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Valter ShvimmerSecretary General of the Council of Europe
Country:
 Austria |
Content:
- Biography of Walter Schwimmer
- Secretary-General of the Council of Europe
- Visit to the North Caucasus
- Ensuring the Safety of Experts
Biography of Walter Schwimmer
Walter Schwimmer, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna and obtained a degree in law. For a long time, his work was associated with providing social protection to the population. Since 1971, he has been a member of the Austrian Parliament, and since 1991, he has been a part of the Austrian delegation to the Council of Europe. He is fluent in German, English, and French.
Secretary-General of the Council of Europe
Walter Schwimmer, a 58-year-old native of Vienna, assumed the position of Secretary-General of the Council of Europe on September 1, 1999. In his actions, he relies solely on the law. Perhaps his biography has influenced his approach, as Walter Schwimmer graduated from the Law Faculty of the University of Vienna and obtained a degree in law. For a long time, he was involved in ensuring social protection for the population.
Visit to the North Caucasus
During a visit to the North Caucasus leading a delegation from the Council of Europe, Walter Schwimmer expressed hope that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) would restore the powers of the Russian delegation in this international organization. He noted positive changes in the situation in Chechnya but emphasized that PACE is waiting for the start of a political settlement.
Ensuring the Safety of Experts
Three days before Schwimmer's visit, three experts from the Council of Europe and two employees of the Council of Europe security working on a permanent basis in the office of the special representative of the President of the Russian Federation for ensuring human rights and citizens' rights in Chechnya in the village of Znamenskoye fled to Pyatigorsk, stating that they "feared for their safety." Upon learning that the experts were being guarded by six employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Schwimmer persuaded them to return to their place of work.
