State Secretary for Political Affairs Frano Matušić participated on Monday and Tuesday in Strasbourg in the inaugural plenary meeting of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG), held based on a decision made at the 4th summit in Reykjavik in 2023, with the aim of strengthening the Council of Europe's efforts to improve democracy and good governance standards across Europe, as well as further enhance cooperation with civil society.
The meeting, attended by representatives of all 47 member states, was opened by the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, who emphasized the importance of the 10 principles of democracy contained in the Reykjavik Principles adopted at the 2023 summit. State Secretary Matušić welcomed the establishment of the CDDG and its new working structure, underscoring the importance of cooperation between CoE institutions and other intergovernmental structures in the field of human rights protection, democracy, and the rule of law.
The newly established CDDG aims to direct the intergovernmental work of CoE towards the effective implementation of the Reykjavik Principles in the field of democracy, through cooperation with civil society, the academic community, and other relevant structures. Additionally, the Committee is expected to adopt general guidelines related to greater involvement of civil society and the academic community in democratic processes, better coordination with the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly of CoE, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as guidelines for establishing thematic sub-committees that would advance mechanisms for implementing the Reykjavik Principles.
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