Newsroom
Secretary General: liquidation of International Memorial marks a dark day for civil society in the Russian Federation
The liquidation of International Memorial is devastating news for civil society in the Russian Federation. The existence and development of civil society organisations is an essential pillar of any European democracy. However, the Russian Federation appears to be moving further away from our...
Croatia: More needed to prevent corruption and promote integrity in government and police, say anti-corruption experts
In a new compliance report the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) assesses measures taken by the Croatian authorities to implement recommendations issued in the Fifth Round Evaluation Report on Croatia, which was adopted in early December 2019 and made public in March...
Poland: Further measures needed to implement the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
Since having entered into force in Poland in 2009, the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages applies to the following languages: Armenian, Belarusian, Czech, German, Karaim, Kashub, Lemko, Lithuanian, Romani, Russian, Slovak, Tatar, Ukrainian and Yiddish. In a new report the...
New Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees
On the occasion of International Migrants Day (18 December), the Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has announced the appointment of Leyla Kayacik as her new Special Representative on migration and refugees. The announcement comes at a time when migration-related challenges are prominent...
Cyprus: Progress on Armenian and Cypriot Maronite Arabic languages, but room for improvement, say minority languages experts
State authorities in Cyprus continue to support minority language speakers by funding existing cultural institutions and establishing new sports facilities where their languages can be used, according to a new report by the Committee of Experts for the European Charter for Regional or Minority...
2021 North-South Prize awarded to the COVAX Mechanism and Zarifa Ghafari
On its meeting on 19 November, the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre endorsed the decision of the North-South Prize Jury to award the 2021 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe to The COVAX Mechanism and Ms. Zarifa Gafhari. The Covax Mechanism is selected in recognition to the...
Tunisia launches new initiative to better detect and help victims of human trafficking
The “National Referral Mechanism” (NRM), the first framework of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for identifying and referring potential victims of human trafficking, has been launched with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe. Based on a human rights...
Venice Commission publishes opinions in fourth and final plenary session of 2021
In their final plenary session of the year, again held in a hybrid format because of Covid, the constitutional experts of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission have adopted, among other texts, opinions on Albania, Cyprus, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The as-adopted opinions...
Hungary: LGBTQI amendments incompatible with international human rights standards says Venice Commission
The constitutional law experts of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission have published an Opinion on the compatibility with international human rights standards of Act LXXIX, as enacted by the Hungarian Parliament in June 2021. The Opinion focuses on amendments to Hungarian legislation...
AI in judicial systems: new action plan on digitalisation for a better justice
The Council of Europe’s European Commission for the efficiency of justice (CEPEJ) has adopted an action plan on digitalisation for a better justice for 2022-2025, aiming at reconciling the efficiency of new technologies and the respect of fundamental rights. This action plan sets the major...
“Crime and Criminal Justice -The Role of Restorative Justice in Europe”: Justice Ministers’ conference in Venice
“Crime and Criminal Justice -The Role of Restorative Justice in Europe” is the theme of the Conference of the Ministers of Justice organised by the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers in Venice on 13-14 December at the Scuola Grande San Giovanni Evangelista. Restorative Justice...
Claire Bazy Malaurie elected as new Venice Commission President
Claire Bazy Malaurie, member of the Constitutional Council of France since 2010, has been elected President of the Venice Commission, succeeding Gianni Buquicchio, who has been President since 2009. Her two-year term begins today, 10 December, and she will be eligible for re-election in 2023. She...
Human Rights Day 2021: Now more than ever, we must stand up for human rights
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has made the following statement ahead of Human Rights Day on 10 December: “When faced with difficult challenges, it can be tempting for states to consider relaxing human rights protections. In fact, the opposite...
GRECO President: “Covid-19 related corruption risks remain high; governments should respond quickly but lawfully to the pandemic”
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, issued the following statement: “As governments face successive waves of the Covid-19 pandemic and still...
“Free to Create, Create to be Free” – digital exhibition on artistic freedom
In today’s world, freedom of expression is facing growing pressure – and so is the freedom of artistic expression. The COVID-19 crisis has severely affected artists and the cultural and creative sector, having rendered, at the same time, ever more visible the importance of arts and culture that...
Secretary General asks Poland how it intends to ensure effective implementation of ECHR
In a letter to the Polish Foreign Minister, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has today taken a step of formally asking Poland to explain how, in the context of the recent judgment from the country’s Constitutional Court, it ensures the effective implementation of its...
How two key Council of Europe conventions can tackle online violence against women
As digital technologies have a reproducing and amplifying effect on existing gender inequalities, recent Covid-related restrictions and lockdowns have seen an increase in cybercriminal activities, as people stay online longer. As a result, women and girls are facing multiple risks of online and...
Committee of Ministers: Informal exchange of views with representatives of civil society on “Addressing hate crime within a human rights framework”
At an informal meeting on 6 December 2021, delegations from the Council of Europe’s 47 member States held an exchange of views with representatives of international civil society organisations active in the area of combatting hate crime. They discussed the challenges of data gathering, reporting,...
2020 North-South Prize Award Ceremony: focus on right to life and climate change
The 2020 North-South Prize of the Council of Europe (Assembly of the Portuguese Republic, Lisbon, 9 December, 12 pm) will be awarded to the International Commission against the Death Penalty (ICDP), represented by its President, Judge Navanethem Pillay, in recognition of its contribution to the...
Athens Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and Rule of Law
The Council of Europe is taking part in the third edition (online) of the “Athens Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence and the Rule of Law” on 6 and 7 December. Organised by the Future Society and ELONTech under the Patronage of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou,...
Implementing ECHR judgments: latest Committee of Ministers decisions
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 44 decisions concerning 19 member states during the meeting, including five...
Council of Europe at Internet Governance Forum 2021
The Council of Europe will participate in the debates of the 16th UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) to be hosted by the government of Poland in a hybrid format in Katowice from 6 to 10 December, focusing its contribution in particular on the new challenges to the protection of human rights...
Croatia: anti-torture Committee publishes report on 2020 ad hoc visit
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report on its ad hoc visit to Croatia from 10-14 August 2020. The report is made public pursuant to Rule 39§3 (*) of the Rules of Procedure of the CPT, following written...
Conference on Integrity in Sport in Rome
Integrity is intrinsically related to the question of ethics in sport. The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS) and the Italian Department for Sport, within the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, are co-hosting a Conference on...
Increased trafficking in counterfeit medicines : countries urged to ratify MEDICRIME Convention
The Council of Europe Convention on the counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (MEDICRIME Convention) will mark its 10th anniversary on 2 December, with an online event taking a look at its background, added value, success stories and the...
History teaching to foster reconciliation in Europe: First annual conference
History can be taught in ways which foster reconciliation within and between nations, avoiding prejudice, stereotypes, and biased thinking. The newly-established Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching in Europe will tackle challenges on the way history is taught in the Continent,...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers will hold its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 30 November to 2 December. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and...
Freedom from violence against women: The impact of the European Convention on Human Rights
The Council of Europe has published a new “Freedom from violence against women” section of its dedicated website highlighting the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights, as part of the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The new section includes twelve case studies...
Secretary General meets Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met in Strasbourg with Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. They have discussed co-operation in the culture, heritage and landscape field, as well as media, anti-discrimination and the...
International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women: Secretary General exchanges views with Italian Equal Opportunities and Family Minister Bonetti
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has exchanged views with the Italian Minister for Equal Opportunities and Family Elena Bonetti. The meeting focused on the fight against violence on women and domestic violence in the...
Italy and the Council of Europe call for end to violence against women, including online
We have the tools to overcome the mounting threat of violence against women and girls, including online violence. Joint statement by Elena Bonetti, Italian Minister for equal opportunities and family and Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić. We mark in 2021 the anniversary...
Council of Europe Secretary General reacts to judgment from Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has made the following statement in response to today’s judgment from the Polish Constitutional Tribunal: “All 47 Council of Europe member states, including Poland, have undertaken to secure the rights and freedoms set out...
New Council of Europe recommendation tackles the “digital dimension” of violence against women and girls
This year’s UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) shines a spotlight on the digital dimension of violence against women and girls. From body shaming (mocking someone’s bodily shape, size, or appearance) and cyber-flashing (sending unsolicited sexual...
Secretary General meets Minister of Labour and Social Policy of North Macedonia
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met in Strasbourg with Jagoda Shahpaska, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of North Macedonia. Earlier the Minister delivered an opening statement at the International Roma Women’s Conference “Protecting the Human Rights and...
Secretary General meets with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has met in Strasbourg with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Belarusian opposition leader. They discussed the situation in Belarus in the light of recent developments in the area of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.
International Roma women’s conference: “Protecting the human rights and dignity of Roma and Traveller women in times of crises”
Over 100 Roma and Traveller women are taking part in a hybrid conference organised by the Council of Europe’s Roma and Travellers Team in partnership with Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of North Macedonia from 24-26 November. Opened by Jagoda Shahpaska, Minister of Labour and Social Policy...
UNWTO and Council of Europe to Promote Cultural Routes
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Council of Europe will work together to develop the opportunities tourism offers to local communities and to enhance the tourist experience along the European region’s Cultural Routes. The joint actions will be aimed at recognising the...
Secretary General visits the Republic of Moldova
The Secretary General paid an official visit to the Republic of Moldova on 22 November. She met the President of the Republic, Maia Sandu; the Prime Minister, Natalia Gavrilița; the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Nicu Popescu; the President of the...
2021 European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction in Portugal
Earthquakes, floods, landslides, debris flows, avalanches, droughts, mudslides, and extreme temperatures: the effect of climate change needs a holistic approach to disaster risk to mitigate the worst impacts of the biological hazards. The 2021 European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Special Representative on Migration and Refugees welcomes opening of new Temporary Reception Centre LIPA
The Secretary General´s Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, has welcomed the opening of the new Temporary Reception Centre LIPA in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The centre, which opened today, can host up to 1,500 migrants, including families with children...
Secretary General meets Prime Minister of Montenegro
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has met with the Prime Minister of Montenegro Zdravko Krivokapić in Strasbourg. They discussed co-operation between Montenegro and the Council of Europe and the priorities and future outlook of the Organisation. Montenegro...
Congress concludes election observation mission to Denmark
An eight-member delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities has concluded its first ever electoral mission to Denmark following the observation of local and regional elections held in the country on 16 November. On election day, four Congress teams, deployed to the Copenhagen...
Italy takes over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
Italy today took over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from Hungary during a meeting with representatives of the Organisation’s 47 member states. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, gave an overview of his country’s...
Cybercrime: Council of Europe strengthens its legal arsenal
As the Convention on Cybercrime (“Budapest Convention”) turns 20, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on enhanced co-operation and the disclosure of electronic evidence. “This text is a significant step forward in...
Council of Europe Secretary General concerned about tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has made the following statement concerning relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan: “I am concerned about reports of on-going incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan that have already cost human lives. News of a...
To prevent sexual abuse, children’s circle of trust must be made safer
Ahead of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse marked on 18 November, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on the states to step up their efforts to ensure that children’s “circle of trust” (those around them...
Committee of Ministers reaffirms key role of Medicrime Convention
The Committee of Ministers has reaffirmed the key role of the MEDICRIME Convention which was opened for signature in Moscow on 28 October 2011. In a declaration to mark the Convention’s 10th anniversary, the Committee underlined how important the Convention is for guaranteeing and promoting the...
Secretary General concerned by plans to liquidate International Memorial in the Russian Federation
The news that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office seeks to liquidate International Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most reputable human rights organisations, on the basis of the so-called “Foreign Agents” law is very regrettable. As the Council of Europe repeatedly indicated, this law...
Green Blue Deal for the Middle East wins Council of Europe’s Democracy Innovation Award
At the closing session of the 9th World Forum for Democracy, the Council of Europe announced that the winner of its 2021 Democracy Innovation Award was the Green Blue Deal for the Middle East, an initiative by EcoPeace Middle East which brings together Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian...
Secretary General meets Sarah El Haïry, France’s Minister of State for Youth
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met with Sarah El Haïry, France’s Minister of State for Youth and Engagement, attached to the Minister for National Education, Youth and Sport on the sidelines of the World Forum for Democracy, during the last day of the three day event....
GRETA calls on Malta to strengthen and guarantee protection for trafficking victims
The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking (GRETA) has urged Malta to make efforts to guarantee effective access to compensation for victims of trafficking and to take measures to ensure that human trafficking cases are investigated proactively and lead to effective, proportionate,...
Council of Europe marks 20 years of action against cybercrime
Twenty years after it was adopted, the Budapest Convention remains the most relevant international treaty that protects individuals and their rights against crime online. The Council of Europe’s annual conference on cybercrime, which every year brings together cybercrime experts from all over the...
Italy: Secretary General on official visit ahead of Committee of Ministers' Presidency
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić is paying an official visit to Italy ahead of the upcoming Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers (17 November 2021 – 20 May 2022). The programme includes meetings with President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, Minister for Foreign Affairs...
CPT urges Spain to prevent and effectively investigate cases of prison ill-treatment
A new report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) urges the Spanish authorities to take determined action to prevent ill-treatment in prison and ensure that cases of alleged ill-treatment are investigated effectively. It also proposes measures to improve the...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New factsheet on migration and asylum
The Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights has published a new thematic factsheet on cases related to migration and asylum. The factsheet summarises measures reported by 23 member states to protect and further strengthen migration- and...
Special Representative on Migration and Refugees hosts FRONTEX team
The Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, is hosting the first visit of Frontex Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO), Jonas Grimheden, to the Council of Europe. Mr Grimheden is accompanied by a team of Fundamental Rights Monitors. The visit, from 8-10...
World Forum for Democracy 2021: “Can democracy save the environment?”
The World Forum for Democracy will bring together intellectuals, politicians, activists, experts and young people from all over the world from 8 to 10 November to answer the question “Can democracy save the environment” after a year-long, worldwide, online debate about democracy and the...
Bulgaria: CPT issues public statement regretting persistent lack of progress addressing serious problems in social care homes and psychiatric hospitals
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has issued a public statement strongly criticising the persistent failure of the Bulgarian authorities to address grave problems in social care institutions and psychiatric...
Secretary General on official visit to Ukraine
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić visited Kyiv on 4 November for meetings on key issues facing the Organisation. The Secretary General met with Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Olha Stefanyshyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic...
Data protection: Committee of Ministers updates recommendation on profiling
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a Recommendation aiming to respond to the radical changes in profiling techniques in the last decade and to the consequent need for additional safeguards to protect personal data and private life of individuals. The text, which...
Octopus 2021: global cooperation against cybercrime
This year’s Octopus Conference will take place on 16-18 November providing an opportunity for cybercrime experts from public and private sectors as well as international and non-governmental organisations from all over the world to share experience. A special event with high level interventions...
European Drug Prevention Prize: winning projects from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania
Three projects from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania were awarded the Pompidou Group’s 2021 European Drug Prevention Prize, on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Group at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. The 2021 Prize winners – S.A.M.E.N. (Together) project in Belgium,...
Municipalities from Portugal, Greece and the United Kingdom win the Congress Dosta! Prize
Municipalities of Torres Vedras in Portugal, Argostoli in Greece and Salford in the United Kingdom have been awarded the Dosta! Prize by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe during its 41st Session, for their initiatives promoting the integration of Roma and...
Migration: Developing long term solutions with local and regional authorities
The Congress examined the challenges posed by migration for cities and regions in a debate held on 26 October with the participation of Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees, and Erini Dourou (Greece,...
Pompidou Group marks 50th anniversary in Paris against backdrop of increasing drug use in Europe
The Council of Europe’s International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions (Pompidou Group) will mark its 50th anniversary in Paris (Pompidou Centre) on 28 October at an event that will look back over its history and successes, while also highlighting the importance of placing human rights...
Secretary General welcomes Congress priorities for 2021-26
On the eve of the 41st Session, the Bureau of the Congress held an exchange of views with the Council of Europe Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, on 25 October 2021. The Secretary General welcomed the Congress' priorities for 2021-2026, which correspond to those of the Organisation....
Post-Covid Recovery and Migration on the agenda of 41st Congress session
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will hold its 41st session, from 26 to 28 October 2021, for the first time in person in Strasbourg since the Covid-19 pandemic. Within the context of the sanitary crisis, the Congress will hold a debate on the different levers of the "Post-Covid...
Challenges to coordinate policies on AI regulation: international conference
The Council of Europe and the Hungarian presidency of its Committee of Ministers are holding an online international conference on 26 October to discuss the challenges governments face to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in a coordinated manner. Under the theme “Current and Future Challenges...
Join the European Day of Justice!
Since 2004, the Council of Europe and European Union have celebrated the European Day of Justice around 25 October throughout Europe, for the benefit of European citizens, students and justice professionals. Free information and advice days will be organised by lawyers and notaries, in...
“In the 1970s, it was a very hostile environment”: New film marks 40 years of progress on LGBTI rights
On the 40th anniversary of the landmark Dudgeon v. the United Kingdom judgment from the European Court of Human Rights, the 47-nation Council of Europe has published a set of videos on the case and its widespread impact on the rights of LGBTI people. “In 1981, for the first time ever, the...
Online course offers best techniques for heritage
A newly launched course is giving academics, professionals, activists and hobbyists a way to learn the best techniques for facing challenges in their work. The e-learning platform ST21Mooc is an e-learning heritage management tool which takes learners though the European Heritage Strategy 2021 in...
Speakers of parliament - an unparalleled responsibility
The functioning and work of parliaments, as well as the legislative texts they produce must enable human rights, democracy, and the rule of law to exist and flourish. This was a central message of Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić’s address today, as she opened the European Conference of...
European states must stand up against pushbacks and the attempt to legalise them
“Member states must take a stand against pushbacks at borders and clearly oppose attempts to legalise this illegal practice”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. Human rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants at the borders of...
Managing persons accused or convicted of a sexual offence: Council of Europe issues new guidelines
The Council of Europe today issued a Recommendation to its 47 members states containing new guidelines regarding the assessment, management and reintegration of persons accused or convicted of a sexual offence. Adopted by the Committee of Ministers, the Recommendation aims to guide national...
Council of Europe recommends measures to protect children against radicalisation
As some children may be particularly vulnerable to messaging by terrorist associations and groups, including via social media, the Council of Europe has recommended a set of measures to help its 47 member states better protect children against radicalisation for the purpose of terrorism. Prepared...
