Ex-Swiss Minister Berset Takes Council Of Europe Top Job

(MENAFN- Swissinfo) Former Swiss government Minister Alain Berset has been elected as the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe by the organisation's parliamentary assembly.

This content was published on June 25, 2024 - 19:18 2 minutes Keystone-SDA

Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here .

Berset received the most votes in the second round of voting in Strasbourg on Tuesday. He will be the first Swiss to hold this office when he assumes duties in September.

He received 114* votes after the second round of voting in Strasbourg, France, announced by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Theodoros Rousopoulos. The other candidates, Estonian Indrek Saar and Belgian Didier Reynders, received 85 and 46 votes respectively. A total of 245 valid ballot papers were received.

In a short speech to parliament, Berset thanked Switzerland for its support. He also emphasised the importance of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Berset was elected as the 15th Secretary General of the Council of Europe. Marija Pejcinovic Buric from Croatia will remain Secretary General of the Council of Europe until Berset takes office on September 18.

As Secretary General, Berset will head the Secretariat of the Council of Europe, which according to the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has around 1,800 employees. He will work closely with the various Council of Europe institutions such as the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the European Court of Human Rights.

According to the FDFA, he will also be responsible for the Council of Europe's budget, which amounts to almost €625 million euros 2024. He will also assume a representative role in relation to other institutions.

More More A Swiss at the top of the Council of Europe?

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 Former Interior Minister Alain Berset is in the running for the top post at the historic Strasbourg organisation. Who is Berset, and what's in store if he lands the job?

Read more: A Swiss at the top of the Council of Europe

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

* This article was changed to correct the stated number of votes from 117 in the original version to the correct number of 114.

This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.

If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here , if you want to learn more about how we use technology, click
here , and if you have feedback on this news story please write to ... .

External Content Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Almost finished... We need to confirm your email address. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. Daily news

Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox.

Daily

Email

The SBC Privacy Policy provides additional information on how your data is processed.

I consent to the use of my data for the SWI swissinfo newsletter.

Popular Stories More Workplace Switzerland Owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult in Switzerland Read more: Owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult in Switzerlan More Workplace Switzerland How Switzerland plans to tackle its labour shortage Read more: How Switzerland plans to tackle its labour shortag More Life & Aging Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen mulls Venice-style tourist entry charge Read more: Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen mulls Venice-style tourist entry charge More Culture Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest 2024 Read more: Switzerland wins Eurovision Song Contest 202 More Science Switzerland says it can't afford to take part in Copernicus programme Read more: Switzerland says it can't afford to take part in Copernicus programm Most Discussed More Debate Hosted by: Elena Servettaz Should politics be kept out of sporting and cultural events?

Cultural and sporting events are being increasingly politicised. Is this a problem?

Join the discussi May 28, 2024 18 Likes 18 Comments View the discussi More Debate Hosted by: Bruno Kaufmann How can democracy be enhanced in schools?

How can we improve democracy education to better prepare students for civic engagement?

Join the discussi May 24, 2024 12 Likes 41 Comments View the discussi More Debate Hosted by: Katy Romy June 9 votes in Switzerland: how can healthcare costs be reined in?

On June 9, Swiss voters decided on two initiatives aimed at capping the cost of healthcare in the country. Have your say on the issue here.

Join the discussi Jun 5, 2024 83 Likes 79 Comments View the discussi More Debat Articles in this story

A Swiss at the top of the Council of Europ

Ne More Lufthansa Group to levy new environmental fee from 2025

This content was published on Jun 25, 2024 The environment fee will cover the costs of sustainably-produced kerosene.

Read more: Lufthansa Group to levy new environmental fee from 202 More Swiss traffic plans adapt to flood damaged A13

This content was published on Jun 25, 2024 Swiss railways to take up some slack from closed highway route.

Read more: Swiss traffic plans adapt to flood damaged A1 More Swiss court upholds 'Putin's bankers' Gazprom conviction

This content was published on Jun 25, 2024 A Zurich court throws out an appeal by four ex-Gazprom Switzerland bankers, after finding their arguments implausible.

Read more: Swiss court upholds 'Putin's bankers' Gazprom convictio More Further missing person reports during Swiss floods

This content was published on Jun 25, 2024 One person has died and five are missing as floods sweep parts of Switzerland.

Read more: Further missing person reports during Swiss flood More High immigration from Europe reflects strong Swiss employment growth

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 Around 68,000 people moved to Switzerland from other European countries in 2023, attracted by the job opportunities, the Swiss authorities said on Monday.

Read more: High immigration from Europe reflects strong Swiss employment growt More EFTA signs revised free trade agreement with Chile

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 The European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Switzerland, signed a revised free trade agreement with Chile on Monday.

Read more: EFTA signs revised free trade agreement with Chil More Switzerland must adapt to changing flood risks, warns Swiss hydrologist

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 Unusually warm temperatures, most probably linked to the climate crisis, suggest the situation is changing and Switzerland needs to better adapt, says a Swiss expert.

Read more: Switzerland must adapt to changing flood risks, warns Swiss hydrologis More Some Swiss cantons are ill-prepared for new sex offences legislation

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 Some Swiss cantons, especially in German-speaking Switzerland, are inadequately prepared for the new criminal law on sexual offences which will be implemented from July 1.

Read more: Some Swiss cantons are ill-prepared for new sex offences legislatio More Football legend Ronaldinho opens restaurant in Geneva

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 The former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho has opened his first restaurant near Geneva in western Switzerland. The restaurant serves burgers and is named "R10" after the famous footballer's shirt number.

Read more: Football legend Ronaldinho opens restaurant in Genev More Six hydroelectric power plants hit by flooding in southeast Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 24, 2024 Six hydroelectric power stations belonging to the energy group Axpo have been affected by flooding in the Misox region in canton Graubünden in southeast Switzerland.

Read more: Six hydroelectric power plants hit by flooding in southeast Switzerlan

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at ... .

MENAFN25062024000210011054ID1108372139

Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.