Europe: The Worth of a Values-Based Community

European values, based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, have helped to foster democratisation in many states on the continent. Countries like Russia and Turkey are an indivisible part of the European continent but have been excluded from a widening Europe, mainly because they are seen as not sharing our common values when, in fact, their values are the same. The effects of this miscalculation are being seen in Europe today. If we treat Turkey and Russia differently, considering them more like intruders than partners, we will feed their distrust. We have to make a bigger effort to bind Russia and Turkey with Europe in a way that allows them to become part of a widening sphere of cooperation, based on shared values and democratic advances. Furthermore, the Council of Europe should extend its objectives so that, going beyond the defence of human rights, it becomes a consultative organisation that brings together all the countries on the continent.