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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...
