Newsroom
“Sex without consent is rape: European countries must change their laws to state that clearly”
Ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday 8 March, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on all member states to change how rape is defined. In an opinion article published in today’s EU Observer, she says that “Too few of our members treat this crime as...
Czech Republic urged to step up anti-corruption efforts
The Council of Europe anti-corruption body GRECO has urged the Czech Republic to accelerate the pace of ongoing reforms aimed at preventing and combatting corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors. In a follow up report issued today evaluating the implementation of its...
President Knape reaffirms Congress support for Georgia’s decentralisation reforms
During his official visit to Georgia from 22 to 25 February 2020 the President of the Congress Anders Knape welcomed the continued commitment of Georgia to decentralisation, in line with the post-monitoring dialogue in 2014, the signature of the road map of the Congress in 2015 and the latest...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 3 to 5 March. Information on the cases to be examined in detail during the meeting is available here....
Governments must not stifle civil society: INGO seminar in Brussels
Be sure to watch live the Council of Europe’s Conference of INGOs celebration of World NGO Day, to highlight the importance of civil society as an essential democratic actor, but one which faces too many restrictions today. Held at the Council of Europe’s Brussel’s office, “From the Past to the...
Environment and Human Rights: Georgian Presidency calls for modern legal standards and tools
In a declaration made today in Strasbourg at a conference on environmental protection and human rights, the Georgian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers called to review the relevant Council of Europe legal arsenal and complement it by adopting a recommendation and a strategy in this field....
Migration and refugees: Council of Europe presents achievements and sets new objectives
In a report published today, the Council of Europe takes stock of achievements and sets out new objectives for protecting vulnerable migrants and refugees, including children. “The Council of Europe will continue to play a key role in the protection and promotion of human rights of the most...
Ultra-nationalism, anti-semitism, anti-Muslim hatred: Anti-racism commission raises alarm over situation in Europe
Increasing influence of ultra-nationalistic and xenophobic politics across Europe, hate speech setting the tone in social media, rampant anti-semitism and anti-Muslim hatred, as well as an increasingly hostile environment for NGOs working with vulnerable groups - these alarming trends and new...
Environment and human rights: towards a right to a healthy environment?
In response to the threats to climate and biodiversity, the Georgian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe will organise a conference on Thursday 27 February in Strasbourg on the protection of the environment from a human rights perspective. The conference, which will...
Statement by David Zalkaliani, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia and President of the Committee of Ministers
“This year marks the 6th anniversary of the illegal annexation of the autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by the Russian Federation, and the beginning of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. In my capacity as President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, I...
Secretary General tells UN Human Rights Council: “You can rely on our support”
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has assured the United Nations Human Rights Council that it can count on the Council of Europe’s support across a wide range of sectors. Speaking in Geneva at the UN body’s 43rd session, the Secretary General underlined the importance of close cooperation...
Osman Kavala ruling in Turkey: Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić's letter to Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić's letter to Turkish Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gül, sharing her concerns about Osman Kavala’s re-arrest and the investigation against the Istanbul judges who delivered the verdict of acquittal in favour of Kavala.
Congress President Anders Knape on official visit to Georgia
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Anders Knape, will pay an official visit to Georgia from 22 to 25 February 2020, organised in the framework of the Georgian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Accompanied by Congress Secretary...
Secretary General expresses condolences after deadly shootings in Hanau
Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić: I am shocked and deeply saddened by the terrible events in Hanau, Germany. I join my German friends and colleagues in their sorrow for the victims and their families. I wish the injured a swift recovery.
Turkish authorities must restore judicial independence and stop targeting and silencing human rights defenders
In a report published today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, calls on the Turkish authorities to restore judicial independence and stop the practice of targeting human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists and silencing them by using administrative and...
Osman Kavala ruling in Turkey: Reaction from the Council of Europe Secretary General
In response to today’s ruling from a court in Istanbul relating to the Taksim Square protests in 2013, the Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, said: “We welcome today’s ruling from the court in Istanbul ordering Osman Kavala to be released, in line with...
Slovenia: GRECO considers whether parliamentary inquiry into judiciary interferes with separation of powers
In a new ad hoc report on Slovenia the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption group GRECO did not rule out that parliamentary inquiries, if directed towards the judiciary in ongoing individual cases, may potentially interfere with the separation of powers and respect for judicial independence....
Monaco: insufficient anti-corruption progress says expert report
In a new report on the prevention of corruption of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors in Monaco the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO regrets the low level of implementation of its recommendations (two out of sixteen). As far as parliamentarians are concerned, GRECO notes that...
Protecting human rights in biomedicine, 2020-2025
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today supported a new five-year strategic action plan, presented by the Committee on Bioethics, on human rights and technologies in biomedicine. Designed to protect human dignity, human rights and individual freedoms with regard to the...
Towards a recommendation to ban the trade in goods used for torture and the death penalty
The Committee of Ministers has given its green light to the preparation of a recommendation concerning the trade in goods used for torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the death penalty. The Committee of Ministers draws on a feasibility study, prepared by the...
Human Trafficking: Monaco should raise awareness, train professionals, with focus on victims’ rights
A new report welcomes anti-trafficking moves taken by authorities in Monaco, but also calls on them to adopt legal and practical measures aimed at respecting the human rights of the victims. Although no victims of trafficking have been identified to date in Monaco, the Council of Europe’s Group...
Czechia should improve identification and compensation of victims of trafficking
Czechia has taken important steps to combat trafficking in human beings, but improvements are needed through legislative, policy and practical measures, notably in respect of the identification, protection and compensation of victims, as well as the effectiveness of investigations and...
Safer Internet Day: we’ve joined the campaign for a safer, better Internet
Imagine you find yourself in a world of infinite possibilities, a world with new friends to be found, new games to play and new ideas to explore. But how can you be sure you’re safe, how can you trust people you can't see, how do you know what you're learning is true? How can the Internet be...
Secretary General: countries and international organisations must work together to tackle today’s challenges
On her first working visit to the European Union institutions as Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić has underlined the importance of countries and international organisations working together to tackle modern-day challenges. Speaking to the EU’s Political and...
Council of Europe strengthens cooperation with internet sector
Five new companies and business associations today joined the Council of Europe Partnership with the IT sector aimed at promoting respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law on the internet: the artificial intelligence software provider Element AI, the International Communications...
Serious violation by a member State of its statutory obligations
Committee of Ministers adopts a new complementary procedure
Secretary General reacts to Turkey avalanches
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has expressed her sadness and dismay at the avalanches in eastern Turkey that are reported to have claimed many lives. “Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey as we hear the terrible news unfolding of avalanches that...
Secretary General in Brussels to discuss cooperation with the EU
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić is carrying out a working visit to the European Union institutions in Brussels from 5 to 7 February, focussing on cooperation between the Council of Europe and the EU. During the visit, the Secretary General will take part in meetings...
Committee of Ministers agrees checklist to stop “worrying trend” of election winners abusing power
The Committee of Ministers has today agreed a checklist aimed at ensuring that election winners uphold democratic practices. The checklist – compiled by the Venice Commission, the Council of Europe’s constitutional expert group – gives governments guidelines on how to maintain the checks and...
Spain: Anti-torture Committee issues report on police detention and prisons in Catalonia
In a report published today on a visit to the autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain in 2018, the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT) expresses concern about some allegations of ill-treatment received from persons apprehended by Mossos d´Esquadra and from inmates held in special...
Combating human trafficking and disappearances of refugee children
The Council of Europe should “do more to combat human trafficking and to ensure that its legal standards are adequate and implemented by all member States”, the Parliamentary Assembly declared today during a joint debate. In an adopted resolution, based on the report prepared by Vernon Coaker...
Azerbaijan has a political prisoners 'problem', says PACE, urging review of reported cases and wider reform
“There can no longer be any doubt that Azerbaijan has a problem of political prisoners, and that this problem is due to structural and systemic causes,” PACE has declared, urging the authorities to ensure alleged cases are reviewed by an impartial body, and to undertake “fundamental reforms” to...
For a complementary joint procedure CM-PACE in response to a serious violation by a member State of its statutory obligations
The Parliamentary Assembly welcomed the intensification of dialogue and contacts with the Committee of Ministers with a view to setting up a complementary joint procedure between the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe in response to a serious violation by a member State of its...
Council of Europe equipped to meet challenges of future, Secretary General tells PACE
The Council of Europe must take a leading role in overcoming new challenges to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has told the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. Populism, hate speech, discrimination against minorities, attacks on the media,...
Igor Dodon: “the Common House remains a project that inspires and mobilises”
“Despite the uncertainties, the European project of the Common House remains a project that inspires and mobilises”, today said Igor Dodon, President of the Republic of Moldova, addressing the Parliamentary Assembly. “We must be aware that, whatever the national specificity and the languages...
70th anniversary of European Convention on Human Rights: a convention for the people
The leaders of the 47-nation Council of Europe have issued the following statement to launch the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights in 2020: The European Convention on Human Rights came into being against the dreadful background of the devastation of the Second World War,...
Denmark: ensures protection of German minority but needs to address rising intolerance
Denmark has consistently supported members of the German national minority in South Jutland, the country’s only recognised national minority. However, the authorities should take further local measures to promote intercultural understanding and dialogue with the German minority, including...
Call on member States to remedy quickly and effectively any threats to media freedom
Threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists have become so numerous, repeated and serious that they are jeopardising not only citizens’ right to be properly informed but also “the stability and smooth functioning of our democratic societies”, the Council of Europe Parliamentary...
Parliamentary Assembly opens monitoring of Poland over rule of law
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has voted to open a monitoring procedure for Poland over the functioning of its democratic institutions and the rule of law, declaring in a resolution that recent reforms “severely damage the independence of the judiciary and the rule of...
Salome Zurabichvili: ‘Georgia has consolidated its democratic institutions’
“Georgia's accession to the Council of Europe 21 years ago has marked the start of a path towards the transformation of our society, the liberation of the individual, the democratisation of the political system, the consolidation of democratic institutions, and a state based on the rule of law,”...
Council of Europe Holocaust Remembrance ceremony
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has led tributes to victims of the Holocaust at a special ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the death camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Around six million Jews were brutally murdered during the Second World War, but many Roma and LGBTI...
David Zalkaliani: ‘We must keep the same determination to defend human rights as the authors of the Convention’
In his address to the Assembly today, the Georgian Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, David Zalkaliani, highlighted the fundamental role of the European Convention on Human Rights, which enabled the setting-up of a unique human...
Rik Daems elected PACE President
Rik Daems (Belgium, ALDE) has been elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Succeeding Liliane Maury Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC), he becomes PACE’s 33rd President and the third Belgian representative since 1949 after the Assembly’s founding father,...
Data Protection Day
Today, 28 January, Data Protection Day is celebrated around the world to mark the opening for signature in 1981 of the first international treaty aimed at protecting personal data: the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, also known as...
Iceland: Good detention conditions, but lack of systematic health checks for newly-arrived inmates
In a report published today, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), found that no ill-treatment was reported in the prisons, police or psychiatric establishments visited, and that the material conditions were good or even very good. But the Committee is concerned that little or no...
Protection of national minorities: Portugal makes progress combatting anti-Roma discrimination
Portugal has adopted measures to improve the living conditions and to counter the discrimination of the Roma population, but should ensure that they have an effective and long-term impact throughout the country, says the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of...
Council of Europe represented at 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni will participate today to the event commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, together with Heads of State Delegations from 54 countries and representatives of several International...
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić expresses condolences to Turkey after deadly earthquake
Statement by the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić: I am deeply saddened by the news of so many people killed and injured in the severe earthquake in Eastern Turkey last night. My thoughts are also with all those helping in the rescue operation. On behalf of the Council of Europe I...
MONEYVAL: new follow-up reports assess measures against money laundering and terrorist financing in six countries
The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing body MONEYVAL has published this week follow-up reports assessing progress by Albania, Andorra, Hungary, Latvia, Serbia and Slovenia in measures to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing. All these states –...
Parliamentary Assembly Winter Session
Adopting its final agenda at the opening of the 2020 Winter Session, the Assembly decided to hold an urgent debate on the theme “International obligations concerning the repatriation of children from war zones”, as well as a current affairs debate on “Recent developments in Libya and in the...
