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Poland: Venice Commission recommends repealing “fundamentally flawed” Law on State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence
In an urgent opinion, the Venice Commission recommends that the Polish authorities revoke the “Law on the State Commission to Investigate Russian Influence on Internal Security in the Republic of Poland between 2007 and 2022” at their earliest convenience to prevent it from having a negative...
Fitch Upgrades Council of Europe Development Bank to 'AAA', stable outlook
Fitch Ratings has upgraded the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to its highest rating: AAA stable outlook, up from the previous AA+ rating, which was assigned two years ago together with a positive outlook. With this decision, the CEB now has the highest rating with all the major credit...
Anniversary of the Oslo and Utøya attacks: ‘We must keep on drawing the lessons from this terrorist act’ says PACE President
“12 years ago, 77 innocent people were massacred in Norway by a far-right terrorist in what was the deadliest attack in Norway’s history since the end of World War II. The majority of victims were teenagers, participating in a socialist youth camp at the island of Utøya. I wish the families and...
22 July 1964: Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia opened for signature
We all expect the medicines we take – from cholesterol-lowering drugs to antibiotics or vaccines – to be safe, effective and of high quality. The European Pharmacopoeia (also referred to as the Ph. Eur.) plays a pivotal role in making sure that is the case. The Ph. Eur. is the legally binding...
Albania and the Republic of Moldova mark 28 years of Council of Europe membership
On the same day in July 1995, Albania and the Republic of Moldova respectively became the 35th and 36th members of the Council of Europe. Representing Albania on July 13 was the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Serreqi, while the Republic of Moldova was represented by its Minister of...
Human Rights Commissioner: European states’ migration co-operation with Tunisia should be subject to clear human rights safeguards
“Council of Europe member states should insist on clear human rights safeguards in any further migration co-operation with Tunisia”, says Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, in relation to the conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union and...
Romania should step up efforts to investigate and prosecute money laundering and strengthen supervision
A new report from the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL calls on the Romanian authorities to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering (ML) and the financing of terrorism (TF) (See Executive Summary). The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the...
Council of Europe Week in the Republic of Moldova: art, flash mobs and films raise public awareness of human rights issues
From 10 to 16 July 2023, on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Republic of Moldova's accession to the Council of Europe, the Office in Chisinau, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, organised a “Council of Europe Week 2023”. The programme was put together...
Seat of Register of Damage: Secretary General signs agreement with the Netherlands
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has signed the host State Agreement with the Kingdom of the Netherlands regarding the Seat of the Register of Damage, caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Forty-three members are participating in the Enlarged Partial...
CPT issues reports on Belgium and Cyprus, monitoring a Frontex-supported return operation to the Democratic Republic of Congo
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published two reports on its 2022 ad hoc visits to Belgium and Cyprus in the context of a Frontex-supported return operation to the Democratic Republic of Congo, together...
Accountability for crimes during war of aggression against Ukraine: Committee of Ministers exchange of views with civil society
On 10 July, the Committee of Ministers Rapporteur Group on Legal Co-operation held an exchange of views with representatives of civil society on accountability for crimes during the war of aggression against Ukraine. Under the theme “The Accountability for Crimes Under International Law Committed...
Congress addresses UN High-Level Political Forum
The United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York is taking place against a critical backdrop: most of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will not be achieved as planned by 2030. To speed up their implementation, the Congress is calling on states worldwide to empower cities and...
MONEYVAL calls on North Macedonia to improve investigation and prosecution for combating money laundering and financing of terrorism
In a new report the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL calls on North Macedonia’s authorities to further strengthen its measures to combat money laundering (ML), financing of terrorism (FT) and financing of proliferation (FP), in particular in the investigation and...
Liverpool Summer School tackling illiberal democracies, post-summit challenges and opportunities
The Liverpool Summer School on the Law of the Council of Europe (3-14 July) has begun, with 42 young scholars from 15 Council of Europe member states. This is the first such Summer School that Liverpool University has hosted and comes just two months after the Summit of Heads of State and...
Secretary General meets EU Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with Dubravka Šuica, the European Union (EU) Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography. Highlighting the strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and the European Union, the Secretary General and Vice-President Šuica...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee publishes report on Latvia
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report on its May 2022 periodic visit to Latvia, together with the response of the Latvian authorities. The main objective of the visit was to review the treatment and...
“Let us remember Srebrenica and learn from it”
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
Deputy Secretary General meets the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva
Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge had a meeting with Volker Türk, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. The meeting focused on strengthening relations between the two organisations and their complementarity, including in the implementation of the...
Luxembourg needs a 24/7 national specialist helpline and gender-sensitive risk assessment to counter violence against women
In its first report on Luxembourg, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) welcomes the “resolute measures” taken by the authorities to stop domestic violence over the past two decades, which reflect a positive political...
Secretary General underlines Council of Europe role at Dubrovnik Forum 2023
“To prevent the “next Russia” we need to recognise the damage that is done by the rise of extreme populism, nationalism and “anti-rights” movements”, highlighted Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić at the Dubrovnik Forum 2023 "Navigating the Global Reshuffle". While addressing the...