The centre-left British daily The Guardian highlights that the Council of Europe’s powerful influence is increasingly felt in the UK, adding that “despite this increasing relevance, for most people the Council of Europe remains shrouded in obscurity.”
The newspaper notes that since 1986, the Organisation has suffered from an image problem and quotes Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland saying that he fully recognised this problem and, therefore, intends to focus on its core activities, including monitoring the complicity of European countries in torture and inspecting prisons: “It is a miracle that we have monitoring bodies that have the right to open the door to any prison in Europe. Can you imagine the US allowing an international body to do the same?”
The Guardian says that the British government will have to take into account the Council’s increasing powers and reconcile the coalition cabinet’s new policies with its human rights obligation. However, the daily argues that it remains unclear what it will take to bring the Organisation out of obscurity.
