Germany is actively involved in the work of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECR1), which was created by the Council of Europe heads of state and government at the 1993 Vienna summit. The ECRI evaluates the national situation in the member states of the Council of Europe in respect of efforts to combat racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance and recommends measures to be taken at the local, regional and European level.

On 10 and 11 October 1997 the second Council of Europe summit is to be held in Strasbourg. The particular aim of this summit is to stress both the role of the Council of Europe as the guardian of minorities and human rights as well as its function in stabilizing and providing new impetus for the further development of democratic structures in the recently admitted member states of Central and Eastern Europe.

On 7 November 1997 Germany’s Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Klaus Kinkel, will take the Chair of the Committee of Ministers for a six-month period. The Federal Government will utilize the time it has the Chair especially to step up the integration of the Eastern European reformist states into the community of European democracies and to support the candidates for accession in their fulfillment of the Council of Europe’s democratic and human rights standards which are the prerequisite for accession.