The President of the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, Slovenian .Foreign Minister Dr Dimitrij Rupel, participated in the quadripartite meeting between the EU and the Council of Europe, which was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Jan Kubiš, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, and the Deputy Director General for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy at the European Commission, Karel Kovanda.
Dr Rupel underlined that “the Council of Europe is an important partner of the European Union in maintaining high standards of human rights and encouraging democratic stability on the pan-European level.” The discussion focused generally on helping the countries in the pre-election period, the role of the media in the election process and the situation in the Western Balkans. Participants agreed that free and fair elections must be a common goal in every country; the EU and the Council of Europe will combine their efforts to that end. As far as the Western Balkans is concerned, the EU and the Council of Europe wish to pursue their important role in developing a peaceful, democratic, and multi-ethnic atmosphere in the region.
