Speaking ahead of the final meeting of Italy’s presidency, Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said Ireland “has always subscribed to the values of what we consider ‘the conscience of Europe’” and its presidency will “reaffirm that conscience”.

He added: “We will use our mandate to reaffirm what we consider the Council’s founding freedoms, supporting the effective functioning of the European Court of Human Rights.

“Building on our experience with citizens’ assemblies, we will champion deliberative democracy and greater youth participation in the democratic process.

“Finally, framed around the concept of ‘Fáilte’, we will strive to foster a Europe of welcome, inclusion, and diversity. In doing so, we will draw on our own society’s experience of social change, which was spurred, in no small part, by the standards set by the Council.”

Ireland was one of the 10 founding members of the Council of Europe in 1949 and is assuming the presidency for a seventh time, having last held it in 2000.