Newsroom
Ukraine: Congress concludes remote observation procedure regarding local elections
Welcoming the fact that, for the first time, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were allowed to vote in local elections in Ukraine, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe concluded its remote election observation procedure which was introduced as a temporary and...
Poland: Poor legal and medical access for people in police custody among concerns raised in Anti-Torture Committee report
In its latest report on police detention facilities, the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) stresses that Poland has failed to implement previous recommendations for proper legal and medical access, and that...
Poland: Congress conducts remote fact-finding mission on situation of LGBTI+
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will conduct a remote fact-finding mission on 2 and 3 November 2020 on the situation of LGBTI+ people in Poland. This mission follows a request from members of the Polish parliament regarding the increasing attacks and...
Responding to COVID-19 crisis: Ministers of Education conference
The COVID-19 pandemic is challenging our education systems and institutions, which need to innovate the ways in which we learn, teach and assess qualifications. The risk of increased exclusion and inequality in access to education is another effect of the sanitary crisis. In order to respond to...
Bosnia and Herzegovina - Congress conducts remote observation procedure for local elections on 15 November
In response to an invitation from the authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will carry out a remote observation procedure on 29 and 30 October, for local elections set for 15 November. This new remote format has been introduced as a temporary procedure...
Efficiency and quality of justice in Europe: 2020 report
A new report has identified a number of broad trends across judicial systems in 45 European countries. Among the findings of the eighth evaluation report drawn up by the Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ): European states spend an average of €72 per...
Polish authorities should ensure continuity, independence and effectiveness of Ombudsman institution
In a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, made public today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović raises her concerns about risks to the continuity and the effective functioning of the Polish Ombudsman institution. A constitutional...
Setting up a European network of police forces
At a conference on the role of the police in a democratic society attended by high-level representatives of European Ministers of the Interior on 20 and 21 October, the Council of Europe proposed to set up its own permanent high-level network of the police forces of the 47 member states. Some 90...
New factsheet on the execution of ECHR judgments concerning environment
Although the European Convention on Human Rights does not contain an explicit right to a clean and quiet environment, the Court has developed its case-law and established that where an individual is directly and seriously affected by noise or other pollution, an issue may arise under the...
Ukraine: Congress conducts remote observation of local elections on 25 October
After receiving an invitation from the Ukrainian authorities, from 19 to 20 October the Congress will carry out a remote observation procedure for the local elections that will take place on 25 October. This new remote format has been introduced as a temporary procedure in exceptional situations,...
Secretary General condemns terrorist attack in France
We deplore the horrific terrorist attack against a teacher yesterday at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine and express our solidarity with those close to the victim, with the French people and with President Macron. We will not allow our rights and freedoms to be threatened by extremists of any kind. See...
European Anti-trafficking Day: Human trafficking will not be tolerated
In a statement to mark Anti-Trafficking Day, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has called for full respect for the rights of victims of trafficking in human beings during the restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of...
Secretary General on working visit to Moscow
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić in Moscow on 19 and 20 October for meetings on key issues facing the Organisation. The Secretary General met with Sergey Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council and Konstantin...
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s final interview released on third anniversary of her death
The last interview ever given by Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has been released today to mark the third anniversary of her assassination on 16 October 2017. The interview, carried out on 6 October 2017, was one of 20 with journalists from across Council of Europe member...
Protection of national minorities in Spain: Progress regarding Roma, but anti-discrimination laws needed
In an Opinion evaluating Spain’s level of compliance with its commitments towards the Spanish Roma under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention acknowledges the progress made by the country in providing social...
New study: journalists speak out on undue pressure
A new study has made an in-depth analysis of undue pressure exerted against journalists to prevent them from reporting freely and of the strategies they use to overcome fear and continue to perform their public watchdog mission. “A Mission to Inform: Journalists at Risk Speak Out”, authored by...
Anders Knape: “The Congress Charter has a key role for promoting local democracy and Europe’s pluralist society model”
To mark the 35th anniversary of the opening for signature of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Anders Knape, made the following statement: “The European Charter of Local Self-Government was opened for signature on 15...
Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on Belarus
The Greek Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Rik Daems, and the Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić,...
Online Venice Commission plenary marks 30 years of newsworthy legal advice
Because of continued concerns over Covid-19, an “on location” celebration that was scheduled to mark 30 years of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission had to be postponed. Instead a virtual plenary session was held late last week. It resulted in the adoption of many newsworthy opinions and...
Minorities in Hungary: Roma need “urgent” help for education, housing and health care
In its latest opinion on Hungary, the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) found that persons belonging to the Roma minority face structural difficulties in all spheres of public life, including education, employment...
National minorities in Bulgaria: more needed to combat segregation and hate speech
Bulgaria has made progress in the implementation of the Framework Convention through advancing non-discrimination legislation, promoting education for Roma children and supporting religious rights. However, the legal framework for exercising minority cultural, linguistic and participation rights...
Digital solutions to fight COVID-19: shortcomings protecting privacy and personal data
A new Council of Europe report has identified a number of shortcomings in the protection of privacy and personal data in some of the legal and technical measures adopted by governments to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic among the 55 African, Latin-American and European countries which...
World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October 2020: joint declaration by Secretary General and EU High Representative
Today on the World and European Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their opposition to the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and call for the universal abolition of the death penalty. We welcome the continued decline in the use of the...
A ‘Living Instrument’ for Everyone: Advancing Equality for LGBTI persons
A conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights has taken place in Strasbourg. Entitled “A ‘Living Instrument’ for Everyone: The Role of the European Convention on Human Rights in Advancing Equality for LGBTI persons”, it was organised by the Council of...
Secretary General appoints Special Representative on Antisemitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has appointed the Council of Europe’s Director of Communications Daniel Höltgen, to the new position of Special Representative on Antisemitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes. Commenting on the appointment, the Secretary General said: “On Friday it...
New study: Slovenians consider sexual abuse of children a serious problem, but nearly half would not be able to recognise its signs
A majority of Slovenians consider sexual abuse of children to be a serious problem, with nearly one in five having experienced at least one form of sexual abuse. However, awareness of this type of abuse is low, as parents don’t feel comfortable discussing it with their children, and schools don’t...
Even in difficult times, Partnership for Good Governance programme keeps delivering
An online event to reflect on the mid-term results of the second phase of the European Union and Council of Europe Partnership for Good Governance (PGG), launched in 2019 for the Eastern Partnership region, started today under the title ‘Improving the lives of citizens through better Governance’....
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the 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 27 decisions concerning 13 member states during the meeting, including six...
Congress President deplores yet another blow to local self-government in Turkey
“I am deeply concerned about continued arrests, over the last days, of democratically elected representatives from the opposition in Turkey, notably of Mr Ayhan Bilgen, Co-Mayor of the city of Kars in the south-east of the country, who is a member of our Congress. This morning, news arrived about...
Secretary General warns of humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, made the following statement today: “As the armed conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh escalates with a growing number of civilian casualties, I mourn the deaths of the many people, including civilians, who are falling victim to...
Preventing corruption of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors: France can do better
In a new report published the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) notes that some progress has been made regarding members of parliament, such as oversight of senators’ operational expenses, the system for dealing with conflicts of interest and the two Houses’...
The Russian authorities should end continuous judicial harassment of human rights defenders
Statement by Commissioner for Human Rights
Human Rights for the Planet conference
What is the future role of international human rights law in helping to tackle challenges posed by climate change and the degradation of the natural environment? On Monday 5 October 2020, the European Court of Human Rights will host a high-level conference entitled “Human Rights for the Planet”....
Moldova: Draft constitutional amendments meet Venice Commission requirements
On 28 and 29 September the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova Mr Fadei Nagachevski had a series of exchanges with the High-Level Working Group established by the Council of Europe to support the Republic of Moldova in the crucial task of reforming its judicial system. Representatives...
Secretary General delivers keynote speech to Athens Democracy Forum
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić is in Athens today for a series of bilateral meetings with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Alternate Foreign Affairs Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, Greek Justice Minister Costas Tsiaras and...
The EU’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights
Joint statement on behalf of the Council of Europe and the European Commission
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its latest quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 29 September to 1st October. Cases to be examined in detail during the meeting concern Bosnia and...
San Marino: Council of Europe anti-corruption body calls for a structural reform of the judiciary
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) recommends that the composition of the Judicial Council be changed to limit political influence. In a new report it also calls for a reappraisal of the workload, internal procedures and resources of the court to improve and streamline its...
Congress Rapporteur calls for solidarity with local authorities to urgently remedy refugee situation after Moria fires
Against the background of the devastating fires in the “Moria Reception and Identification Centre” on the Greek island of Lesbos, Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC/G/PD), Rapporteur of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe deplored the lack of joint action in Europe,...
New Council of Europe guide to public debate on human rights and biomedicine
The Council of Europe has launched a new guide to assist member states in initiating and promoting dialogue with the public on the challenges posed by biomedical developments, both for individuals and society. Aimed primarily primarily at government officials, public authorities, national ethics...
Nagorno-Karabakh: Secretary General calls for immediate end to hostilities
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, has made the following statement concerning the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh: “I am gravely concerned about reports of military escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I call on our Member States Armenia...
World Forum for Democracy adapts to Covid-19 pandemic conditions
Exceptionally, the 9th edition of the World Forum for Democracy "Can Democracy Save the Environment? will take place over a whole year and will be launched on 18 November 2020. The Forum will kick off with a campaign of activities "12 months to answer 1 question". In a real spirit of...
26 September: The European Day of Languages
Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
EU Pact on Migration and Asylum: a renewed opportunity to uphold human rights in migration governance
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe and the Regional Representative for Europe of the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) have welcomed the presentation by the European Commission of its new Pact on Migration and Asylum. The launch of...
Netherlands and Slovenia: Committee of Ministers adopts recommendations on promoting regional and minority languages
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has adopted recommendations to the Netherlands and to Slovenia, based on the evaluation reports by the Committee of Experts under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). In the Netherlands, the Charter applies to Frisian,...
Congress to organise remote meeting of the Statutory Forum
The Statutory Forum of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold a remote meeting on 28 September 2020 to examine, for adoption, several reports on the state of local democracy in Europe and on grassroots elections in major crisis situations, as well as its...
Commissioner: Human rights violations in Belarus must stop immediately
More than a month after the beginning of mass protests following the presidential elections in Belarus, the human rights situation in the country remains extremely worrying. Thousands of peaceful protesters have been arrested, and several individuals have been reported missing. Yet, non-violent...
GREVIO report on Belgium: violence against women should be more visible in national anti-violence policies
In its first report on implementation by Belgium of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as the “Istanbul Convention”), the Group of Experts (GREVIO) highlights how gender-based violence against women is relatively...
Secretary General: member states must work together to learn COVID-19 health crisis lessons
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called for increased multilateral cooperation among the organisation’s member states to draw lessons from the pandemic crisis and enhance preparedness for addressing health concerns on the basis of common principles and best...
Secretary General: Anti-money laundering controls should not be relaxed
Addressing MONEYVAL on the occasion of its 60th plenary meeting, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has stressed the importance of not relaxing anti-money laundering controls, which is taking place in some countries, and of strengthening effective compliance with...
International Day of Democracy: statement by the President of the Congress
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, made the following statement on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy: "If democracy is the foundation on which our common values are based, it is at the level closest to citizens,...
Anti-torture committee urges Moldova to end persistent inter-prisoner violence and intimidation
Moldova should take resolute action to put an end to inter-prisoner violence and intimidation linked mainly to informal hierarchies in the country’s prisons, says the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) in a new report. (see executive summary) In the report, based on...
Rencontre avec Clément Beaune, secrétaire d’Etat français chargé des affaires européennes
La Secrétaire Générale a rencontré lundi 14 septembre le secrétaire d'État français chargé des affaires européennes, Clément Beaune. Au cours de cette première rencontre, ils se sont entretenus notamment du rôle du Conseil de l’Europe pour aider ses Etats membres à lutter efficacement contre la...
Commissioner calls on Greek authorities to provide adequate support to all those affected by fire at Moria
“The fire that destroyed most of the Registration and Identification Centre of Moria and the informal settlements surrounding it, on the Greek island of Lesvos on Tuesday night has dramatically worsened the living conditions of more than 12 000 asylum seekers and migrants, including more than...
Council of Europe Bank and Italy sign € 300 million loan agreement to support COVID-19 response
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance have signed a € 300 million loan agreement to finance the emergency and health expenditure associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy was the first EU country to declare the state of emergency on 31 January...
Secretary General gravely concerned by human rights violations in Belarus
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has made the following statement concerning Belarus: “The Council of Europe is gravely concerned about the latest threats to human rights in Belarus. The reported harassment and persecution of members of the...
United Kingdom: experts report “considerable progress” on regional and minority languages
The Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages (ECRML) has reported considerable progress in the United Kingdom’s implementation of the charter. In its latest report on the UK, the committee noted that institutions and many public services in Wales and...
Armenia completes ratification of Lanzarote Convention
Armenia has become the 47th state to have completed the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”). The Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Paruyr...
Digital surveillance by intelligence services: states must take action to better protect individuals
In a joint statement the chair of the Council of Europe’s data protection “Convention 108” committee, Alessandra Pierucci, and the Council of Europe’s Data Protection Commissioner, Jean-Philippe Walter, have urged states to strengthen the protection of personal data in the context of digital...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the 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 second part of the Committee’s latest regular human rights meeting took place in Strasbourg from...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Council of Europe closes infringement procedure against Azerbaijan
The Committee of Ministers has closed infringement proceedings launched against Azerbaijan for failing to implement a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning opposition politician Ilgar Mammadov. The decision follows a ruling from the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan in...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Council of Europe urges Turkey to release Osman Kavala
The Committee of Ministers has urged Turkey to ensure the immediate release of jailed businessman and human rights defender Mehmet Osman Kavala pending the Turkish Constitutional Court’s forthcoming decision on his case. The decision was taken during the Committee’s latest regular meeting to...
9th World Forum for Democracy is postponed
Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and the various restrictions being imposed by national authorities, in particular on travel and on large gatherings, the 9th edition of the World Forum for Democracy « Can Democracy Save the Environment?” has been postponed until 8-10 November 2021. Climate...
COVID-19: Trends in money laundering and terrorism financing
The Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee has issued a report aimed at helping the global community to counter new criminal activities which are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic, including the sale of counterfeit medicines and cybercrime. The Committee, which specialises in measures to tackle...
A virtual celebration of Europe’s heritage
Thousands of cultural sites are preparing to open their virtual doors for the first time ever as the Council of Europe and the European Union once more join forces to celebrate the annual Heritage Days. Held since 1985, the Days give visitors a chance to see inside places of historical and...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers will carry out the second part of its latest meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 1 to 3 September. The first part of the meeting took place by written procedure in...
European states must no longer procrastinate on the duty to establish the truth concerning missing persons
“The lack of truth and justice for thousands of missing persons remains a serious human rights issue in Europe. So many families of missing persons in Council of Europe member states, including in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the Balkans, Cyprus, Georgia,...
MONEYVAL publishes new follow-up report on Ukraine
The Council of Europe’s body MONEYVAL has published a new report reviewing the efforts of Ukraine to improve its anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures since the adoption of its mutual evaluation report in December 2017. Due to the high number of...
Belarus: joint statement by the Committee of Ministers Presidency, PACE President and Secretary General
In a joint statement by the Alternate Foreign Minister of Greece, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, President of the Committee of Ministers, Rik Daems, President of the Parliamentary Assembly and Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General, the three Council of Europe leaders called on the Belarusian...
Commissioner for Human Rights calls for prompt investigations into Alexei Navalny’s case
"Alexei Navalny’s condition remains serious a week after he fell into a coma. I express my sympathy to him, his family and friends, and I hope he will fully recover soon," said Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović. "Mr Navalny is a prominent Russian anti-corruption...
Czech Republic strengthens anti-money laundering measures, but shortcomings remain
In a follow up report on the Czech Republic, the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL concludes that the country has improved measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, but still needs to make progress in certain areas. Since the adoption of its mutual...
Situation in Belarus: statement by Congress President
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, has made the following statement on the situation in Belarus: "The events in Belarus following the Presidential election have brought to the fore the people’s desire for democratic change in...
New factsheet on effective investigations into deaths or ill-treatment caused by security forces
The Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights has published a new factsheet on effective investigations into deaths or ill-treatment caused by security forces. The factsheet summarises measures reportedly taken by 23 member states to reopen, resume or...
Russia makes progress on corruption but more is needed, GRECO concludes
GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, has called on Russia to make further progress in the next eighteen months to comply with its recommendations on preventing corruption by members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. Its latest report welcomes Russia’s progress with nine of...
Secretary General comments on the situation in Belarus
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has made the following statement with regard to Belarus: “The situation in Belarus is of ongoing concern. Although Belarus is not a member state of the Council of Europe, we have cooperated in several areas and Belarus is party to a...
