10
31.
Knowledge of the CPT is clearly growing, but remains very scanty in a large number of Parties to the
Convention. The remarks made in paragraph 21 of this report should be recalled here. Further, in addition to
action at national level, the CPT believes that there are fora within the Council of Europe (for example, certain
intergovernmental committees and regular information meetings for non governmental organisations) which
could be exploited for the purposes of spreading information about the Convention and the activities of the
CPT.
-
geographical extension of the CPT's activities
32.
The Convention has to date been ratified by twenty-three of the twenty-six member States of the
Council of Europe. Additional ratifications are likely in 1992 and 1993; in particular, the CPT will probably
soon be called upon to extend its activities to new Council of Europe member States from Central and Eastern
Europe. By the end of 1993, there might be up to 30 Parties to the Convention.
33.
Looking beyond the framework of the Council of Europe's membership, the CPT is aware that the
possibility of opening the Convention to non-member States, and in particular to States members of the
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe which are not members of the Council of Europe, is still
under consideration. The CPT has already written to the Committee of Ministers informing it that it would be in
favour of such an initiative (see also the 1st General Report; op. cit. paragraph 86). Further, the CPT has taken
note with interest of the suggestion put forward in certain quarters that the Committee might in one way or
another offer its assistance to certain CSCE States under ad hoc arrangements outside the framework of the
Convention.
34.
The prospect of these different developments is both exciting and daunting. On the one hand, the CPT
relishes the challenge that they represent; on the other hand, it is fully aware of the heavy responsibilities
involved. In the interests of coherence and credibility, such additional tasks must be matched by additional
means. In this regard, arrangements might have to be made in due course to enable at least some CPT members
to devote most of their professional activity to the Committee's work. Further, it is evident that the resources of
the CPT's Secretariat will have to continue to be reinforced if the above-mentioned developments are to be
handled successfully.