On 24 October 2025 from 12:00-13:30 CET, the Campaign to Uphold Rights in Europe (CURE) is organizing a webinar entitled 'Work on Conflicts: Is There a Space for the Council of Europe?'. The webinar will explore the question of what role the political organs of the Council of Europe can play in the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts between the CoE member states, such as the conflicts in Georgia, Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh. The webinar will draw on a recently published article on this question written by Anca Ailincai (University of Grenoble-Alpes). Various experts will provide their reflections on the topic, including Andrew Forde (Dublin City University), Christos Giakoumopoulos (former Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law of the CoE from 2017 to 2024) and Ucha Nanuashvili (Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights). The event will be moderated by Ioulietta Bisiouli (Director of the European Implementation Network).
Here is a description of the webinar:
'The Council of Europe, though not a security organisation, has a role to play in armed conflicts between its member states. Cases arising from conflicts in Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Ukraine may reach the European Court of Human Rights, but long delays and obstacles to the enforcement of judgements cast doubt on the Court’s capacity to act as the sole provider of timely and effective remedies.
In a recent article in the Revue générale de droit international public (see: https://lnkd.in/dreiWgb9), Professor Anca Ailincai examines the legal basis for the Council’s political organs to play a more active role in conflict prevention and peaceful settlement.
• Should the Council of Europe continue to rely on its judicial body, the European Court, or can it develop a more holistic response to conflict prevention and resolution?
• How can the Council overcome the ambiguities in its mandate to include the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers in work on conflicts?
• Is creating a new intergovernmental forum for geopolitical and strategic discussions, such as the European Political Community, more effective than improving what already exists?
Join the webinar to discuss these and other related questions with the author of the article and other leading experts on the issues related to the work of the CoE and conflicts.'
Registrations are open until 20 October. You can register here for the webinar.