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Minority languages in Slovenia: progress on German and Italian welcomed; renewed recommendation to recognise Croatian, German and Serbian
A new report published by the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages evaluates the measures taken by Slovenia to implement the recommendations for immediate action given to it in November 2019. The Charter entered into force in Slovenia in 2001; it applies...
Committee of Ministers: Informal exchange of views with civil society representatives on free exercise of lawyer profession
At an informal meeting on 8 July 2021, delegations from the Council of Europe’s 47 member States held an exchange of views with representatives of international civil society organisations active in the area of the protection of the freedom of exercise of the profession of lawyer and the defence...
Netherlands makes voluntary contribution to Council of Europe
The Netherlands has made a voluntary contribution of €301,200 to the Council of Europe. Ambassador Roeland Böcker made the financial commitment in the presence of Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge. €100,000 will be spent on the Action Plan for Ukraine and €50,000 on the Action Plan for...
The CEPEJ publishes a Handbook on court dashboards
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has produced a handbook to provides practical step-by-step guidelines on how to develop comprehensive court-level and judge-level dashboards. It covers the process of designing the dashboard including content, data visualisation and...
Special Representative of Secretary General on Migration and Refugees reports on his mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek has published a report on his fact-finding mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The aim of the mission was to provide a picture of the current situation of migrants, refugees and asylum...
Secretary General at Ukraine Reform Conference: progress made, but further efforts needed
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić in the opening speech at the 4th Ukraine Reform Conference “Strong Ukraine in a Stronger European and Euro-Atlantic Family” spoke about the important contribution that Ukraine has made to the work of the Council of Europe,...
Human Rights Trust Fund supports three new projects
The Assembly of Contributors of the Human Rights Trust Fund (HRTF) has decided to allocate funding to three new projects: Strengthening the provision of health care and mental health care in prisons in Romania; Ensuring the effective implementation of the right to a fair trial (Article 6 of the...
Secretary General meets Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić received a courtesy visit by Holy See Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The exchange of views focused on Council of Europe-Holy See relations and on the importance of the inter-religious dimension of intercultural dialogue. The relevance of the...
Published Venice Commission opinions this week concern Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Romania, Russia and Turkey
The Venice Commission this week published opinions it had adopted during its summer plenary session (Friday 2 July and Saturday 3 July), which was held in a hybrid format due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns. an opinion on the draft Law on preventing conflict of interests in the institutions of...
Secretary General: Western Balkans countries play “central and valued role” in Council of Europe
Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, addressing today the Prespa Forum Dialogue International Conference “Western Balkans: the Missing Puzzle for Completing Europe” in Ohrid, North Macedonia, explained the role of the Council of Europe in helping the region along...
Drug consumption rooms important part of reducing harm, Strasbourg Symposium hears
Drug consumption rooms - special facilities that provide safe and hygienic environments for supervised drug use, protecting users from risk - are a useful element in increasing public health and safety and promoting safer drug use patterns, an expert symposium heard today. Organised by the...
Human rights training for legal professionals: number of online users doubled since 2020
HELP, Europe’s only peer-to-peer human rights training network for legal professionals, is holding its annual conference in Strasbourg on 1 and 2 July, with take-up of its online courses doubling from March 2020 to June 2021 The conference will hear how the HELP network has responded to global...
Secretary General participates in opening ceremony of Generation Equality Forum in Paris
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has underlined the relevance of the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, also known as Istanbul Convention, at the opening ceremony of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris. “Last year, we saw a surge in...
Warsaw Convention report: Burden of proof should be reversed to allow confiscations in serious offences
The Council of Europe’s Warsaw anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing convention committee has called on its States Parties to effectively apply the reversal of the burden of proof regarding the lawful origin of alleged proceeds or other property liable to confiscation in serious...
Secretary General at « Les Conversations de l'Odyssée »
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has taken part in « Les Conversations de l'Odyssée » with Faruk Gunaltay, the director of the Odyssée cinema in Strasbourg. The Secretary General highlighted the relevance of culture in contemporary Europe and the challenges of the...
New partnership agreement between Council of Europe and City of Strasbourg
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the Mayor of Strasbourg, Jeanne Barseghian have signed a new partnership agreement to reinforce the longstanding co-operation between the two sides, updating the 2010 agreement. “Ever since 1949, the City of Strasbourg...
Challenge of ensuring national minority rights taking new forms, tools to address it adapting
Achievements and future challenges in protecting national minority rights has been the focus of a high-level conference in Strasbourg organised by the Council of Europe under the Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. Persons belonging to national minorities face particular...
Automated technology to detect online child sexual abuse must respect human rights
Technology used to detect the online sexual abuse of children must respect human rights and the rule of law, says a new report for the Council of Europe. “There has been a sharp rise in the exchange of online child abuse material during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Council of Europe Secretary...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New country-by-country data now online
The 47-nation Council of Europe has published a new series of online country factsheets providing information on each member state’s execution of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). “Implementing judgments from the European Court of Human Rights is crucial to the success of...
Finland makes a voluntary contribution of €1 250 000
The government of Finland has made three different voluntary contributions in total of €1 250 000 to the Council of Europe: €500 000 to the European Court of Human Rights backlog of well-founded cases, €500 000 to the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022, and...
France: Anti-torture Committee deplores conditions of detention, prison overcrowding and lack of psychiatric beds
The Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), in a new report on its periodic visit to France in December 2019, expresses serious concern about material conditions of detention in police establishments, prison overcrowding, the conditions in which detained persons were...
10th anniversary of the Istanbul Convention: 'Nothing will make us back down'
“I would like to recall to each and everyone of us that during the two hours of this event there will be thousands of women beaten. As we sit here, women will even be beaten to death. And we are not talking just about some cases, but about thousands and thousands of acts of violence. Just think...
Czech Republic: Council of Europe calls for urgent independent investigation into Romani man’s death
Statement by the Spokesperson of the Secretary General
Secretary General meets French minister Elisabeth Moreno
On 23 June, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met Elisabeth Moreno, the French Minister responsible for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities. During the meeting, they stressed the part played by the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic...
Closer EU-Council of Europe cooperation is more important than ever, Secretary General tells PACE
Responding to questions from members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić began by emphasising the importance of coordinating work with the European Union in order to avoid duplication. She underlined the shared values of the two...
Secretary General praises EU-Council of Europe cooperation project that helped justice reform in Cyprus
On 18 June the Supreme Court of Cyprus announced the adoption of new Rules of Civil Procedure. The preparation of the new Rules was facilitated through a cooperation project conducted by the Council of Europe in partnership with the European Union. The new Rules are one of the essential...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New factsheet on improving conditions of detention
The Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has published a new thematic factsheet on cases related to conditions of detention. The factsheet summarises measures reported by 25 member states to prevent and eradicate ill-treatment...
Council of Europe Secretary General welcomes Hungarian contribution of €450,000
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, has welcomed an exceptional voluntary contribution of €450,000 towards Council of Europe action plans and projects, which support priorities of the Hungarian Presidency. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Péter...
Péter Szijjártó reviews the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency
“Guarantees should be given to national minorities to enable them to preserve their identity, culture, religion and language in public administration, education and in the media,” said Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the...
Local self-government in Armenia: positive developments but still room for progress
Despite positive developments in local self-government in Armenia, the powers of the municipalities have not been extended, their role in delivering public services remains limited, and local authorities are not provided with sufficient funding, says the monitoring report adopted today by the...
Georgia Election Code Reforms: Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR call for “more holistic approach”
In a joint urgent opinion the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (“ODIHR”) acknowledge that revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia have been prepared in close cooperation between the ruling party and several opposition parties....
Local self-government in Azerbaijan: few improvements observed, limited powers and weak financial position of municipalities must be urgently addressed
Despite some improvements in the work of municipalities, major concerns remain about a number of factors impairing the development of self-government in Azerbaijan, such as a lack of real powers of municipalities, of a status of state institutions and of own financial resources, says the...
Memorandum of understanding between the Council of Europe and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe
The Council of Europe and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) have signed a memorandum of understanding in Strasbourg with a view to stepping up cooperation between the two bodies and making the Organisation's activities more visible to Europe's lawyers. Lawyers play a key role...
World Refugee Day: Council of Europe and EU Agency for Fundamental Rights to work closely together on protecting rights at borders
On World Refugee Day on 20 June, the Council of Europe and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) are joining forces to strengthen their cooperation on human rights protection at the European borders. As a follow-up to the previous joint Note ‘Fundamental rights of refugees, asylum applicants...
The Congress calls on Poland to withdraw anti-“LGBT ideology” resolutions and to protect the rights of LGBTI people
At its 40th Session, 16 June 2021, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe examined the situation of LGBTI people in Europe based on a report prepared by Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR) and Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC/G/PD). The Congress adopted a resolution and...
CEB appoints Carlo Monticelli as new Governor
At its 229th meeting held today by videoconferencing, the Governing Board of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) appointed Mr Carlo Monticelli to the post of Governor, effective from 18 December 2021 for a five-year mandate. Mr Monticelli, an Italian national, has been serving as CEB...
Pompidou Group 50th Anniversary: Committee of Ministers adopts revised statute
With the adoption of the revised statute by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe’s drug policy cooperation platform (the “Pompidou Group”) has a renewed foundation to shape its future as the key international reference point for human rights in drug policies....
Online dispute resolution in civil and administrative court proceedings: new guidelines
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted guidelines for the 47 member states to help them improve the functioning of their online dispute resolution mechanisms (ODR) in civil and administrative court proceedings (see the explanatory memorandum). In this respect, the...
40th Session of the Congress, 15-17 June 2021
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will hold the second part of its 40th Session from 15 to 17 June 2021. The session will be held remotely, due to the current COVID-19 health crisis. The Congress will consider two reports on LGBTI issues, one on the Protection of LGBTI people in the...
European ministers adopt priority actions to enhance journalists’ safety and address AI’s impact on freedom of expression
European Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society have agreed to carry out a number of priority actions to tackle the most pressing challenges to freedom of expression, including the decline in the safety of journalists and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and of massive...
MONEYVAL acknowledges San Marino’s progress in measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing
In a new report, MONEYVAL calls on San Marino’s authorities to improve the regulatory framework and to strengthen the practical application of measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body draws up a comprehensive assessment of...
Co-operation key to tackling challenges new and old Secretary General tells OSCE Permanent Council
Effective multi-lateral action to solve cross-border problems is the key to tackling both long-standing and new challenges, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić told the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. The OSCE mandate for...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers
The latest case-by-case decisions on the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The Committee adopted 37 decisions concerning 16 member states during the meeting, including four...
Croatia: Despite progress, discrimination persists against national minorities such as Serbs and Roma, says national minorities committee
In its Fifth Opinion on Croatia, the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities acknowledges that the country’s legislative framework for national minorities is “overall in conformity with the provisions of the Framework...
MEDICRIME Convention: police services and other law enforcement authorities join forces to fight fake medical products
On 8 and 9 June, high-ranking representatives of national police services and other law enforcement authorities examined the role and added value of the MEDICRIME Convention in the investigation of offences related to counterfeiting of medical products, and how the Convention fills the gaps in...
Recent escalation of antisemitic attacks needs Europe-wide response
The recent escalation of antisemitic attacks requires a Europe-wide response. Governments should join forces to prevent new waves of antisemitism by countering hate speech on the Internet and supporting education about the Holocaust and human rights. Article published in European media English...
Tackling AI’s impact on freedom of expression and new challenges to media freedom: European ministers to discuss priority actions
European ministers responsible for media and information society will meet online on 10 and 11 June to discuss the ways to address the challenges to freedom of expression brought by massive digitalisation in the media and information environment – including the use of artificial intelligence (AI)...
MONEYVAL recognises progress made by the Holy See and encourages it to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism
In a new report MONEYVAL encourages the Holy See (including the Vatican City State) to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body draws up a comprehensive assessment of the country’s level of compliance...
Third Regional Seminar "Faro Convention for concrete action on cultural heritage"
The Council of Europe, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia and the Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation are jointly organising a high-level seminar “Faro Convention for concrete action on cultural heritage”, that will take place from 10 to 11 June 2021 in...
Sanctions and measures without deprivation of liberty grow in Europe: annual statistics for 2020
The number of persons subject to sanctions and measures which keep offenders in the community and do not deprive them of liberty grew by 3% in Europe from 2019 to 2020, according to the 2020 SPACE II annual survey, carried out for the Council of Europe by the University of Lausanne. (Please see...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 7 to 9 June. Information on the cases to be examined in detail this week is available here (*) Decisions...
Secretary General in discussions with senior EU representatives
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has taken part this week in a series of meetings with senior representatives of the European Union. On Monday the Secretary General had a video exchange with the EU High Representative and European Commission Vice-President for External Affairs, Josep...
Opinion on same-sex unions draft law presented to Serbian authorities
An expert opinion on the draft law on same-sex unions was prepared by the Council of Europe’s Directorate General for Democracy upon the request of the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of Serbia. The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper,...
MONEYVAL: States must improve their effectiveness against money laundering and terrorist financing
There is a serious need to improve the effectiveness of states’ action against money laundering and terrorist financing, concludes the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing body MONEYVAL in its annual report for 2020, released on 4 June 2021. The report finds...
Romania urged to effectively prosecute human traffickers and ensure access to compensation for their victims
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged Romania to ensure that human trafficking offences lead to effective and dissuasive sanctions and that victims of trafficking have access to compensation. In a new report evaluating access to...
Human trafficking: Montenegro should do more to punish perpetrators and ensure access to justice and compensation for victims
In a new report on Montenegro the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking group GRETA calls on the authorities to improve trafficking victims’ access to justice and compensation, and to ensure that perpetrators are punished. GRETA acknowledges that progress has been made in some areas since the...
Raoul Wallenberg Prize 2022 – Council of Europe launches call for candidates
The call for candidates for the 2022 Raoul Wallenberg Prize has been launched in Strasbourg by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić - The Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers is also committed to promoting the call for nominations to the 2022 edition of the...
Cybercrime Convention Committee approves E-evidence Protocol
The 24th plenary of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY), representing the Parties to the Budapest Convention, on 28 May 2021 approved the draft “2nd Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime on Enhanced Co-operation and Disclosure of Electronic Evidence”. “Criminals have stepped...
Israel accedes to Council of Europe’s anti-Human Trafficking convention
Israel has become the first-non European country to accede to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings . The Convention was adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 3 May 2005, following a series of other initiatives by the Council of...
United Kingdom - Publication of Fifth Round Compliance Report
GRECO has published today its Fifth Round Compliance Report on the United Kingdom, on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies, as adopted by GRECO at its 87th Plenary Meeting (Strasbourg, 22-25 March 2021),...
CPT Armenia report: Inter-prisoner violence, informal prisoner hierarchy, luxurious conditions for some inmates
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) in its new report on its periodic visit to Armenia in December 2019, welcomed some positive developments in the penitentiary system (progress in addressing overcrowding, easier transfers of inmates to outside hospitals,...
Belarus: further pressure on human rights
Statement by Spokesperson for Secretary General
PACE rapporteur calls for immediate release of Belarussian journalist
Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), General Rapporteur on media freedom and the safety of journalists for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has today expressed his grave concern at the arrest and detention by the Belarusian authorities of Raman Pratasevich, co-founder of...
Let us make Europe a safe place for environmental human rights defenders
In 2017 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a group of dedicated grassroots environmental activists staged a 500-day-long protest against the construction of new hydropower dams on the Kruščica river. The fight led by local women, who later came to be known as the Brave Women of Kruščica, met with many...
Strengthening human rights in Tunisia
As part of a joint Council of Europe/EU project “Support for independent bodies in Tunisia (PAII-T)”, a two-day online conference on “Independent bodies serving citizens: strengthening human rights in Tunisia” is highlighting the project’s achievements and its impact on citizens. Participants –...
Foreign Affairs Ministers set the Council of Europe’s course for the next four years
Foreign Affairs Ministers of the 47 Council of Europe member states have agreed on a Strategic Framework for the organisation for the next four years at their annual session. The Ministers underlined the Council of Europe’s role and responsibility for ensuring the implementation of its...
Hungary takes over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers
Hungary has taken over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Germany during a video-conference meeting with representatives of the Organisation’s 47 member States. Heiko Maas, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, gave an overview of his country’s...
Foreign ministers discuss democracy and human rights situation in Europe
Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states will hold their annual session by videoconference on Friday 21 May 2021. Chaired from Hamburg by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the meeting will provide an opportunity for ministers to take important decisions for the...
Icelandic minister: Integrated support services to boost children's wellbeing will pay off in future
“When families seek support for their children, they often feel like they are in a maze, walking in impasses, obliged to tell their story from the beginning every time and to co-ordinate the work of specialists they sometimes do not fully understand,” said Icelandic Minister of Social Affairs and...
Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission publishes conclusions on Croatia, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Republic of Moldova and Portugal
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published its conclusions on the implementation of its priority recommendations made to Croatia, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Republic of Moldova and Portugal in 2018. As for Croatia, ECRI concludes that the authorities have...
Let the rainbow arc bend towards justice, says Secretary General on IDAHOT Day
Progress is not even, attitudes are slow to change, and discrimination against LGBTI people remains deeply embedded in some European societies, warned Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić on the occasion of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and...
COVID-19, challenges to human rights and the danger of widening social divisions
In online remarks to the sixth annual Delphi Economic Forum today, the Council of Europe’s Secretary General stressed the ”proactive approach” taken by the Council of Europe to meet human rights challenges associated with COVID19. As 11 May 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the Council of...
Democracy is in distress, finds the Council of Europe Secretary General’s annual report for 2021
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has highlighted a “clear and worrying degree of democratic backsliding” in her latest annual report on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the continent. “In many cases, the problems we...
Let’s “widen the circle of support” for treaty to protect women and girls against violence
In a speech to mark the 10th anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, better known as the Istanbul Convention, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić outlined the success of the treaty over the past decade, urging...
Ukraine: Venice Commission publishes two urgent opinions
The rationale behind the draft legislation in Ukraine aimed at the establishment of an Ethics Council to assist the process of election (appointment) of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) members is welcomed, as it intends to urgently address the previously raised issue of integrity and ethics of...
