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PACE sets out plans to try Russian leaders, strengthen sanctions and stop the ‘erasure’ of Ukrainian identity
In a trio of resolutions, adopted today after a joint debate in Strasbourg, PACE has set out plans to try Vladimir Putin and his generals for aggression against Ukraine, strengthen sanctions against Russia and counter its attempts to “erase” Ukrainian cultural identity. Approving a resolution and...
Secretary General meets Public Defender of Georgia
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Public Defender of Georgia Levan Ioseliani. The Secretary General recalled her statement on the law “on transparency of foreign influence” and reiterated the importance of the Venice Commission Urgent Opinion in this context. The Secretary...
Protection of national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia
The Council of Europe has published two new opinions by the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), on Bosnia and Herzegovina and on Georgia. In its opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina the Committee urges Bosnia and...
The Olympic Torch is welcomed at the Council of Europe on its way to Paris
The Olympic Torch was greeted today by leading officials, parliamentarians and staff of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg during an unprecedented stop on its journey to the host city of Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. A torch-bearer passed through crowds of well-wishers in...
The Olympic torch arrives at the Council of Europe
One month before the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, the Council of Europe today welcomed the Olympic Torch Relay. For the first time ever, the torch entered the premises of a parliament, and did so during the plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the organisation’s 46 member...
Alternative sanctions and measures to prison: European annual statistics for 2023
The overall number of persons subject to sanctions and measures which keep offenders in the community remained stable in Europe from January 2022 to January 2023, although some probation administrations experienced significant increases or decreases, according to the Council of Europe Annual...
European Committee of Social Rights Publishes annual report
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has published its Annual Activity Report for 2023. The report provides an account of many aspects of the ECSR’s work throughout the year, in particular the monitoring of the compliance of states with the Charter, but also a wide range of other...
Secretary General meets Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets. The meeting focused on the situation of children of Ukraine who were unlawfully deported and forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation. The state of play of the Register...
Alain Berset elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today elected Alain Berset (Switzerland) as Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 2024. In the second round of the election, Mr Berset obtained 114 votes, a majority of the votes cast....
Civil society in Europe needs to be protected!
Civil society plays an essential role in encouraging respect for human rights, as well as strengthening democracy and the rule of law in Europe. The Council of Europe Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) organised a conference in Helsinki, Finland, on protecting and promoting the space for...
CM President Landsbergis: Council of Europe must remain the driver of real action against Russia’s aggression
“Your strong and timely political recommendation to the Committee of Ministers to expel Russia was groundbreaking and – for many of us – brought back faith in our common institutions,” said Gabrielius Landsbergis, President of the Committee of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of...
Secretary General meets UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The excellent institutional co-operation between the Council of Europe and United Nations has been underlined during the exchange of views. Marija Pejčinović Burić...
Secretary General meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers Gabrielius Landsbergis. The meeting focused on the Priorities of the Lithuanian Presidency. The opening for signature of the Framework Convention on Artificial...
Georgia: Venice Commission publishes two new opinions
The Venice Commission has published two new opinions on Georgia adopted at the latest plenary session: the Opinion on amendments to the Election Code abolishing gender quotas and the Follow-up opinion to the December 2023 joint opinion by the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR on the draft...
Secretary General highlights Council of Europe 75th anniversary at Assembly Summer plenary session
“As we continue to celebrate the Council of Europe’s 75th anniversary, I believe that the importance of its future success is understood by our member states and that despite all the complications there is an opportunity to build on this Organisation’s extraordinary legacy with a new layer of...
First Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment awarded to Irida Women’s Center in Greece
The first Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment has been awarded to the Irida Women’s Center in Greece, a grassroots NGO which works for positive change in the lives of women experiencing poverty, social exclusion and gender-based violence. The 60,000-euro annual prize, awarded jointly by PACE and...
Register of Damage for Ukraine and the Congress launch awareness campaign for Ukrainian Local and Regional Authorities
The Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U) and the Council of Europe’s Congress held an event in Kyiv to kick off preparations for an awareness campaign aimed at involving representatives of Ukrainian cities and regions in promoting RD4U's mandate and the process of submitting claims to the...
Secretary General meets President of Iceland
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met President of Iceland Guðni Th. Jóhannesson. The meeting focused on the Reykjavik agenda follow-up, notably in the areas of non-discrimination, gender equality, the environment, and artificial intelligence. The 75th anniversary initiatives and the...
Sofia conference tackles challenges in prison and probation services
Directors of European prison and probation services from the 46 Council of Europe’s member states are meeting in Sofia on 24 and 25 June to discuss ways to improve the autonomy and resocialisation of prisoners and combat organised crime groups in the prison and probation contexts, among other...
Venice Commission adopts or endorses 17 opinions
The Venice Commission plenary session on 21 and 22 June adopted or endorsed 17 opinions concerning eight countries (Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Haiti, Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, and Poland). The documents adopted by the plenary session are being published this...
