Newsroom
Council of Europe reference documents on migration and refugees now online
The Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) has published a comprehensive list of key Council of Europe treaties, recommendations, and other reference documents addressing migration and refugees on its website. It offers a structured overview of the Organisation’s legal and policy framework,...
Congress: local government must act now against foreign interference in elections
The Congress of the Council of Europe has called on local, regional and national authorities to reorientate their priorities and take a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to tackling foreign interference in electoral processes at local and regional levels. The call features in the conclusions...
Congress urges Georgia to resume political dialogue at all levels of government
The Congress has urged Georgian authorities to resume inclusive political dialogue at all levels of government and with all stakeholders – including local authorities, opposition and civil society – in order to reduce polarisation, restore the checks and balances essential in a pluralist...
Congress urges Türkiye to release detained mayors and stop their dismissals and detention
In a Declaration adopted today following an urgent debate, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe has called on the Turkish authorities to stop prosecuting and detaining elected representatives from opposition parties; release current detainees, including Mayor of...
Workshops in Georgia improve civil society’s knowledge of European standards on police accountability
Two workshops took place over the last two weeks in the Georgian regions of Adjara and Kakheti to discuss European standards on police accountability with civil society organisations. Organised under the Council of Europe Project "Enhancing a Human Rights-Compliant Approach in Law Enforcement...
“Stand Speak Rise UP!” – H.R.H the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg advocates for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence
On 25 March 2025, H.R.H. The Grand Duchess of Luxembourg addressed the Hemicycle at the 48th session of the Congress, highlighting the crucial work of Stand Speak Rise Up!, an association she founded in 2018 to support survivors of sexual violence in conflict zones. Accompanied by her advisor and...
Congress President discusses future prospects with Belarusian democratic forces
On 26 March, Congress President Marc Cools met representatives of Belarusian democratic forces participating for the first time in history in a Congress session. Iryna Khalopitsa, Head of the delegation, emphasised the significance of the Congress’ decision to invite them to the two sessions in...
Austria must step up fight against corruption, new reports warn
The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published two compliance reports on Austria. The Third Interim Compliance Report assesses progress made in implementing recommendations issued to the country in the Fourth Evaluation Round Report in 2017 on preventing corruption...
Slovakia: progress in combating human trafficking but more needed
In its latest report on the Slovak Republic, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) acknowledges progress in combatting trafficking in human beings but urges the authorities to prevent trafficking of vulnerable children, including Roma...
Congress reaffirms its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its commitment to a just and lasting peace
During its 48th session, the Congress held a debate on the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, focusing on Ukraine’s decentralised recovery and reconstruction with a human-centred, inclusive, transparent and sustainable development approach. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of...
Secretary General’s first official visit to Norway: strengthening democratic resilience and enhancing cooperation
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset made his first official visit to Norway from 24 to 25 March, where he discussed strengthening Europe’s democratic resilience and deepening cooperation on common challenges. In meetings with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Foreign...
Deputy Secretary General addresses Congress: “local democracy is our first line of defence”
Addressing the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge emphasised the crucial role of the Congress in defending democracy. “As we look to the future, let us never forget that local democracy is our first line of defence. This session...
Faced with threats to democracy, Europe responds with a desire for unity: Congress session opens in Strasbourg
“Democracy is under threat, not only in Europe but elsewhere in the world. It is by exercising participatory and inclusive governance in our communities that we can help to protect it,” stressed Congress President Marc Cools at the opening of the 48th session of the Congress in Strasbourg on 25...
EDQM On Air – The evolution of biologicals in the European Pharmacopoeia
EDQM On Air, the podcast on public health brought to you by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe, has just released a new episode! Biological medicinal products – or biologicals – are a class of pharmaceutical products derived or...
Denmark: two new reports show lack of progress in combatting corruption
The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published two compliance reports on Denmark assessing progress made in the implementation of the recommendations contained in its 2014 evaluation report on “Preventing corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and...
Secretary General’s Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine carried out her first visit to Ukraine
Following her nomination as Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine in February 2025, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir engaged in her first fact-finding mission to Ukraine on 19-20 March 2025. “I am committed to making every possible...
Congress: Mayor İmamoğlu’s detention is an assault on democracy; he must be released
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement on behalf of the Congress: “We deplore the decision to place Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu in detention, and demand his immediate release. “Putting Mayor...
Parliamentary Assembly Bureau calls for the immediate release of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu
Meeting in Strasbourg today, the Bureau of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) made the following statement: “The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly expresses its grave concern at the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu from the Republican People's Party (CHP), just...
Ukraine’s reconstruction, local and regional democracy in Georgia: Congress session highlights
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold its 48th session from 25 to 27 March 2025 in Strasbourg, France. The session will include the first-ever participation of a delegation of Belarusian democratic forces, following the Congress Bureau’s decision in...
Special Tribunal for Ukraine: Secretary General welcomes completion of technical discussions
Commenting on the completion of the final meeting of the Core Group* on a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, Secretary General Alain Berset said: “I welcome the successful outcome of the Core Group’s meeting and the finalisation of the necessary technical legal...
