Nachgefragt bei… S.E. Lorenzo Ravano
Beim Format „Nachgefragt bei …“ kommt in dieser Ausgabe der Botschafter des Fürstentums Monaco in Deutschland, S.E. Lorenzo Ravano, zu Wort. Monaco hat am 15. Mai den Vorsitz im Ministerkomitee des Europarates übernommen. Der Europarat mit Sitz in Straßburg setzt sich seit 1949 für Menschenrechte, Demokratie und Rechtsstaatlichkeit in Europa ein.
Vor diesem Hintergrund spricht Botschafter Ravano über die Prioritäten des monegassischen Vorsitzes – darunter die Europäische Menschenrechtskonvention, die Stärkung demokratischer Institutionen sowie den Umgang des Europarates mit Russlands Krieg gegen die Ukraine. Einen kompakten Überblick über die Schwerpunkte und Vorhaben der Präsidentschaft bietet zudem unsere neue EBD-Grafik. Das folgende Interview ist auf Englisch verfasst.
Monaco has assumed the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. What substantive priorities will the Principality set during its presidency?
H.E. Lorenzo Ravano: Monaco has identified five main priorities for its Chairpersonship: Support to the ECHR and the Conventional system, Protection of children, Protection of women from violences and fight against domestic violences, Fight against organized crimes and Sports.
Strengthening democratic structures and institutions is currently a key focus across Europe. Are there any specific initiatives or programmes that Monaco intends to promote during its presidency?
H.E. Lorenzo Ravano: Monaco has identified the consolidation of the democratic institutions as a fundamental theme. In this regard, we decided to organize various events related to this topic in order to fight against terrorism, protect children from the negative impact of social networks, underline the role of women in forging peace, fight against disinformation and the support to the independence of judiciary.
The European Convention on Human Rights forms the foundation of the Council of Europe’s work. At the same time, its implementation is under pressure in some member states. How can its effectiveness be safeguarded in the long term, also within the framework of Monaco’s presidency?
H.E. Lorenzo Raveno: In conformity with the functioning rules of the Committee of Ministers, Monaco assumed from December 2025 to may 2026 the Presidency of the Committee for the supervision of execution of ECHR’s cases. In this regard, Monaco permitted the closure of the monitoring of hundreds cases. At the same time, we could deal with various major cases. Among them, we can underline the first examination of the interstates cases Ukraine and The Netherlands vs. Russia which was related to the flight MH17 which was shot down in 2014 in Donbass and the systematic human rights violations in the occupied regions of Ukraine. It allowed a first exchange of views on this case and the identification of the first topic in June 2026 related to the abduction and transfer to Russia of Ukrainian children. The purpose is to maintain a permanent dialogue with the Member States in order to facilitate the implementation of the cases. It is also necessary to recall that, in 2025, 949 cases were implemented (+6,1% in comparation with 2024)
In view of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, discussions about legal accountability and possible prosecution mechanisms – including a potential special tribunal – are intensifying. What role can the Council of Europe play in this context?
H.E. Lorenzo Raveno: The Council of Europe has played a key role from the beginning of the conflict. The Russian Federation has been suspended on February, 25th 2022 and expelled on March, 16th 2022. In 2023, was created the Register for Damages in Ukraine. The Council of Europe has also advanced the second phase of the accountability mechanism with the launch of a Claims Commission. This step was initiated in December 2025 through the adoption of an international convention, and work is currently underway to establish the Commission in practice.
The Council of Europe has also accepted to be the host’s organization for the Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine. A statute was adopted by the Committee of Ministers in June 2025, and discussions are currently underway to enable the creation of such a Tribunal.
It is also relevant to recall that ECtHR is still competent to deal with the violations of the ECHR committed until the 16th September 2022. There are currently 8.000 pending cases before the European Court of Human Rights.
