Appendix II: Vienna Declaration
| Published date | 01 December 1993 |
| DOI | 10.1177/016934419301100414 |
| Date | 01 December 1993 |
| Subject Matter | Part C: Appendices |
Appendix II /Vienna Declaration
Appendix II
Vienna Declaration
Adopted at the Council of Europe Summit, 9 October 1993
We, Heads of State and Government of the member States of the Council of Europe,
meeting for the first time in our Organisation's history at this Vienna summit conference,
solemnly declare the following:
The end of the division of Europe offers an historic opportunity to consolidate peace
and stability on the continent. All our countries are committed to pluralist and parliamen-
tary democracy, the indivisibility and universality of human rights, the rule of law and a
common cultural heritage enriched by its diversity. Europe can thus become a vast area
of democratic security.
This Europe is a source of immense hope which must in no event be destroyed by
territorial ambitions, the resurgence of aggressive nationalism,
the
perpetuation of spheres
of influence, intolerance or totalitarian ideologies.
We condemn all such aberrations. They are plunging peoples of former Yugoslavia
into hatred and war and threatening other regions. We call upon the leaders of these
peoples to put an end to their conflicts. We invite these peoples tojoin us in constructing
and consolidating
the
new Europe.
We express our awareness that the protection of national minorities is an essential
element of stability and democratic security in our continent.
The Council of Europe is the pre-eminent European political institution capable of
welcoming, on an equal footing and in permanent structures, the democracies of Europe
freed from communist oppression.
For
that reason the accession of those countries to the
Council of Europe is a central factor in the process of European construction based on our
Organisation's values.
Such accession presupposes that the applicant country has brought its institutions and
legal system into line with the basic principles of democracy, the rule of law and respect
for human rights. The people's representative must have been chosen by means of free
and fair elections based on universal suffrage. Guaranteed freedom of expression and
notably of the media, protection of national minorities and observance of the principles
of international law must remain, in our view, decisive criteria for assessing any
application for membership. An undertaking to sign the European Convention on Human
Rights and accept the Convention's supervisory machinery in its entirety within a short
period is also fundamental. We are resolved to ensure full compliance with the
commitments accepted by all member States within the Council of Europe.
We affirm our will to promote the integration of new member States and to undertake
the necessary reforms of the Organisation, taking account of the proposals of the
Parliamentary Assembly and of the concerns of local and regional authorities, which are
essential to the democratic expression of peoples.
We confirm the policy of openness and co-operation vis-a-vis all the countries of
Central and Eastern Europe that opt for democracy. The programmes set up by the
Council of Europe to assist the democratic transition should be developed and constantly
adapted to the needs of our new partners.
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