Doc. 13525
10 June 2014
Election of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Communication
Committee of Ministers
Letter from the Chairperson of the Ministers’ Deputies to the President of the Assembly, dated 21 February 2014
Dear President,
I would like to inform you that at the 1192nd meeting of the Deputies (19-21 February 2014), the Committee of Ministers has adopted Resolution CM/Res(2014)1 containing the list of candidates it has decided to submit to the Parliamentary Assembly with a view of the election of the Secretary General.
The list was drawn up following a vote in accordance with the Committee’s rules of procedures. The names are presented in alphabetical order so as to indicate that the Committee of Ministers does not wish to express any preference as between candidates included in the list.
I enclose a copy of the Resolution in both official languages.
Yours sincerely,
Signed:
Rudolf Lennkh
Chairman of the Ministers’ Deputies
Resolution CM/Res(2014)1
on the appointment of the Secretary General
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 21 February 2014
at the 1192nd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies)
The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 36.b of the Statute of the Council of Europe,
Having regard to the Regulations relating to the appointment of the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly having the rank of Deputy Secretary General;
Having regard to the decisions taken at the 117th Ministerial Session (May 2007);
Having regard to the Rules and procedures for the future elections of the Secretary General – Joint interpretative statement (adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly at the Standing Committee on 12 March 2010 and by the Committee of Ministers on 24 March 2010);
Having examined the three candidatures presented by the Governments of France, Germany and Norway;
Having consulted the representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Joint Committee on 30 January 2014;
Having interviewed the three candidates,
Decides to submit to the Parliamentary Assembly, for appointment to the post of Secretary General, with effect from 1 October 2014, the following candidatures, listed in alphabetical order, with the names of the sponsoring governments in brackets:
- Mr Thorbjørn Jagland (Norway);
- Mrs Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Germany).
Thorbjørn Jagland was elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe in 2009. The same year, he was also elected Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize every year.
Mr Jagland was born on 5 November 1950 in Drammen, Norway. He is married to Hanne Grotjord. They have two children.
CABINET POSITIONS
• Prime Minister, 1996-1997
• Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2000-2001
PARLIAMENTARY POSITIONS
• President of the Norwegian Parliament (Storting), 2005-2009
• Member of Parliament, 1993-2009
• Member of the Standing Committee on Defence and the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee, 2005-2009
• Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee, 2001-2005
• Chairman of the EEA Consultative Committee since 2000-2005, member of the Committee 1994-1996 and again from 1997-2000
• Member of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Enlarged Foreign Affairs Committee, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000, Chairman of the Committee for two months in 2000.
EUROPEAN AND TRANSATLANTIC PARLIAMENTARY POSITIONS
• Head of the Norwegian delegation for Relations with the European Parliament, 2001-2005
• Member of the Norwegian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, 2001-2005
• Member of the Norwegian delegation to the Nordic Council, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000
• Head of the Norwegian delegation at the Second Summit of the Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 1997
• Member of the Norwegian delegation for Relations with the European Parliament, 1993-1996 and 1997-2000
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL POSITIONS
• Chairman of the Board of Directors, Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, 2006-2009
• Chair of the Socialist International Middle East Committee, 2000-2006
• Member of the Sharm El-Sheikh Fact-Finding Commission (“Mitchell Commission”), 2000-2001
• Vice President of the Socialist International, 1999-2008
• Member of the International Board of Governors, Peres Center for Peace since 1997
• Chair of the Socialist International Finance and Administration Committee, 1987-1992
NATIONAL POLITICAL POSITIONS
• Chairman of the Norwegian Labour Party, 1992-2002
• Party secretary of the Labour Party, 1987-1992
• Secretary of the Labour Party Programme Committee, 1986-1989
• Chairman of the Labour Party International Committee, 1986-1993
• Acting party secretary of the Labour Party, 1986-87
• Secretary of the Labour Party Committee on Disarmament, 1982-1983
• Chairman of the Norwegian Labour Youth League, 1977-1981
• Chairman of the Labour Youth League, Buskerud County, 1973-1976
ELECTED POSITIONS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Member of Buskerud County Council, 1975-1983
EDUCATION
Degree in Economics, University of Oslo, 1975
PUBLICATIONS
In the course of his political career, Mr Jagland has published a large number of articles and publications, as well as books, on Norwegian and international issues, in particular on European issues.
Sabine LEUTHEUSSER-SCHNARRENBERGER
Born 26 July 1951 in Minden (Westphalia), widowed
Positions in the Federal Cabinet
- Federal Minister of Justice, 1992-1994
- Federal Minister of Justice, 1994-1996, resigned in protest against audio surveillance of residential premises
- Federal Minister of Justice 2009-2013
Positions in the German Bundestag
- Member of the German Bundestag, 1990-2013
- Member of the Committee on Legal Affairs, 1990-1992 and 2005-2009
- Spokesperson of the FDP parliamentary group on the Committee on Legal Affairs, 2005-2009
- Member of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, 1998-2005
- Substitute Member of the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, 2005-2009
- Spokesperson of the FDP parliamentary group on the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, 1998-2005
- Member of the Committee on the Affairs of the European Union, 1998-2005
- Member of the Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, 1996-1998
- Member of the Committee on Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, 1996-1998
- Legal-policy spokesperson of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, 2005-2009
- European-policy spokesperson of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, 2002-2005
- Deputy chairperson of the FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, 2001-2002 and 2005-2009
Positions at the European level
- Member of the German Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 2002-2009
- Vice-President of the ALDE Group in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 2003-2009
- Member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights of the Council of Europe, 2003-2009
- Member of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 2007-2009
- Member of the Sub-Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights, 2005-2009
- Rapporteur, reports including:
o Allegations of politically motivated abuses of the criminal justice system in Council of Europe member States, 2009
o Honouring of obligations and commitments by Ukraine, 2009
o Investigation of crimes allegedly committed by high officials during the Kuchma rule in Ukraine: the Gongadze case as an emblematic example, 2008
o The circumstances surrounding the arrest and prosecution of leading Yukos executives, 2004
Positions at the international level
- Member of the United Nations International Commission of Inquiry on East Timor, 1999-2000
Political positions at the federal, Land and municipal levels in Germany
- Member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) since 1978
- Deputy Federal Chairperson of the FDP since 2010
- Member of the FDP Federal Presidium (senior executive management board) since 1997
- Member of the FDP Federal Executive since 1991
- FDP Chairperson for the Free State of Bavaria, 2000-2013
- Member of the FDP federal expert committee for interior and legal policy since 1987
- Chairperson of the FDP expert committee for interior and legal policy in Bavaria, 1996-2001
- District Councillor in Starnberg since 2002
- Chairperson of the Starnberg district branch of the FDP, 1982-2001
Training and occupation
- Study of law in Göttingen and Bielefeld, 1975: First State Examination in Law, 1978: Second State Examination in Law
- German Patent Office in Munich, 1979-1990, last position held: Head of Division
- Attorney-at-law in Munich since 1997
- Honorary judge at Munich Labour Court, 1984-1990
- Associate judge at the Federal Disciplinary Court, 1988-1990
Awards (selection)
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 2002
- Order of Merit of the Free State of Bavaria, 2002
- Silver Award for Services to the Bavarian Constitution, 2011
- Max Alsberg Prize of the Association of German Defence Attorneys (Verein Deutsche Strafverteidiger e.V.), 2013
Publications (selection)
- Vom Recht auf Menschenwürde – 60 Jahre Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention
["On the right to human dignity: Sixty years of the European Convention on Human Rights"]
(Ed., Tübingen, 2013)
- Datenschutz im digitalen Zeitalter: Freiheit und Privatheit vor neuen Gefahren
["Data protection in the digital age: Freedom and privacy in the face of new threats"].
In Kellerhals, Andreas (Ed.), Europa unter Druck – Identität und Solidarität auf dem Prüfstand: Referate zur Zukunft Europas 2010 (Zürich, 2012) 41-50
- Der Beitritt der EU zur EMRK – Eine schier unendliche Geschichte
["EU accession to the ECHR: A truly neverending story"].
In Hohmann-Dennhardt, Christine et al. (Eds.), Grundrechte und Solidarität: Durchsetzung und Verfahren – Festschrift für Renate Jäger (2011) 135-146
- Russland und der Europarat: Erfahrungen einer Abgeordneten
["Russia and the Council of Europe: Experiences of a Member of Parliament"].
In Luchterhandt, Otto (Ed.), Rechtskultur in Russland: Tradition und Wandel (Berlin, 2011) 19-36
- Grundrechtsschutz im Europa des Lissaboner Vertrags: Trends und Perspektiven
["Protecting fundamental rights in a Europe under the Lisbon Treaty: Trends and perspectives"].
In Datenschutz und Datensicherheit magazine (8/2010) 519-522
- Friedensmacht Europa
["Europe as a power for peace"].
In Baasner, Frank and Klett, Michael (Eds.), Europa: die Zukunft einer Idee. Robert Picht zum 70. Geburtstag (Darmstadt, 2007) 208-222
- Der Fall Khaled el Masri – Regierungen im Zwiespalt zwischen Terrorbekämpfung und Menschenrechte
["The case of Khaled el Masri: Governments split between fighting terrorism and human rights"].
In Grundrechte-Report, Zur Lage der Bürger- und Menschenrechte in Deutschland (2006) 24-28
- Terrorprävention in der offenen Gesellschaft. Sind wir dabei unsere Gesellschaft zu „zerschützen“?
["Preventing terrorism in an open society. Are we protecting our society to death?"]
In Bothe, Michael et al. (Eds.), Der 11. September: Ursachen und Folgen (Heidelberg, 2003), 125 et seqq.
- Möglichkeiten und Bedingungen europäischer Weltfriedenspolitik
["Possibilities for and conditions of European world peace policy"].
In Jahrbuch öffentliche Sicherheit 2002/03 (2003) 17-25
- Die normativen Grundlagen der Weltgemeinschaft - Aktualität der Menschenrechte und des interkulturellen Dialogs
["The normative foundations of the world community: Topicality of human rights and intercultural dialogue"]
In UNESCO heute magazine (1-2/2003)
- Das Recht auf Leben: die Abschaffung der Todesstrafe
["The right to life: Abolishing the death penalty"].
In Amnesty International, 40 Jahre für die Menschenrechte, (Neuwied et al., 2001), 262-271
- Mit (aller) Gewalt zum Frieden? : militärische Interventionen der Vereinten Nationen zwischen Moralität und Legalität
["Peace by hook or by crook? UN military interventions between morality and legality"].
In Jahrbuch Menschenrechte, Volume 2002 (2001) 87-103
- Die Durchsetzung der Menschenrechte und des humanitären Völkerrechts in bewaffneten Konflikten: Ost-Timor und andere aktuelle Fälle
["Asserting human rights and international humanitarian law in armed conflicts: East Timor and other current cases"].
In Humanitäres Völkerrecht magazine, volume 13 book 2 (2000) 86-89