Newsroom
New Deputy Secretary General: Bjørn Berge takes office
Bjørn Berge (Norway) has taken up the office of Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. He was elected on January 26 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) by 185 votes to 112 (the other candidate was Leyla Kayacik (Turkey). His period of office is five years...
Human Rights and Climate Change: What Role for the European Convention on Human Rights?
Judge Tim Eicke, judge in respect of the United Kingdom at the European Court of Human Rights, has delivered the Goldsmiths Law inaugural annual human rights lecture, entitled “Human Rights and Climate Change: What Role for the European Convention on Human Rights?”, at an online event on Tuesday...
Addressing intolerance and discrimination against LGBTI people: new publication by ECRI
Key recommendations of the Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission (ECRI) to the Organisation’s member states on how to end policies and practices that may lead to intolerance and discrimination against LGBTI people, are the basis of a new publication (factsheet) that was launched today, on...
New publication from Pompidou Group: ‘Covid-19 and people who use drugs’
A new publication from the Pompidou Group presents experiences and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic by frontline workers on the one hand, and people who use drugs on the other. It builds on practice examples from 21 countries submitted on the Pompidou Group’s Save Lives - Protect People...
Austria: Compliance with anti-corruption recommendations for MPs, judges and prosecutors is “globally unsatisfactory”
In an interim compliance report on Austria, with respect to corruption prevention for members of parliament, judges and prosecutors, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) concludes that Austria has implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner only...
Secretary General on events in Yerevan: “All political disagreements should be resolved in a peaceful manner”
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
Seventh anniversary of the annexation of Crimea by Russia
Statement by Heiko Maas, President of the Committee of Ministers
Secretary General addresses United Nations Human Rights Council
On 23 February Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić addressed the 46th session of the Human Rights Council by video link. Dear friends, When I addressed your 43rd Session, almost exactly one year ago, the world was very different. Since then, COVID-19 has changed how we live and work....
Anti-racism commission publishes new report on Norway, conclusions on Spain and San Marino
In its new report on Norway published today together with the government’s comments, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) calls on Norwegian child welfare services to further strengthen their assistance to struggling families with a migration or minority background in...
Hate speech - Everyone loses!
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić explains how the Council of Europe is fighting hate speech
European Court of Human Rights asks Russia to release Aleksey Navalnyy
Mr Navalnyy’s current application before the Court was lodged on 20 January 2021 under Article 34 of the European Convention on Human Rights. On the same date the applicant made a request to the Court under Rule 39 of the Rules of Court related to his detention, asking for his release. On 21...
New Congress report: Time to reverse “clear trend towards recentralisation” in Hungary
In a new report approved today by the Statutory Forum of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, two rapporteurs express concern about a clear trend towards recentralisation in the country, a lack of effective consultation and significant interference by the central...
European Sports Charter and Human Rights in Sport: resolutions adopted at Conference of Ministers
The 16th Conference of Ministers responsible for Sport of the Council of Europe, organised in line with the activities of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), has adopted two resolutions : 1) A European approach to sport policies: the revision of the European Sports Charter The...
Human Rights Commissioner urges Russian authorities to halt the practice of arresting peaceful demonstrators
Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic has published a letter addressed to the Minister of Interior of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Kolokoltsev, in which she highlights a number of human rights concerns related to the policing of demonstrations that have taken place in many Russian...
New reports show increasing discrimination and attacks on LGBTI people in Poland and Europe as a whole
A report on a fact-finding mission to Poland in November last year draws attention to increasing attacks and discrimination against LGBTI people in the country, focusing on cities, provinces and regions that are adopting family charters and resolutions against so-called "LGBT ideology". Another,...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New thematic factsheet on children’s rights
The Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has published a new factsheet focusing on cases related to children. The factsheet summarises measures reported by 29 member states to safeguard and protect children’s rights in response to 62 different...
Congress: 6th Statutory Forum to meet remotely
The 6th Statutory Forum of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold a remote meeting on 12 February (9.30 – 12.00). Members of the Statutory Forum will examine the “Revision of the Congress Rules and Procedures: provisions relating to ethics” presented for...
Slovakia: GRECO regrets slow progress in preventing corruption of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has expressed disappointment at the slow progress of the Slovak Republic in implementing measures to prevent corruption of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors. In a new compliance report assessing the progress of the country...
Didier Reynders: ‘Respect for the rule of law cannot be taken for granted, even within the EU’
“The rule of law is of fundamental importance, as it guarantees the protection of all other values, including democracy and respect for fundamental rights. Unfortunately, respect for the rule of law cannot be taken for granted, even within the Union,” declared the European Commissioner for...
ECHR President: Polarisation and COVID-19 threaten difficult times ahead
Increased polarisation and challenges to Europe’s fundamental principles, together with the global COVID-19 pandemic, are likely to create the most difficult period we have seen in many years, according to the President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Speaking at the court’s annual...
Facial recognition: strict regulation is needed to prevent human rights violations
The Council of Europe has called for strict rules to avoid the significant risks to privacy and data protection posed by the increasing use of facial recognition technologies. Furthermore, certain applications of facial recognition should be banned altogether to avoid discrimination. In a new set...
Data Protection Day: 40 years of Convention 108
Forty years ago tomorrow, on 28 January 1981, the first ever binding international treaty addressing the need to protect personal data was opened for signature in Strasbourg: the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data,...
Cards to explain rights to victims of human trafficking in Tunisia
To mark the celebration of the National Day for the Abolition of Slavery which took place on January 23, the “Instance nationale de lutte contre la traite des personnes” (INLTP) – national anti-trafficking body, has launched "The Cards of Rights of Victims of Trafficking in Persons". Developed in...
Heiko Maas urges PACE not to burn bridges
In a speech to the Assembly today, the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, paid tribute to the Council of Europe, referring to it as an “institutional pillar of our united continent” setting “human rights protection standards worldwide with the European...
Council of Europe leaders and victims’ representatives mark Holocaust Remembrance Day
To mark Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, Council of Europe leaders and representatives of victims have been paying tribute to the millions of people who perished, many of them in camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was liberated on 27 January 1945. Secretary General Marija Pejčinović...
Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis elected as first woman Secretary General of PACE
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has elected Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis (Greece) to the post of Secretary General of the Assembly. She becomes the first woman to hold the post in the Assembly’s 72-year history. She will serve for a five-year term starting on 1...
Human rights conventions are the ‘soul’ of modern Europe : Secretary General tells PACE
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has underlined the importance of the Organisation’s two key conventions: the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the European Social Charter. Addressing a hybrid session of the Parliamentary Assembly, she described them as comprising the “soul...
Convention on Data Protection turns 40: Committee of Ministers’ declaration
The Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (“Convention 108”), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, can become the international standard of reference on privacy and data protection in the digital age, declared the Committee...
COVID-19 and vaccines: Equitable access to vaccination must be ensured
How to ensure equitable access to vaccination during the current and future pandemics? The Council of Europe Committee on Bioethics has made a number of recommendations, drawing particular attention to persons in vulnerable situations having difficulties in accessing health services. First,...
CEB launches 2021 Social Cohesion Award to recognise outstanding social action in Europe
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has announced the launch of the 2021 edition of the CEB Award for Social Cohesion, the annual competition to acknowledge outstanding contributions to social cohesion across Europe. With the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacting the most...
Aleksey Navalny: Council of Europe leaders urge Russia to respect its human rights obligations
The German Federal Government’s Special Representative for the Presidency of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, State Minister Michael Roth, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Rik Daems, and the Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe,...
Secretary General’s Special Representative to visit refugee and migrant camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek will be in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 24-30 January 2021, to visit the reception facilities of Miral, Sedra, Borici, the Emergency Tent Camp Lipa in Una-Sana Canton, as well as the Ušivak...
Hybrid winter plenary session 2021
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold its 2021 winter plenary session from January 25 to 28 in a hybrid manner, allowing members to participate remotely or attend in person in Strasbourg. The Assembly will debate the ethical, legal and practical considerations of...
Human Rights in the Era of AI: Europe as international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence
The Federal Foreign Office and the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection of Germany, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, are organising a conference entitled “Human Rights in the Era of AI - Europe as international Standard Setter for Artificial Intelligence”. Taking place on...
United Kingdom, Germany extend protection of minority languages
The United Kingdom and Germany have extended the protection they accord to minority languages under the Council of Europe’s Language Charter (ECRML). This is the first time since 2008 that State Parties have accepted additional undertakings under this treaty. On 23 December 2020, the United...
Key indicators to combat human trafficking for labour exploitation
GRETA issues new guidance to member States
PACE President reacts to ‘assault on democracy’ at US Capitol: 'who does not speak up, consents'
PACE President Rik Daems, reacting to events at the US Capitol in Washington DC, has condemned what he described as “an assault on democracy by an extremist mob, incited by false claims and irresponsible statements at the highest political level”. “This is not America!” the President said,...
Focus on womens’ rights as three candidates shortlisted for the 2020 Václav Havel Prize
The selection panel of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which rewards outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond, has today announced the shortlist for the 2020 Prize, with all three nominees involved in promoting women’s rights or gender equality....
Human rights at the heart of drug policies : the Pompidou Group's 50th Anniversary
This year we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Pompidou Group. Created in August 1971 - on the initiative of the then French President - as a European cooperation framework to fight against drug abuse and drug traficking, it has developed over the years into an international group which...
Cyberattack on the website of the European Court of Human Rights
Following the delivery of the Selahattin Demirtas v. Turkey (No. 2) judgment on December 22, the website of the European Court of Human Rights was the subject of a large-scale cyberattack which has made it temporarily inaccessible. The Court strongly deplores this serious incident. The competent...
Ireland ratifies Convention on protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse
Ireland has become the 48th country to ratify a landmark Council of Europe convention that requires criminalisation of sexual offences against children. Irish Ambassador Breifne O'Reilly transmitted to Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić the instrument of ratification of...
Mostar: Congress concludes remote observation procedure in advance of local elections
Welcoming the fact that, for the first time in over a decade, citizens of the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) will be able to vote at the local level on 20 December 2020, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe conducted a remote observation...
French Senate should amend General Security Bill to make it compatible with human rights
In a letter to the Chair and members of the Law Committee of the French Senate, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, urges the senators to make substantial amendments to the General Security Bill to make it more human rights-compliant. The Commissioner invites the...
Reggio Emilia and Novellara (Italy) release handbook on interreligious dialogue actions
The handbook “Valuing religious communities as key actors of social cohesion”, edited by Fondazione Mondinsieme in collaboration with the Municipalities of Reggio Emilia and Novellara, thanks to an inter-city ICC grant, is already available in English, French, Italian and Arabic. It intends to...
2020 North-South prize focuses on right to life and climate change
The 2020 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe has been awarded to the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP) and to the Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MedECC) network of the Union for the Mediterranean. The jury acknowledged the unique...
Managing Covid-19 - what role does democratic governance play?
Measures taken by Council of Europe member States in response to the situation in the Spring and Summer of 2020 are the subject of a special report of the European Committee on Democracy and Governance. Democratic governance is the participation in decision-making of those who are affected by a...
Liechtenstein: publication of two reports on the fight against corruption
The Council of Europe anti-corruption body (GRECO) has published two reports on Liechtenstein: a report on incriminations and transparency of party funding and a report on the prevention of corruption in respect of members of parliaments, judges and prosecutors. In its evaluation report on the...
Money laundering and financing of terrorism: Warsaw Convention report assesses the monitoring of banking operations
The Conference of the Parties of the Warsaw Convention, responsible for monitoring the implementation of the treaty, has published a report assessing the way its states parties monitor banking operations to prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The report concludes that the...
Germany: GRECO calls for more government transparency, lobbying rules and improved conflict of interest regulations
Germany should set up stricter rules to better prevent conflicts of interest and improve government transparency, says the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) in its Fifth Evaluation Round report on Germany. Germany is a founding member of GRECO, since its establishment...
New cooperation agreement between Council of Europe and OECD
The Secretaries General of the 47-nation Council of Europe and the 37-member Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have signed an updated cooperation agreement on the OECD’s 60th anniversary. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aims to give new impetus to the...
