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Latvia takes over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
Latvia has taken over the rotating Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Iceland at the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government from the organisation’s 46 member states. The outgoing Chair of the Committee of Ministers - Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs,...
European leaders unite around Ukraine and European values
Iceland has welcomed heads of state and government to the fourth Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik. The Summit is an historic opportunity to reaffirm the common commitment to the Council of Europe’s core values and to refocus its mission in the light of new threats to human rights and...
Time for urgent action to stop democratic backsliding, Secretary General tells Summit
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on Europe’s leaders to act urgently to reverse a slide in democracy. Speaking at the opening session of the fourth Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government, she stressed that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was an extreme...
Youth work in time of war in Ukraine
What impact is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine having on young people in the country and on the way youth work is conducted? This question and the support that the Council of Europe has been providing to youth work in Ukraine, are the subject of a series of short documentaries first...
Summit parliamentary dimension: PACE Standing Committee meets in Reykjavik
The Parliamentary Assembly has put all its political weight in support of the Summit, pushing for it to be held and providing a substantive input to it though a host of texts, including its Recommendation 2245 (2023) on ‘The Reykjavík Summit of the Council of Europe - United around values in the...
New Prize will reward achievements leading to women’s empowerment, says Secretary General
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has welcomed the launch of the Parliamentary Assembly Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment. Speaking at a side event on the eve of the fourth Council of Europe Summit, she said the prize – named after former Icelandic president Vigdís...
Local and regional authorities to play essential role in implementing decisions taken at Council of Europe Summit
Local and regional authorities and communities are at the frontline in reacting to crises in Europe and will be essential to implementing decisions taken at the highest political level at the 4th Summit of Heads of States and Government of the Council of Europe that is taking place in Reykjavik...
Declaration on imprisoned Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza
Joint Declaration from the Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of...
New factsheet on life imprisonment and the ECHR
Life imprisonment is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, as long as prisoners have some chance of being released and it is possible for their sentences to be reviewed. According to the European Court of Human Rights, national laws concerning life imprisonment must be...
Council of Europe Summit unites Heads of State and Government around Ukraine and European values
The Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is hosting a Summit of Heads of State and Government from the organisation’s 46 member states on 16 and 17 May in Reykjavik. This is the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe since its creation in 1949. The Summit will be an...
Council of Europe and EU leaders warn against backsliding on LGBTI rights in run-up to International Day Against Homophobia
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, have made a joint statement ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Intersexphobia,...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: police ill-treatment of detainees remains a serious problem, says anti-torture committee
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report of its ad hoc visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) of September 2021, along with the response of the authorities. Ill-treatment of detained persons remains a...
Secretary General meets President of Portugal
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), an opportunity to reaffirm unity at the highest political level and reinforce commitment to the...
Secretary General meets Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Anita Van den Ende. The meeting began with preparations for the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), an historic opportunity for reinforcing the...
Promoting greater gender equality in sport: Council of Europe and European Union launch “All In Plus” project
The Council of Europe and the European Union are today launching the “All In Plus” project during a day-long event in the framework of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. The hybrid event brings together representatives of public institutions and the sport movement, as well...
Secretary General joins the summit of leaders for creation of Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine
“There can be no just and sustainable peace without accountability. This is why Ukraine and the accountability for the crimes committed by Russia will be central to our upcoming fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik on 16-17 May”, declared Secretary General Marija Pejčinović...
Secretary General meets Hungarian Minister of Justice
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga. The meeting focused on the recent visit of the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees to Hungary, the state of play of Hungary’s execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human...
Icelandic Presidency: Secretary General meets Minister of Culture and Business Affairs
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has exchanged views with the Icelandic Minister of Culture and Business Affairs Lilja Alfredsdóttir. The meeting started with the preparations for the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), a historic opportunity for...
Secretary General calls for action against democratic backsliding in annual report
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on member states to mark the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May) with a commitment to reverse democratic backsliding in Europe. In her annual report, published today – Council of Europe Day – the Secretary...
Council of Europe-ECPAT overview highlights need for more resources to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation in Moldova
The Republic of Moldova needs to devote more resources to identifying and supporting victims of child sexual exploitation, including from the most vulnerable groups, according to a joint Council of Europe and ECPAT international country overview released today. The overview says that the...
