Newsroom
Council of Europe Secretary General condemns violent events in Amsterdam
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe resolutely condemns the violent events that took place in Amsterdam. In our democracies, nothing can justify aggression and violence against Israeli citizens, whatever the context. The Council of Europe will relentlessly pursue its fight against all...
Secretary General attends European Political Community meeting in Budapest
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, attended the summit of heads of state or governments at the fifth meeting of European Political Community on 7 November in Budapest. At the meeting, Mr Berset had a number of exchanges including with President Maia Sandu, Prime...
What's the current state of the video games industry in Europe?
The European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, has published its latest report, "Legal challenges and market dynamics in the video games sector". This is the first time the Observatory has ever looked at the gaming industry and the result is a comprehensive...
MONEYVAL: Europe needs effective implementation of standards to counter money laundering and terrorist financing
The Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee has called on its 33 member states and territories to improve the effective implementation of international standards on combatting money laundering, the funding of terrorism and of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. In its annual report...
Brazilian project “Mine, yours, our vote” wins Democracy Innovation Award
At the closing session of the 12th World Forum for Democracy, the Council of Europe announced that the winner of its 2024 Democracy Innovation Award was the Brazilian project “Mine, yours, our vote”, developed by the Aurora Institute for Human Rights, in co-operation with various Brazilian...
Council of Europe provides comprehensive support to Republic of Moldova to address needs of war-displaced people from Ukraine
The Council of Europe has extended comprehensive support to the Republic of Moldova in strengthening human rights protections for refugees and migrants, particularly for those in vulnerable situations, such as women and children displaced from Ukraine by Russia's large-scale military aggression....
Protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse: threats and opportunities of new technologies
“Emerging technologies: threats and opportunities for the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” is the theme of a capacity-building event held in Vienna on 5 November by the Council of Europe’s Lanzarote Committee (the body that monitors the Convention on the...
Council of Europe reinforces standards to ensure independence and impartiality of prosecutors
In a new opinion the Council of Europe’s Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE) gives member states recommendations on managing prosecution services to ensure their independence and impartiality. The independence and impartiality of prosecutors are crucial for the proper functioning...
Dismissals of mayors in Türkiye: Statement by the Congress President
Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has made the following statement: "I express my grave concern about the recent decisions of the Turkish authorities to dismiss the elected mayors of four municipalities (Mardin, Batman, Halfeti and...
Montenegro signs Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
Montenegro has signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225). Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Ervin Ibrahimović signed the treaty in Strasbourg in the presence of...
Athens conference on sport focuses on inclusion and good governance
The President of the Hellenic Parliament, Constantine An. Tassoulas, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Theodoros Rousopoulos, and Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General, Bjørn Berge, have opened a two-day Conference on promoting safety, integrity, equality...
Upholding democracy through history teaching
George Orwell's famous quote, “Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past,” aptly illustrates the profound influence of history education. It has the potential to both divide and unite. A new book published by the Council of Europe promotes critical...
Conference launches new training course on deportation of children during armed conflicts
According to the Ukrainian government portal Children of War,19,546 children have been deported and/or forcibly displaced since the start of the Russian aggression in February 2022. They are among thousands of civilians impacted by mass deportations and forced displacement to the Russian...
World Forum for Democracy 2024
The 2024 edition of the World Forum for Democracy will bring together intellectuals, politicians, campaigners, experts and young people from across the world to discuss the issue of diversity and whether we can transcend divides. In this special year in which half the world’s population is voting...
Ministers join forces to help returning prisoners of war and deported children back to Ukraine
Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General, Bjørn Berge, has taken part in a conference in Canada aimed at developing a concrete plan for the return of prisoners of war, deported civilians, including children back to Ukraine in line with international human rights and humanitarian law principles....
Secretary General expresses solidarity with Spain after deadly floods
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has issued the following statement: "I am deeply affected by the death and destruction caused by the flash floods in southern Spain. My thoughts go out to all the victims, their loved ones and to the rescue workers doing all they can to save lives...
From war zones to demonstrations and online attacks, journalists need protection from threats and violence
This week's conference of the Journalists Matter campaign revealed increasing levels of threats against journalists. Participants like Wim Hoonhout, team leader and coordinator of the Netherlands Central Police, called for more safeguards to protect journalists from threats – on and offline –...
New grant launched for civil society organisations
The Council of Europe’s Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Division has launched a grant for non-governmental organisations (NGOs). It aims to foster democratic culture and strengthen the engagement of citizens in decision making in their countries, and to enhance the mutual engagement...
Protecting journalists from threats and violence
The Council of Europe is hosting a conference, The Protection of Journalists – a multistakeholder dialogue, to highlight the importance of media safety, given the key democratic function of journalists during crises, elections, demonstrations, and in conflict zones. As indicated in the 2024...
Protecting Europe's landscapes for future generations
A conference on the Council of Europe Landscape Convention is focusing on improving cooperation among member states, in line with the new priorities set out by the Heads of State and Government during the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe, held in Reykjavík, Iceland in May 2023. The conference...
