Accession at last!

The Prince’s Government embarked on a new accession process in October 1998.

In a rare intervention, Prince Rainier III expressed his own views on the issue in July 1999, during a speech to the National Council (elected assembly), which has been a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union since 1948. In a message to elected officials on 25 June 2001, he said that "if the Principality does not join this organisation, it will be the only country that remains outside the commitments that the European nations now share in the field of human rights".

With regard to the Council of Europe’s goals, he added that they were "already in line with the spirit of our Constitution. These goals to be promoted are human rights, the key principles of democracy and world peace. They are the foundation of our culture and of our political action". The Sovereign Prince summed up by sharing his "conviction that it is in the best interests of our country to join the Council of Europe".

Bilateral relations between Monaco and France were updated by the treaty of 24 October 2002, which was "intended to adapt and reaffirm the friendly, cooperative relationship". By increasing Monegasque sovereignty, this agreement paved the way a little further towards accession to the Council of Europe, which came into effect two years later. It would become a reality with the signing of a new administrative cooperation agreement in 2005, giving Monegasque nationals the right to hold any public office.

Lettre de Monsieur Patrick Leclercq, Ministre d’Etat de la Principauté de Monaco à Monsieur l’Ambassadeur Torbjørn Frøysnes, Président du Comité des délégués des Ministres. — Letter from Mr Patrick Leclercq, Minister of State of the Principality of Monaco to Ambassador Torbjørn Frøysnes, President of the Committee of Ministers at Deputy Level.

The signatories of the act of accession dated 5 October 2004, were, on behalf of Monaco, Hereditary Prince Albert (the future Sovereign Prince Albert II), and, on behalf of the Council of Europe, Secretary General Terry Davis.

That same day, Prince Rainier III said:

There is no doubt that, after 28 May 1993, the date on which we joined the United Nations, 5 October 2004 will be another memorable milestone in our already long history.