the Earth.
A few days later, the Bay of Pigs collapsed in Cuba.
The Cold War was taking a sharp turn.
By summer, a wall would cut Berlin in two — brick by brick, street by street.
Across Africa and Asia, new flags were raised.
Decolonisation was reshaping the map.
Nothing about the post-war order felt settled.
Some here remember that world.
Others have only known Cyprus in the Council of Europe and in the European Union.
Two generations. Two Europes.
And now, we face another shift — perhaps the most consequential of our lives.
II. Clarity about the world we live in
Let us look at the facts.
First, Ukraine.
War continues to test whether law or force sets the rules.
The Council of Europe’s Register of Damage is an important step toward accountability.
Soon, we hope to set up a Claims Commission to deliver compensation.
In June, I signed with President Zelenskyy in Strasbourg the agreement on establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression.
And let us not forget our Court — the European Court of Human Rights — the only international court adjudicating violations of human rights in the context of this war.
Second, democratic backsliding.
When elections are manipulated, when courts are pressured, when civil society is stigmatised, our democracies are under pressure.
Add to that the rise of polarisation, extremism, and so-called culture wars — and the very trust that holds societies together begins to erode.
Third, global shocks.
Climate disruption. New technologies. The spread of disinformation.
Each tests our institutions — and our capacity to act in time.
That is why we created the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law.
And why we adopted a Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.
Colleagues,
We need to go back to fundamentals.
Relations between states must be grounded in law — and democracy must prevail.
Our values are tested everywhere, from the South Caucasus to the Balkans.
And then, there is Gaza, just beyond our continent — where the suffering reminds us that Europe cannot turn inward.
Cyprus is a frontline state, a gateway between Europe and our neighbours.
You know better than most that what happens beyond Europe’s borders becomes part of Europe’s own security.
III. From fundamentals
to democratic security
That is why I came to Cyprus with one simple message: democratic security is Europe’s security.
The traditional divide between “hard” and “soft” security is outdated.
True and lasting security depends on democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
Today, this means also tackling issues like terrorism, migration, and cybercrime.
And we see this clearly in our work with Cyprus.
Together, we have supported justice reform — including the first major modernisation of civil procedure rules in sixty years.
We have worked with your institutions on local government reform, on asset recovery, and on the fight against trafficking.
And Cyprus contributes to this shared democratic security — through its active role in GRECO and MONEYVAL, through its leadership in debates on migration governance, and through its upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
I also recall Cyprus’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers from November 2016 to May 2017.
Under the leadership of Ambassador Constantinidou, it opened for signature the Nicosia Convention — protecting cultural property from trafficking and destruction, at a time when war again puts Europe’s heritage at risk.
IV. The New Democratic
Pact for Europe
These examples remind us that democratic security is not only today’s work.
It is also tomorrow’s renewed European order — an order grounded not in force, but in democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
That is why we are working on a New Democratic Pact for Europe.
It is taking shape around three pillars:
Learning and practising democracy — through education, youth participation, and equal access.
Protecting democracy — against corruption, foreign interference, disinformation, and electoral manipulation.
Innovating for democracy — using technology and participation to rebuild trust.
And let me pause on the second pillar, because the threat is real.
In recent years, coordinated disinformation has targeted elections across Europe.
And this month, the elections in Moldova are facing the same kind of hybrid interference.
These are not isolated events — they are part of a pattern to divide societies, discredit institutions, and destabilise trust.
Europe cannot surrender its public sphere to algorithms or manipulation.
That is why we need a Council of Europe Convention on Disinformation and Foreign Influence.
It will help us draw clear boundaries between freedom of expression and the imperative of truth — between legitimate critique and deliberate destabilisation.
And one more point: we cannot afford double standards — not outside Europe, and not inside.
If the rules of democracy are to mean anything, they must apply everywhere — starting with us.
V. The Court and the Convention
Ladies and gentlemen,
This year, the European Convention on Human Rights marks its seventy-fifth anniversary.
For two generations, the European Court of Human Rights has brought its principles to life — guiding European states through threats to judicial independence, political turmoil, even war.
Yet today, there are threats to leave the Convention.
And we have seen letters suggesting that states can choose which judgments to follow.
Now is the time to continue to supervise the execution of judgments with impartiality and persistence — and work with all sides to turn legal obligations into lived rights.
Because weakening the Court is weakening Europe itself.
VI. Conclusion
For a time, we thought Europe’s order was settled.
It is not.
The world is moving.
Western Europe is no longer the sole centre of gravity.
We live in a present where the old world is gone,
and the new one has not yet arrived.
That is not a reason for pessimism.
It is a reason for clarity.
It is a reason for action.
The Council of Europe will stand with Cyprus.
And with clarity — and with action — we will stand together for democratic security in Europe and beyond.
Just as in 1961, when Cyprus joined the Council of Europe in unsettled times, we can hold fast to the same truth:
Our strength is democracy.
Our future is peace and democratic security.
Thank you.