The Minister for Europe will today [16 May] say that the
challenges we are facing, from Putin's illegal invasion of
Ukraine to illegal migration, cannot be solved without decisive
and coordinated action with our neighbours from across the region
at the Council of Europe foreign ministers meeting.
As the Council of Europe celebrates 75 years, she will underline
the importance of innovative solutions to tackle the shared
global challenge of illegal migration, while emphasising the
importance of the European Court of Human Rights implementing the
recently agreed improvements to Rule 39.
will highlight the UK's global
leadership on AI safety following the agreement at the Council of
Europe of the world's first international treaty on AI and human
rights, rule of law and democracy. The UK played a leading role
in developing the treaty.
Minister for Europe will say:
“The Council of Europe has helped uphold the values of democracy,
freedom and the rule of law across our continent for three
quarters of a century.
“In a more contested and volatile world, we must out-compete and
out-cooperate those who would seek to destroy that stability and
undermine our democracies and freedom.
“The Council, which the UK is proud to be a founding member
of, plays a vital role in defending these values, not least
by holding Russia to account for the horrendous crimes that have
been committed in Ukraine.”
on the new landmark agreement on AI:
“I am proud that the UK is once again leading the world at the
forefront of this new technological frontier.
"This global agreement, the world's first, will bring
international partners together, protecting the rights while
realising the benefits of this transformative technology.
In the margins, the Minister will meet counterparts from across
the continent as well as the heads of European institutions to
ensure that we are working in tandem to stop the humanitarian
disaster caused by illegal migration and highlight that
individual measures to address this crisis must go hand in hand
with international cooperation.
The Prime Minister has made it one of his priorities to stop the
boats. At the Council of Europe Leader's Summit in Iceland last
year, he and other European leaders committed to intensify
efforts in the fight against the despicable people smuggling
gangs endangering the lives of migrants.
That international work is part of the government's wider plan to
tackle illegal migration. In 2023, small boat crossings fell by a
third on the previous year and returns of those with no right to
be in the UK increased by two-thirds to 26,000. The UK also
signed the biggest ever deal with France, which stopped 26,000
boats from launching and allowed both countries to jointly take
down 82 gangs and doubled organised immigration crime funding for
the National Crime Agency.
And last month, the UK's landmark Rwanda Act came into force,
allowing the government to put in place an effective deterrent to
stop migrants from making perilous journeys across Europe and the
Channel to the UK.
The Council of Europe was established 75 years ago following the
Second World War to uphold peace, democracy and freedom in Europe
as shown by its swift decision to expel Russia following the
brutal invasion of Ukraine, the first time a country has ever
been kicked out of the organisation.
The launch of the Register of Damage for Ukraine at a summit of
leaders in Iceland last year is already allowing individuals to
file claims for loss, injury and damage caused by Russia's
illegal invasion, and is an important milestone in the pursuit of
justice for the Ukrainian people. The UK chairs the Conference of
Participants of the Register and is committed to working
alongside European partners to hold to account those responsible
for the suffering of Ukraine and its people.
The Convention on AI will build on the legacy of the first AI
Safety Summit hosted by the UK at Bletchley Park in November
2023, bringing together international governments, AI companies,
academia, and civil society to advance global discussions on
AI.
