Deputy State Secretary Gergely Prőhle attended the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (CoE) on 21-22 January 2013 and held talks with CoE Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Secretary General of the CoE Parliamentary Assembly Wojciech Sawicki, with representatives of the Venice Commission as well as with the rapporteurs of the CoE Monitoring Committee and secretariat staff.

The purpose of Deputy State Secretary Prőhle’s visit was to gather information on the status and the expected outcome of the process reviewing the necessity of the monitoring initiated in January 2011. He also outlined recent legislative decisions and rulings of the Constitutional Court, which have relevance to the Council of Europe.

He emphasized that the recent actions of the President of the Republic, the Constitutional Court and the ombudsman were clear proof that the system of checks and balances are functioning well and are capable of strengthening democratic structures. The Deputy State Secretary stated that Hungary has always considered it important to maintain a constructive dialogue with the Council of Europe. He voiced his conviction that based on their discussion it would be difficult to line up any reasons in support of a systematic monitoring.

Secretary General Jagland reiterated his position that the Hungarian process is a good example of successful cooperation between an international organization and one of its Member States, and expressed his hope that the process can be concluded in the next coming months in a way that is satisfactory for both parties.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)