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Ukraine’s commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Crimean Tatars and remembrance of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people
Joint Statement by Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers Gabrielius Landsbergis, Parliamentary Assembly President Theodoros Rousopoulos, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, and Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty
Finland Looks to the Future on Human Rights
Finland has held its second annual Council of Europe Human Rights Day, raising awareness of the Council of Europe’s work to protect and promote human rights, democracy and rule of law in Finland and throughout the continent. This year´s event had a particular focus on youth engagement. It was...
Croatia: Minority languages widely used in education, but too limited in public administration and broadcasting
A new report from the Committee of Experts for the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages praises Croatia for continued protection and promotion of minority languages for national minorities, and enabling their use in fields such as education, judicial authorities, administration,...
Türkiye hosts conference on international judicial cooperation in criminal matters
In cooperation with the Ministry of Justice of Türkiye, Directorate General for Foreign Relations and European Union Affairs, the Council of Europe has organised a two-day international conference “International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters and Combatting Cybercrime“ under the EU-CoE...
The protection of the human rights of Roma and Travellers must become a top priority in our member states
“The discrimination experienced by Roma and Travellers in Europe and the scale of human rights violations that they face is shocking and calls for firm action”, said the Council of...
First Manual on the New Law on Local Public Service in Ukraine presented
On 23 May 2024, the first Manual “Novelties of the Law on Local Public Service in Ukraine of 2 May 2023: commentary and comparative analysis” was presented at a hybrid meeting in Kyiv, with the online participation of more...
Congress participates in North-South Dialogues in Lisbon
On 20 and 21 May, the Congress participated in the North-South Dialogues in Lisbon, a new initiative launched by the North South Centre intended to provide a platform to discuss the state of...
Michael O'Flaherty takes up office as Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights
Statement The Council of Europe's new Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O'Flaherty, begins his six-year mandate today with a pledge to put human rights at the heart of member states’...
Montenegro: Venice Commissions publishes a series of urgent opinions
The Council of Europe’s body of constitutional legal experts, the Venice Commission, has recently published five new urgent (follow-up) opinions on draft legislation of Montenegro. All of them were requested by the Minister of Justice of Montenegro. The urgent opinions published are those on the...
Moldova: students and the government take action on gender equality and violence against women
At the State University of Chisinau (USM) some 120 students learned about the role of the Council of Europe in promoting gender equality and preventing violence against women. During his visit to the Republic of Moldova, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge engaged with the students, discussing...
Human Rights Commissioner O’Flaherty calls for stronger support to Ukraine - Commissioner for Human Rights
Country visit From 23 to 25 April 2024, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty carried out a visit to Ukraine (Kyiv). This was his first visit to a member state...
Georgia should repeal the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence in its current form, says Venice Commission
In an urgent opinion published on 21 May 2024, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission strongly recommends repealing the Law of Georgia on Transparency of Foreign Influence in its current form, as its fundamental flaws will involve significant negative consequences for freedoms of association...
Expert committee calls for action plans to protect minority languages in Czechia
The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe has called on Czechia to design and implement a specific strategy and action plan for protecting and promoting each of the languages covered by the treaty in the country: German, Moravian...
Deputy Secretary General visits Portugal
During his visit to Portugal, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge had meetings with the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Minister of Justice and the Speaker of the Parliament, and he addressed the North-South Prize Award Ceremony and the Executive Committee of the North-South Centre. In the margins...
Confidence in Tomorrow event: statement by the Advisory Council on Youth
The youth event Confidence in Tomorrow, organised as part of Liechtenstein’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and of the celebrations to mark the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe, was held at the European Youth Centre in Strasbourg from 14 to 16 May 2024. This gathering showcased...
OSCE and Council of Europe leadership stress importance of strengthened cooperation to protect their principles and values
The leadership of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) met in Strasbourg on the margins of the 133rd Session of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg on 16 and 17 May. The discussions were led by OSCE Chair-in-Office,...
Foreign ministers support Ukraine, define the organisation’s priorities and adopt a treaty on artificial intelligence
As the organisation celebrates its 75th anniversary, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states came together at their annual session to reaffirm their support for Ukraine on the road to justice and reconstruction. Following on from the Reykjavik Summit, they also...
Lithuania takes over Presidency of Committee of Ministers
Lithuania has taken over the rotating Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Liechtenstein at a meeting of foreign affairs ministers from the organisation’s 46 member states. Addressing the Committee of Ministers, the outgoing Chairperson, Dominique Hasler, Minister for...
‘As long as our principles gather us around the same table, there is still hope’, says PACE President addressing the Committee of Ministers
“As long as our principles gather us around the same table of mutual understanding, there is still hope, even though the landscape ahead is rocky,” said PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, at the opening of the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers, in the presence of the Foreign Affairs...
Secretary General meets Prime Minister of Lithuania
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Prime Minister of Lithuania Ingrida Šimonytė. The meeting focused on the priorities of the upcoming Lithuanian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. The relevance of the follow up of the Reykjavik agenda was highlighted, with a particular...
