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Congress Bureau adopts declaration on impact of central government COVID-measures on local and regional authorities
The Bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted the following Declaration during its meeting held by video conference on 9 June 2020 : “The Congress Bureau expresses its concern about the democratic self-governance and financial autonomy of local and...
Austria: New report praises efforts to curb human trafficking, but more must be done
In its third report on Austria, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) analyses trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies and examines progress in the implementation of previous GRETA recommendations. The report...
World Environment Day: Congress President calls for mobilisation of local and regional authorities
"Good governance at the local and regional level means protecting the environment and combating global warming," stated Congress President Anders Knape, on the occasion of the World Environment Day, 5 June 2020. "Municipalities and regions are key partners for national authorities in this regard...
Beyond COVID-19, human rights can help save the planet
Council of Europe statement ahead of World Environment Day
Implementing ECHR judgments: latest decisions from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers
The latest case-by-case decisions on the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Due to the exceptional circumstances, the first part of the Committee’s latest regular human rights...
GRECO: new report urges public authorities to be exemplary and transparent
Governments and public-office holders should act in an exemplary way by respecting anti-corruption measures and transparency standards, said the Council of Europe anti-corruption body GRECO in its annual report. The report reviews the measures to prevent corruption taken in GRECO’s member states...
Denmark, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine: conclusions on implementation of ECRI's priority recommendations
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published a set of conclusions on the implementation of its priority recommendations made to Denmark, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine in 2017. Denmark received a recommendation to set up a comprehensive data collection system for...
Austria: praise for initiatives to promote integration and counter discrimination, but challenges remain
In its sixth report on Austria, the Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) lauds positive measures taken by the authorities on several fronts (see also the French and German versions of the report). Since its previous report, ECRI praises legislative measures to...
ECRI welcomes Albania’s significant progress, but some issues give rise for concern
In its sixth report on Albania, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) welcomes the significant progress made by the authorities, but calls for additional steps to address several issues that give rise for concern (see also the Albanian and French versions of the report)....
National minorities and COVID-19: inequality deepened, vulnerability exacerbated
On 28 May, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities made a statement welcoming the efforts made by the authorities in several Council of Europe member states during the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to persons belonging to national minorities...
Congress Chamber President calls for suspension of territorial reform in Latvia to allow for proper consultation
Following the information received by the Latvian Association of local and regional governments regarding worrying developments of the current territorial reform, the President of the Chamber of Local Authorities of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Xavier Cadoret, expressed...
Cyprus: efforts to uphold national minority rights welcomed, but improvement needed
A “general climate of tolerance” prevails in Cyprus, in particular towards the three constitutionally recognised national minorities: the Armenian, Maronite and Latin (Roman Catholic) religious groups, according to a report published today by the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the...
CPT annual report 2019: 30 years preventing torture and ill-treatment
“Despite the progress achieved in the last three decades in the prevention of torture and ill-treatment in Europe, significant and complex challenges remain to ensure the protection of persons deprived of liberty in places of detention”, said Mykola Gnatovskyy, President of the Council of...
Continued suspensions of mayors in south-east Turkey: statement by Congress President Knape
In reaction to reports about further suspensions of mayors in the southeast of Turkey, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, expressed his concern regarding the ongoing undermining of local self-government in the country. “Even...
Violence against women and girls before, during and after COVID-19: the shadow pandemic that must be addressed
The Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) and the Council of Europe Academic Networks (CEAN) are holding a webinar on 20 May on the theme of “Violence against women and girls before, during and after COVID-19” in the framework...
Human rights and the environment: towards a new non-binding instrument
Declaration by the outgoing and incoming presidencies of the Committee of Ministers In a declaration adopted today the outgoing (Georgia) and incoming (Greece and Germany) presidencies of the Committee of Ministers called for the elaboration of a non-binding instrument on human rights and the...
Greece takes over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
Greece today took over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Georgia during a video-conference meeting with representatives of the 47 member states of the Organisation. The Georgian Foreign Minister, David Zalkaliani, presented the stocktaking of his...
Young LGBTI persons must be protected against violence at home and in public, during this crisis and always
Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) European states must do more to address the specific challenges faced by young LGBTI persons, especially in times of crisis, said Council of Europe Secretary...
Serbia: Council of Europe bank approves €200 million loan to combat COVID-19
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB)* has approved a €200 million loan to Serbia to finance health expenditures for combatting COVID-19. The Serbian government has been swift to implement a range of measures, including the purchase of emergency equipment and supplies, to help contain the...
New factsheet highlights decades of constitutional reforms following ECtHR judgments
The Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments has published a new thematic factsheet highlighting the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights on constitutional matters across Europe over more than 50 years. The factsheet summarises 117 relevant cases or groups of...
