Andrius Kubilius ends his run for Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Press release, 27 March 2019

Today, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe voted on the final list of candidates   for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, thus eliminating the Lithuanian candidate, Andrius Kubilius, from the list.

Mr Kubilius is grateful to everyone who has contributed to his election campaign and who has supported him. He also observes that the results of the voting have shown that a large share of the member states took the decision based on political motives rather than on the formal assessment of the candidate’s adherence to the so-called Juncker criteria, met by all four of the candidates.

‘Since the very beginning of the election campaign, the representatives of the Russian government authorities have openly declared that the candidature of Andrius Kubilius is the least acceptable to them. Today’s decision by the Committee of Ministers demonstrates that Russia’s categorical stance has influence over the decisions of European countries. This is obviously regrettable because such appeasement to the whims of Russia poses a threat to Russia itself and to the Council of Europe. The current Russian crisis in the Council of Europe represents the very outcome of this kind of appeasement,’ Mr Kubilius emphasised.

Mr Kubilius notes that the decision by the Committee of Ministers may hinder not only the election of the Secretary General but also the resolution of the Russian crisis. Attempts of the Committee of Ministers to influence the decision by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which is responsible for electing the Secretary General, lead to even greater miscommunication between the two bodies of the Council of Europe and, unfortunately, does not contribute to providing opportunities for a much-needed dialogue between the two.

‘I ran a very intensive election campaign together with my entire assisting team. We did everything that depended on us, including arrangement of hundreds of meetings, debates and discussions in Strasbourg and many European capitals. This was a wonderful experience not only for me, but also for the whole of Lithuania, our diplomatic service, and my colleagues in the Seimas. I have no doubt that the experience gained will be beneficial in the future,’ Mr Kubilius said.

Public Relations Group of the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrat Political Group of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6506, e-mail: [email protected]