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Terry DavisSecretary General of the Council of Europe
Country:
 Great Britain |
Content:
Terry Davis Biography
Terry Davis, a British Labour Party member, was elected as the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term. Born in 1938, Davis graduated from the University of London and the University of Michigan. He is a specialist in European history, literature, and the French and German languages. With nearly 30 years of parliamentary experience, Davis emerged victorious with 157 votes out of 301. Following his victory, Davis philosophically remarked, "Democracy, unfortunately, implies someone's defeat." This statement was in reference to the outgoing Secretary General, Walter Schwimmer, who received 91 votes.
Work Priorities of Terry Davis
The Council of Europe, formed in 1949, consists of 45 member states, including Russia since 1996. Davis identified resolving the issues of refugees and internally displaced persons as well as reducing the processing time for cases at the European Court of Human Rights as his top priorities in his new role. Currently, there are 25 cases involving the United Kingdom at the European Court of Human Rights. Davis stated that as a founding member of the Council of Europe, the UK still has much to do in terms of upholding human rights. Vice-Speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mikhail Margelov, remarked, "We have already agreed that the new Secretary General will always have calm and businesslike contact with Russia, directly and not through intermediaries. Davis is learning Russian, and if needed, we will help him."
