Submitted by Political Commission 1: Institutions and Governance.

JEF Europe,

• Recognizing the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Court of Human Rights as important safeguards for the protection of human rights across Europe;

• Praising the role that the Council of Europe had on strengthening democracy and rule of law on the European continent;

• Recognizing the role of the Council of Europe in increasing the human rights standards in the future member states;

• Reminding that the CoE adopted the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950 as a shared standard for fundamental human rights that must be respected;

• Recalling that the European Convention on Human Rights, adopted in 1950, remains a cornerstone of shared European values and still contributes to shaping global human rights standards;

• Emphasizing the important role of the CoE in ending the death penalty in almost all of Europe;

• Welcoming the numerous partner countries from outside Europe, who are observers to the Council of Europe to promote shared values;

• Celebrating the pioneering role of the Council in Europe in promoting youth participation through its co-management structures (Joint Council on Youth) and in supporting democratic youth civil society through its youth centers in Strasbourg and Budapest;

• Concerned over the lack of effective enforcement mechanism within the Council of Europe, which weakens the protection of human rights across member states;

• Concerned about countries such as the UK discussing the possibility of leaving the CoE;

• Concerned about the rise of far right parties in Europe and the deterioration of rule of law in several European countries;

• Concerned about the current developments of some member states to withdraw from individual Council of Europe conventions, undermining shared commitments to a common European legal and human rights framework;

• Considering that the CoE can act as an independent supervisor of human rights and rule of law;

• Suggesting that the CoE should take greater action against states that do not comply with the core values of human rights, democracy and rule of law;

• Regretting the situations of lack of visibility and insufficient budget that the Council of Europe and its institutions face;

• Suggesting that membership in the Council of Europe could serve as a preparatory framework for states aspiring to join deeper forms of European integration, in the same way that it is a first step to joining the EU right now, by ensuring alignment with fundamental values and democratic standards;

• Recognizing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as a crucial forum for dialogue and for fostering cross-party and cross-country democratic cooperation;

• Welcoming the work of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as a great example of cooperation with regional authorities at a continental level;

• Recognizing the crucial role of independent international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) in the CoE in monitoring the human rights violations in their countries and ensuring accurate information.

JEF Europe, therefore,

1. Pledges its continued support to the Council of Europe and its goal of promoting and defending democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe;

2. Calls for maintaining the Council of Europe as an independent organization throughout further European integration into a European Federation;

3. Calls for maintaining the European Court of Human Rights as a Council of Europe institution independent of the European Union, and eventually, of the European Federation;

4. Calls for stronger and more effective law enforcement of ECHR rulings, including the development of mechanisms in order to ensure compliance by all member states;

5. Encourages member states to increase the budget for the Council of Europe and especially for the Youth Department, to be used, alongside other goals, for the promotion of human rights and democratic values among young people, in Europe and beyond, to help them become active players for peace and democracy;

6. Supports the proposal to establish a third European Youth Center in the Black Sea region as stated in the final declaration of the 10th Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth of CoE held in Valletta on October 2025;

7. Calls for increased visibility for the work of the Advisory Council on Youth and for better adoption of their recommendations by member states;

8. Expects the Council of Europe to continue supporting the democratic oppositions of Belarus and Russia in their fight for democracy;

9. Calls for increased global cooperation with the goal to promote human rights, democracy and rule of law beyond the borders of Europe;

10. Calls for member states to increase the awareness among their citizens on the role and functions of the CoE.