Simon Coveney and Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir: Renewing democracy in Europe

Amid economic uncertainty and rising inequality, democracy has come under sustained assault, and we must fight for it, as the people of Ukraine are doing today

Tue, 08 Nov, 2022 - 20:00

Simon Coveney, Foreign Affairs Minister, and Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Foreign Minister of Iceland

On November 9, 33 years ago, the people of Berlin tore down a wall.

History did not end on that crisp November night. But for millions of Europeans, a new life did begin. A great wave of democratisation washed across our continent, promising prosperity, raising hopes.

But in the past 15 years, the tide has turned. Amid economic uncertainty and rising inequality, democracy has come under sustained assault — from without and, more damagingly, within.

Today, democracy is at a low ebb, autocracy a high mark.

The level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen has regressed to where it was when the Berlin wall fell in 1989 — with just 34 states, accounting for 13% of the world’s population, classified as liberal democracies.

Ireland and Iceland are among that number. And as the outgoing and incoming presidencies of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, together we are determined to do our part in the effort to stem the autocratic tide.

In 1949, Ireland was amongst the Council of Europe’s founding states. Iceland joined a year later. Ever since, we have both committed to the institution’s values — the protection of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law — enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights and protected by the European Court of Human Rights, of which Irish judge Síofra O’Leary is now first-female president, succeeding Iceland’s Robert Spano.

While free elections are the foundation of democracy, they are not, of themselves, sufficient for it. True democracy requires impartial rule of law and respect for human rights. Understood this way, “illiberal democracy” is a contradiction in terms. An illiberal may be majoritarian, but they cannot truly be a democrat.

Securing democracy demands that we safeguard freedom of expression, association, and assembly. It means we must protect and promote impartial and efficient judiciaries, independent media, and an active civil society.

It means guaranteeing the integrity of our electoral systems, conscious that democracy must be about contesting elections, not results.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney: 'As chair of the Council of Europe over the past six months, Ireland has prioritised rebuilding our continent’s democratic resilience.'

As chair of the Council of Europe over the past six months, Ireland has prioritised rebuilding our continent’s democratic resilience. As well as sharing the State’s positive experience of Citizens’ Assemblies, the Irish presidency has invested in youth, with efforts to reinforce civic education across our schools and universities, leading to a new European Declaration last week on Education for Global Citizenship and Human Rights.

As the council’s new chair, Iceland will continue this valuable work and approach its role with a deep sense of duty to the fundamental principles that its members have promised to secure for their people. Iceland will invest in the Council of Europe’s fundamental values during our presidency — human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

These are the values and rights that have proven to be an immense blessing to those societies who have had the fortune to enjoy them.

The values that bind together the members of the council are sacred, but we are acutely aware that they can be diluted and lost, if they are not cherished and defended.

Sadly, the months and years ahead are likely to be a time where the strength of Europe's commitment to true democracy and human rights will be put through a time of testing. Therefore, it is vital the Europe returns to the fundamental principles that have kept us together — we must stand united around our values.

The Council of Europe is often called “the conscience of Europe.”

We believe now is the time to renew that conscience and strengthen our collective line of defence for democratic values.

A first step towards this is to bring the continent’s leaders, from Lisbon to Kyiv, Valletta to Helsinki, together to reaffirm the importance of the rule of law, recommit to the rights enshrined in our convention, and pledge to counter autocracy by redoubling our investments in democracy.

To that end, our two nations have led calls for the heads of state and government of the council’s 46 member states to convene to “unite around our values” for what will be only the fourth summit in the organisation’s 73-year history.

In this, the final week of Ireland’s presidency, the first of Iceland’s, the Committee of Ministers’ 46 members agreed to our call. Next May, Iceland — home of Althingi, the world’s oldest-running parliament — will host a Summit to reinvigorate Europe’s democracies.

While autocracies fixate on history, democracies are fuelled by a hope for a better future for all.

At times, hope can be elusive. It is always intangible. But it is no less real or needed for that.

Hope is one of the reasons democracy emerged. And why, we believe, it will endure. But only if we fight for it. As the people of Berlin did 33 years ago. As the people of Ukraine are doing today.