The activities of the Information Centre on the Council of Europe

The Information Centre on the Council of Europe (originally named the Information and Documentation Centre on the Council of Europe) began its activities within Warsaw University on 1 October 1991. During the first years of the operation, its basic responsibility was focused on the translation of major conventions of the Council of Europe to be ratified by Poland and the organisation of numerous information campaigns in the media concerning various areas of the activity of the Council of Europe. Of special interest were panel discussions under the programme "Poland in the Council of Europe" addressing such issues as the equality of women and men, education, European Studies, migration, the protection of human rights. The established contacts with a group of correspondents responsible for providing information about the Council of Europe in local and national papers proved to be very helpful.

At the same time, a number of expert opinions was drafted on the harmonisation of the Polish law with the provisions of conventions, in particular with the European Convention on Human Rights.

In 1992, the Information Centre together with the Warsaw University Centre for Europe started their educational project and launched the first one-year postgraduate European Studies.

Numerous courses for civil servants on various dimensions of the activity of the Council of Europe as well as training sessions, including workshops and seminars, addressed to judges, barristers, prosecutors, and the employees of the Ministry of Justice, were offered. Seminars were held on a regular basis, delivered by Council of Europe experts and professors of law. Training on the European Convention on Human Rights has also been organised for police officers and civil servants.The Centre also co-ordinated courses provided among others by the Ministry of Interior, the Supreme Court, or the Board of Prison Administration. The publishing activities of the Centre should also be mentioned here. They include Bulletins devoted to various aspects of the Council of Europeís activities, issued on regular basis, books and numerous information materials.

Until 1993, the Centre was involved in information activities targeting the general public. Of particular importance was the information on complaints brought before the European Court of Human Rights, the development of materials on the procedure of submitting complaints, and the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights. Panel discussions organised by the Centre on the situation of people with disabilities on the labour market, the equality of women and men, environmental protection in the European law, etc., were offered to specialists as a measure supporting the drafting of legal standards, or amending of existing regulations. Training was offered to barristers on the procedures of the Court. The training organised together with the Polish Bar Association involved renowned experts of the Council of Europe. The training of barristers was concluded with workshops organised in Strasbourg and the participation in hearings before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2002, the training scheme was changed. Assuming that the long-term training project has already helped to achieve the goal of preparing barristers for bringing cases before the European Court of Human Rights, a series of specialised courses has been launched.

Since 1994, the Centre has been involved in preparing information campaigns to promote the knowledge of the Council of Europe. The campaigns covered the European Youth Campaign against Racism, Anti-Semitism and Intolerance, the European Nature Conservation Year, and the European Year of Languages.

In the mid 1990s, a special emphasis was given to the harmonisation of Polish law with European legislation. The Centre issued numerous publications presenting the acquis of the Council of Europe and the European Union. The publications covered the issues of nationality and citizenship, local authorities and federalism, social affairs, including the European Social Charter, state strategies in preventing organised crime, environmental protection, etc. The Centre organised several events on the 50th anniversary of the Council of Europe (1999) and the 50th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (2000).

The conference on the prevention of organised crime held in 1999 under the patronage of the President of Poland Aleksander Kwaúniewski and the Polish Minister of Justice Hanna Suchocka proved to be an event of a particular importance. Its aim was to discuss the practical implications of the new legal institutions such as the crown witness and the witness incognito.

The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights was marked by many seminars, publications, including the text of the Convention and the Rules of the European Court of Human Rights, and a special issue of the Bulletin on Polish cases before the European Court of Human Rights. In 2001, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Polandís membership of the Council of Europe, the Centre organised a conference on the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights in the national legal order and in the practice of the state. The conference brought together judges of the Supreme Court, the Constitutional Tribunal, appeal and district courts, as well as parliamentarians. The Centre has also initiated a public debate on unemployment and offered a seminar on the employment strategy of the International Labour Organisation, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, the European Union, and the Council of Europe in the context of the Polish labour market.

The Centre has put a strong emphasis on training programmes, especially for the police, organising in 2001 a course for police officers assigned to work in Kosovo. In addition, courses on the EU legislation, including workshops on human rights, were provided.

These and other initiatives aimed at promoting the activities of the Council of Europe prove that the Centre has focused on the major issues of interest to the general public, governmental and non-governmental organisations, Parliament, and public officials. For example, during an international conference on the retirement age of women and men (1999), legal solutions in Europe and the jurisprudence of international courts, which can serve as legal arguments for judges of the Constitutional Tribunal, were presented.

Together with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Institute of Public Affairs, the Centre organised a conference on Europe as a shared value entitled ěForeign Policy and Human Rightsî (1999) which opened a public debate on the need for more profound reorientation of foreign policy towards human rights. The debate at the conference ěThe Individual and the Society against the Threat of Terrorismî, organised in 2002 together with the Faculty of Law and Administration, Warsaw University, and the Institute of Public Affairs, was an attempt to anticipate the response of the society to terrorism and the extent to which restrictions imposed on individual rights and freedoms are commensurate with this menace. The debates targeted and involved not only academics but also practitioners responsible for political and legislative decisions. Information campaigns are of different nature. They are larger in scope and aim at changing peopleís attitudes and raising their awareness. The Centre has offered its publications to schools so to broaden the reading available to students and teachers, thus supporting European education in secondary schools. Cooperation with European Clubs and co-organisation of the largest European competition in Poland ěEurope at Schoolî have contributed to growing interest in European issues. The Centre has also produced publications, drafted expert opinions on the ratification of major conventions, and offered Polish translation of conventions facilitating the process of incorporating the provisions of conventions into the national legal order.

The educational and training activities, including seminars for judges, barristers, and civil servants, have played an important role in advancing the professional qualifications and expanding the knowledge of European law as well as of the aims and activities of the Council of Europe. A ten-year period of the Centreís work covered education, training, publications and dissemination of information on all areas of activities of the Council of Europe. It should be emphasised that the accomplishments of the Centre are not only a pure reflection of the work of the Council of Europe, but the Centre also drafts expert opinions for the Council of Europe, and strives to increase the interest of the Council of Europe in major social, political and economic events that occur in Poland. To this end, the Centre provides regular reports on major developments in Poland; hosts outstanding politicians, diplomats, and journalists; organises numerous meetings to discuss the priorities of the Council of Europe; and participates in national and international conferences and seminars.

In 2001, after ten years of its activity, the Centre was granted by the monthly Prawo i Řycie a prestigious award for ěactive promotion of European social awareness.î. Many of the initiatives promoting the work of the Council of Europe and the European Union would not have been possible without very close and effective co-operation with the Warsaw University Centre for Europe. Issues covered by the Council of Europe are an important element of the work of the Centre for Europe covering among others co-organisation of many conferences and seminars. A growing interest in problems dealt with by the Organisation are reflected in its publications and educational accomplishments such as a threeyear under-graduate European Studies and post-graduate courses in the European Integration which are the best examples of the co-operation in the area of promoting the Council of Europe and the European Union educational standards.

These ventures would not have been possible without the library and its information resources. Providing an easy access to documents issued by the Council of Europe has become from the very beginning a key function of this section.

Action Plan 2004