Newsroom
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...
Intimidation, ill-treatment allegations, fear of reprisals in Ukrainian penal colonies: new report by CPT
The Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) has published a new report following its ad hoc visit to Ukraine in August 2020 to review the treatment of persons held in penitentiary institutions, including those sentenced to life imprisonment and to examine the action taken by the...
GRETA: Albania makes progress in tackling human trafficking, but should do more
In its third report on Albania’s implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (CETS No.197), the Council of Europe’s group of experts (GRETA) finds that some progress has been made, but cautions that more needs to be done to deal with this type of crime. GRETA...
Albania: Venice Commission and ODIHR regret hasty adoption of amendments to constitution and electoral code
In a joint opinion, adopted after an exchange of views with Albanian President Ilir Meta and with MP Klotilda Bushka, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and the OSCE Office for Democratic institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), regret the extremely hasty adoption...
CEPEJ: Artificial intelligence and cyberjustice at the heart of discussions
The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has adopted a feasibility study on the possible establishment of a certification mechanism for artificial intelligence tools and services. The study is based on the CEPEJ Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in judicial...
Constitutional Court of Ukraine needs reform, says Venice Commission
The Council of Europe’s body of constitutional experts, the Venice Commission, published on 10 December its second urgent opinion on the constitutional situation in the country created after the Constitutional Court’s Decision of 27 November 2020. It says the Decision is an indication that a...
Working together for human rights – at all times and in all places
On this Human Rights Day, we are commemorating the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 72 years ago. On 10 December 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted a catalogue of fundamental rights which apply equally to all individuals – regardless of their skin colour, gender,...
Fight against corruption in Ukraine: Venice Commission says Constitutional Court Decision “regrettable”
The Council of Europe’s constitutional expert body, the Venice Commission, has published on 9 December an urgent opinion about the effects of the recent Decision by the Ukrainian Constitutional Court on the anti-corruption legislation. The Venice Commission proposes solutions to the Verkhovna...
European flag marks 65th anniversary
Adopted by the Council of Europe 65 years ago, the flag with 12 yellow stars on a blue background also became the European Union’s emblem in 1985 and it is now one of the most recognisable symbols in Europe. It is synonymous with a shared political project which unites all Europeans, transcending...
Anti-Corruption Day: “No quarter to corruption in healthcare, governments must lead by example”
To mark the International Anti-Corruption Day, commemorated every year on 9 December, the President of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), Marin Mrčela, today made the following statement: “As promising news about vaccines to prevent COVID-19 reach us, I call...
Armenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Sweden: Committee of Ministers recommends protecting and promoting minority languages
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published sets of recommendations on the protection and promotion of minority languages in Armenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Sweden. The recommendations are based on the respective country evaluation reports by the Committee of Experts under the...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New thematic factsheet on judicial independence
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 the independence and impartiality of the judicial system. The factsheet summarises measures reported by 21 member states to safeguard and reinforce...
Secretary General in Berlin for conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights and bilateral meetings
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will deliver a keynote speech in Berlin on 9 December at a conference entitled "70 Years of the European Convention on Human Rights - Safeguarding Human Rights in Germany and Europe" organised as part of Germany’s Presidency of the...
Anti-racism commission: new reports on Czech Republic and Slovakia
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) of the Council of Europe has published evaluation reports on the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, as well an assessment of the implementation of two priority recommendations by Sweden. In its report on the Czech Republic, ECRI...
Secretary General: “Local authorities on the front line" in response to Covid-19 challenges
“All levels of government needed to respond to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 crisis and local authorities were and remain on the front line. There will be lessons to learn about the division of competences and the need for coordination between layers of government in crises such as this,”...
Latvia: "A missed opportunity to adopt a territorial reform in line with the European Charter of Local Self-Government"
In a Recommendation adopted on 7 December 2020, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe expressed its concern about the deterioration of local democracy in Latvia since its last report in 2018, in particular the lack of consultation in the framework of the...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from 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. The Committee adopted 28 decisions concerning 17 member states during the meeting, including 4 Interim...
Moldova should improve access to justice for victims of human trafficking
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged the Republic of Moldova to guarantee access to justice for victims of trafficking in human beings by ensuring that they receive specialised assistance and free legal aid at an early stage,...
Croatia should strengthen human trafficking investigations and sanctions and access to compensation for victims
A new report on Croatia from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) focuses on victim access to justice and effective remedies. GRETA acknowledges steps taken, since its previous report on Croatia was published in 2016, to develop the...
