ASSEDEL
In October 2026, ASSEDEL organized an enriching roundtable discussion with Gerhard Ermischer, current President of the Conference of INGOs. During this roundtable discussion, an in-depth analysis was conducted on the role of the Council of Europe (CoE), the importance of its conventions, and the fundamental impact of the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations (CINGO) on the defense of human rights.
The Power of Council of Europe Conventions
The roundtable discussion began by highlighting that the European Convention on Human Rights is the only one among the Council of Europe's more than 30 conventions that all member states are required to join. These conventions represent the CoE's most significant legal instruments, providing citizens with a means to hold their countries accountable, primarily by exercising "moral authority" to pressure for their implementation.
Ermischer explained that, thanks to shared policies between the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE), when the EU accedes to these conventions, it gains the power to impose punitive measures on countries that violate them. This can take the form of withholding funds or imposing sanctions, in direct compliance with the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.
On a political level, there was discussion on how the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) went so far as to refuse accreditation to parliamentarians from certain countries when they failed to respect the CoE's minimum standards. However, the Committee of Ministers is pressing for these accreditations to be restored, with the strategic goal of preventing other nations from leaving the organization.
The Role of the Conference of INGOs
The key part of this roundtable discussion focused on the Conference of INGOs, which we attended from September 28 to October 2. This body represents civil society organizations holding participatory status with the Council of Europe. Although its participants do not have voting rights, they enjoy invaluable access to privileged information and benefit from the same speaking time as member states (unlike simple observers, who must wait for everyone else to finish speaking).
CINGO exerts considerable influence through its presence within the Bureau as well as working and drafting groups. It is within these forums that the real work takes place and where the outcome of procedures can be influenced. Beyond its usual areas of action, CINGO conducts visits to various countries to engage in direct dialogue with their leaders, drafts on-the-ground status reports, and works hand in hand with other NGOs to support specific causes.
Ermischer issued a clear call regarding the current state of the system: "We need a reactive mechanism; we already have enough warning mechanisms and alert reports."
ASSEDEL wishes to express its most sincere thanks to Gerhard Ermischer for his time, availability, and sharing of valuable knowledge during this enlightening roundtable discussion. His deep insight into the workings of the Council of Europe and the importance of civil society is of vital importance to strengthening our daily commitment to defending human rights and democratic values.
