Well dear readers, on 11th May, Ukraine assumed the presidency of the Council of Europe and relinquishes it on 7th November. I have written about this before of course.
Unsurprisingly, the priorities of the Ukrainian presidency I have also written about before, specifically with regards to the situation in Ukraine needless to say.
The priorities outlined by Ukraine at the ceremony in Turkey where Ukraine officially took over are, child protection, the executing of European Court of Human rights rulings, improving the system of local self-government and defending the rights of the disabled.
The latter subject is a subject I have actively lobbied for on behalf of a Ukrainian charity, so whilst Ukraine is leading the charge on the European scene relating to the rights of the disabled, I will of course be looking to Ukraine to set the example and witness improvement from the current situation.
It goes without saying I will monitor all these priority areas here and see if the Ukrainian presidency of the Council of Europe is a “do as I say, not as I do” form of leadership, or whether Ukraine will lead from the front.
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