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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...
Belgium must strengthen rules on integrity of government members and outside activities by police officers
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against corruption (GRECO) today published its 5th round evaluation report on Belgium. This cycle focuses on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement authorities. (See the Dutch...
The right to affordable housing: Europe’s neglected duty
“Increasingly making the headlines, the scarcity of affordable housing in Europe is a serious and growing problem that pushes an ever-larger number of people into housing insecurity and homelessness.”, says Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in her Human Rights...
Poland: improvements in Roma integration, but increased intolerance against national minorities
A new report on the protection of national minorities in Poland published today, praises improvements in the integration of Roma in education, but points to a persistent climate of intolerance, racism and xenophobia in the country (see also the Polish version of the report). Among the positive...
New youth sector strategy 2030: strengthening democracy through youth engagement
Today the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the new Youth sector strategy 2030 which will provide policy guidance to the 50 States Parties to the European Cultural Convention for the ten years to come. Young people’s creativity, dynamism, social commitment and competences...
Committee of Ministers adopts new action plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion
The Committee of Ministers today adopted the Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion 2020-2025 to combat anti-Gypsyism and discrimination and to support equality. The plan will also foster democratic participation, promote public trust and accountability and support access to...
Statement by Marija Pejčinović Burić on judicial reform in the Republic of Moldova
In December 2019, I met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Ion Chicu. We agreed that Council of Europe experts would visit Chisinau with a view to offering our assistance towards reforms needed to create an independent, accountable, efficient and professional judiciary for the...
Serbia: government’s efforts to fight violence against women are commendable, but more is needed
In its first report on the implementation by Serbia of the Istanbul Convention, the expert body GREVIO welcomes the policy commitment of the authorities to eliminate gender-based violence and the significant progress made in law and in practice. However, there are still problems requiring an...
Deputy Secretary General at Ministerial Conference ‘International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’
Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni participated in a Ministerial Conference convened by the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, presently Chairing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Ministers for Foreign Affairs of several...
CPT assesses isolation measures and cases of violence in Italian prisons
In a new report on Italy, the anti-torture Committee (CPT) has recommended ending the court-imposed measure of solitary confinement (“isolamento diurno”) for prisoners serving life sentences. The CPT also calls on the authorities to provide inmates with a minimum range of purposeful activities as...
Violence against women and domestic violence in the Netherlands: a stronger gender perspective is needed
In its first report on implementation by the Netherlands of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (widely known as the “Istanbul Convention”), the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts (GREVIO) stresses the country’s long history of addressing...
Venice Commission: New reform in Poland further undermines judicial independence
In an urgent Opinion issued today, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission, together with the organisation’s Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, concludes that the amendments to laws on the judiciary passed by the lower house of the Polish parliament (Sejm) on 20 December 2019...
Syrian doctor who ran underground children’s hospital receives Wallenberg prize
Dr. Amani Ballour, a paediatrician from Syria who ran an underground hospital in Eastern Ghouta in 2012-2018 and is now a refugee in Turkey, has been awarded the Council of Europe’s Raoul Wallenberg Prize for her personal courage, bravery and commitment in saving hundreds of lives during the...
Psycho-neurological institutions in Ukraine: CPT report recommends more care in the community
The Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT) has made a series of recommendations after visiting three psycho-neurological centres (“internats”) in two regions of Ukraine in April 2019. The committee calls on the Ukrainian authorities to accelerate the closing of such large-capacity...
Secretary General meets Croatian PM Plenković
Croatia’s Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met today in Strasbourg. They agreed to maximise synergies between the European Union and the Council of Europe and to boost cooperation between the two organisations, in the interest of Europe's citizens.
Kazakhstan becomes GRECO´s 50th member state
Le 1er janvier 2020, le Kazakhstan est devenu le 50e État membre du GRECO. De ce fait, le GRECO s'étend désormais sur trois continents, l’Europe, l’Amérique et l’Asie - et couvre une population de près de 1,2 milliard de personnes. En conséquence, une délégation du Kazakhstan participera au...
Italy: more measures needed to protect women from violence
A new report from GREVIO, the Council of Europe’s expert group on violence against women, has urged the Italian authorities to enact more measures to protect women from violence. While welcoming some innovative new laws, notably regarding stalking, providing paid leave for victims of violence and...
Fight against corruption: France must do better
In a report published today, GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, calls on France to improve the effectiveness and practical application of measures to prevent corruption within the executive (President of the Republic, ministers, private office members and senior civil servants)...
Armenia joins the Council of Europe’s drug policy expert body, Pompidou Group
Armenia has become the 40th member of the Council of Europe’s Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs (Pompidou Group). The Government’s decision takes effect from 1 January 2020. Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe,...
Marija Pejčinović Burić meets the Holy See’s Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met with Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States of the Holy See, to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Holy See’s observer status at the Council of Europe. She welcomed the Holy See’s long standing commitment to the...
Denmark needs to improve conditions in migration detention centres
A report from the Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has called on Denmark to improve conditions in two centres where migrants are detained. It also recommended improvements in two prisons, as well as better procedures for prolonged restraint of psychiatric patients, and more access to...
Azerbaijan ratifies Convention to protect children against sexual violence
Azerbaijan has become the 46th state to have ratified the Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”). Today, the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Fakhraddin Ismayilov, has deposited the...
Greece: Criminal justice system inadequate to counter corruption
Following heavy criticism against Greece from the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for having downgraded and softened its anti-corruption legislation, GRECO published a report today concluding that...
Drahoslav Štefánek: new Special Representative for Migration and Refugees
Today, on the occasion of International Migrants Day, the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić announced the appointment of Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek as her new Special Representative on migration and refugees. The Council of Europe has followed the situation of refugees and migrants...
Serbia: Roma situation still alarming
Serbia’s legal framework for protecting national minorities is solid, Serbian authorities are making commendable efforts to improve the situation of Roma-communities and to regulate the status of stateless persons, to develop cultural initiatives and minority media. However, the contrast between...
Poland: "globally unsatisfactory" anti-corruption compliance
Poland has been ranked as “globally unsatisfactory” with respect to a follow up assessment published today on corruption concerning members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. The report comes from the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), which determines that Poland...
Committee of Ministers adopts recommendation on guardianship for unaccompanied children in migration situations
The Committee of Ministers has adopted a Recommendation to member States on effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated children in the context of migration. Migration puts children, especially unaccompanied or separated from their parents, in a very vulnerable position. Children are...
Child Poverty: Committee of Ministers statement
The Committee of Ministers expressed concern about the very high rates of child poverty in Europe and the growing inequalities that particularly affect them. Children have been more severely affected by the austerity measures put in place in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis. They incur a...
Commissioner Mijatović urges Azerbaijani authorities to respect freedom of expression, improve access to lawyers and uphold rights of internally displaced persons
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published today the report on her visit to Azerbaijan, with recommendations on how to ensure freedom of expression, increase the number of lawyers and the quality of legal assistance in the country, and empower internally...
Secretary General: more states should join North-South Centre to better combat global challenges
Speaking at an event in Strasbourg to mark the 30th anniversary of Lisbon´s North-South Centre, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić called on states from Europe and its neighbouring regions to join the Council of Europe’s North-South Centre to better tackle global...
What role of prosecutors in the fight against corruption?
At its plenary meeting in Paris on 21-22 November 2019, the CCPE adopted its Opinion No. 14 on the role of prosecutors in fighting corruption and related economic and financial crime which takes into account existing standards and instruments of the Council of Europe and other international...
Human Rights Day, 10 December 2019
Statement by David Zalkaliani, President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Venice Commission: Gianni Buquicchio re-elected president
Gianni Buquicchio (Italy) has been re-elected President of the Council of Europe's European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), over which he has presided since 2009. A widely recognized public law expert, Mr. Buquicchio helped to ensure the Commission’s founding in 1990....
Human Rights Day: Council of Europe leaders highlight 70 years of the European Convention on Human Rights
To mark Human Rights Day (10 December), the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, and the President of the Organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly, Liliane Maury Pasquier, have issued a joint statement looking forward to the 70th anniversary of the European Convention...
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. The Committee adopted 33 decisions concerning 18 member states at the end of its quarterly human rights...
Shrinking space for freedom of peaceful assembly
Over the last year, protests have multiplied across the planet, from Chile to Hong-Kong. Europe is not left out of this wave of demonstrations. Protests are taking different forms, from large and repeated demonstrations to the occupation of public places and spontaneous assemblies. The use of...
Turkey: Protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law – even when fighting terrorism
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has underlined the importance of protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law – including when fighting terrorism – in Turkey as in all other Council of Europe member states. Speaking at a conference on Turkey’s...
GRECO president: “Politicians should lead by example, without ifs or buts”
To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, held every year on 9 December, Marin Mrčela, president of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), said: “In too many countries we are witnessing corruption or unethical behaviours by the very persons who are in charge of...
Venice Commission: Ukraine, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, non-recognised territories
Constitutional experts of the Venice Commission have concluded that while there exists a clear obligation under international law for all States and international organisations not to recognise an annexation, explicitly or implicitly, this does not necessarily oblige the Parliamentary Assembly of...
Bosnia and Herzegovina must immediately close the Vučjak camp and take concrete measures to improve the treatment of migrants in the country
“The living conditions of hundreds of human beings in the improvised Vučjak camp are shameful. That camp should have never been opened in the first place. It is now urgent to relocate these people and provide them with decent accommodations. I was assured by the State Minister of Security that...
Speaking European - our languages, ourselves
From a baby's first words to the greatest literature, our ability to connect and express ourselves through language is an essential part of our humanity. Without words, how can we express our feelings, care for our families and loved ones, build prosperous and fair societies, or fight for our...
Statement of Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić following the desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Westhoffen
"I strongly condemn the desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Westhoffen, eastern France. We must take all measures to fight increasing anti-Semitism on our continent. This is imperative for the Council of Europe and its member states. Jewish life and heritage are part of our European identity...
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 December. Information on the cases to be examined in detail during the meeting is available here....
A call for Bulgaria to speak out for human rights
“The government should step up its efforts to fight the hate speech prevailing today in Bulgaria in particular against Roma, LGBTI people and other minority groups” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, today after a 5-day visit to the country. Hate speech and...
“Two clicks forward, and one click back”: children with disabilities reveal their experiences in the digital environment
Ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the Council of Europe presents a new report focusing on children with disabilities in the digital environment. The report describes the experiences of children with intellectual, physical, hearing and visual impairments....
Quality journalism needs to be strengthened and protected
Journalism has to be firmly supported by states, professional associations, internet intermediaries and platforms, regulatory authorities and journalists alike to ensure trust between public and media, concluded an international conference organised by the Council of Europe in Ljubljana in...
Violence against women: Council of Europe reaction to developments in the Slovak Republic
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has today made the following statement: “Today’s decision by the Slovak Parliament rejecting the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention and calling on the government to block the EU’s accession...
Committee of Ministers: Georgia takes over Presidency from France
The Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe today passed from France to Georgia, at a meeting at the organisation’s Strasbourg headquarters. France’s Secretary of State in charge of European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin gave an overview of her country’s achievements. The...
Earthquake in Albania: Secretary General expresses condolences and solidarity
Statement from Secretary General Marija Pječinović Burić
Si nous voulons des communautés ouvertes, tolérantes et inclusives, l’éducation est tout simplement vitale
Intervenant à la réunion des ministres de l’Education le 26 novembre à Paris, la Secrétaire Générale, Marija Pejčinović Burić, a souligné l’importance de promouvoir l’éducation à la citoyenneté numérique et l’enseignement de l’histoire en Europe. Extraits de son discours à retenir : « Lorsque le...
Achieving Sustainable Development Goals through North-South cooperation
This year’s Lisbon Forum – organised by the Council of Europe’s Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity, or North-South Centre – focuses on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals for a better and more sustainable future. By promoting dialogue between countries in the northern...
