Council of Europe buildings in Strasbourg (source: TASR)
Slovak diplomat Drahoslav Štefánek took up the post as head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina on January 16.
His main task will be to continue implementing the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is also expected to offer counselling and support to state bodies and institutions especially in the field of judiciary, with the focus on implementing European standards of human rights, strengthening of the ombudsman’s post in the fight against discriminating minorities and improving the protection of detained people, as well as strengthening forensic testing when applying the rules of freedom of speech and media in southeastern Europe, the SITA newswire reported.
“The appointment of an experienced Slovak diplomat and international lawyer to this post confirms the qualities of Slovak diplomacy,” the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry said, as quoted by SITA, “and also expresses the expectations that the Slovak diplomat serving for this important European organisation will contribute to strengthening the protection of human rights in the country, and the overall modernisation and progress of Bosnia and Herzegovina on its way towards the EU.”
