134th session of the Committee of Ministers in Luxembourg

On 14 May 2025, Luxembourg will host the 134th annual meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, as part of its chairmanship of the Committee. The foreign ministers of the Council's 46 member states are invited to attend this meeting.

On 13 May, the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer will be opened for signature at Mudam Luxembourg, ahead of the annual session.

The agenda will focus on the role of the organisation in the new geopolitical context, in particular its measures to support Ukraine and the new Democracy Pact for Europe, but also the Council of Europe's actions in the field of the environment, following on from the Reykjavik Declaration (adopted at the 2023 Summit of Heads of State and Government). Ministers will also discuss cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Union.

In addition, the ministers will review the organisation's work in areas such as the European Convention on Human Rights system, social rights, children's rights and education, democracy, civil society and youth participation, freedom of expression, safety of journalists, disinformation, rule of law, digital/AI standards, migration and human trafficking, the fight against discrimination, gender equality and addressing violence against women.

At the end of the session, Luxembourg will hand over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers to Malta. The current Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, will present the report on his presidency. The incoming Chairperson-in-Office, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism of Malta, Ian Borg, will then outline his country's priorities for the next six months.

Xavier Bettel, Ian Borg and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, will address the media at a joint press conference on 14 May at 12.30 pm at the European Convention Centre Luxembourg.

Press release by Information and Press Service / Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade