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40th Session of the Congress, 15-17 June 2021
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will hold the second part of its 40th Session from 15 to 17 June 2021. The session will be held remotely, due to the current COVID-19 health crisis. The Congress will consider two reports on LGBTI issues, one on the Protection of LGBTI people in the...
European ministers adopt priority actions to enhance journalists’ safety and address AI’s impact on freedom of expression
European Ministers responsible for Media and Information Society have agreed to carry out a number of priority actions to tackle the most pressing challenges to freedom of expression, including the decline in the safety of journalists and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and of massive...
MONEYVAL acknowledges San Marino’s progress in measures to combat money laundering and terrorism financing
In a new report, MONEYVAL calls on San Marino’s authorities to improve the regulatory framework and to strengthen the practical application of measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body draws up a comprehensive assessment of...
Co-operation key to tackling challenges new and old Secretary General tells OSCE Permanent Council
Effective multi-lateral action to solve cross-border problems is the key to tackling both long-standing and new challenges, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić told the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna. The OSCE mandate for...
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 37 decisions concerning 16 member states during the meeting, including four...
Croatia: Despite progress, discrimination persists against national minorities such as Serbs and Roma, says national minorities committee
In its Fifth Opinion on Croatia, the Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities acknowledges that the country’s legislative framework for national minorities is “overall in conformity with the provisions of the Framework...
MEDICRIME Convention: police services and other law enforcement authorities join forces to fight fake medical products
On 8 and 9 June, high-ranking representatives of national police services and other law enforcement authorities examined the role and added value of the MEDICRIME Convention in the investigation of offences related to counterfeiting of medical products, and how the Convention fills the gaps in...
Recent escalation of antisemitic attacks needs Europe-wide response
The recent escalation of antisemitic attacks requires a Europe-wide response. Governments should join forces to prevent new waves of antisemitism by countering hate speech on the Internet and supporting education about the Holocaust and human rights. Article published in European media English...
Tackling AI’s impact on freedom of expression and new challenges to media freedom: European ministers to discuss priority actions
European ministers responsible for media and information society will meet online on 10 and 11 June to discuss the ways to address the challenges to freedom of expression brought by massive digitalisation in the media and information environment – including the use of artificial intelligence (AI)...
MONEYVAL recognises progress made by the Holy See and encourages it to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism
In a new report MONEYVAL encourages the Holy See (including the Vatican City State) to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and financing of terrorism. The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body draws up a comprehensive assessment of the country’s level of compliance...
Third Regional Seminar "Faro Convention for concrete action on cultural heritage"
The Council of Europe, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth of Georgia and the Georgian National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation are jointly organising a high-level seminar “Faro Convention for concrete action on cultural heritage”, that will take place from 10 to 11 June 2021 in...
Sanctions and measures without deprivation of liberty grow in Europe: annual statistics for 2020
The number of persons subject to sanctions and measures which keep offenders in the community and do not deprive them of liberty grew by 3% in Europe from 2019 to 2020, according to the 2020 SPACE II annual survey, carried out for the Council of Europe by the University of Lausanne. (Please see...
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 7 to 9 June. Information on the cases to be examined in detail this week is available here (*) Decisions...
Secretary General in discussions with senior EU representatives
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has taken part this week in a series of meetings with senior representatives of the European Union. On Monday the Secretary General had a video exchange with the EU High Representative and European Commission Vice-President for External Affairs, Josep...
Opinion on same-sex unions draft law presented to Serbian authorities
An expert opinion on the draft law on same-sex unions was prepared by the Council of Europe’s Directorate General for Democracy upon the request of the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of Serbia. The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper,...
MONEYVAL: States must improve their effectiveness against money laundering and terrorist financing
There is a serious need to improve the effectiveness of states’ action against money laundering and terrorist financing, concludes the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing body MONEYVAL in its annual report for 2020, released on 4 June 2021. The report finds...
Romania urged to effectively prosecute human traffickers and ensure access to compensation for their victims
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged Romania to ensure that human trafficking offences lead to effective and dissuasive sanctions and that victims of trafficking have access to compensation. In a new report evaluating access to...
Human trafficking: Montenegro should do more to punish perpetrators and ensure access to justice and compensation for victims
In a new report on Montenegro the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking group GRETA calls on the authorities to improve trafficking victims’ access to justice and compensation, and to ensure that perpetrators are punished. GRETA acknowledges that progress has been made in some areas since the...
Raoul Wallenberg Prize 2022 – Council of Europe launches call for candidates
The call for candidates for the 2022 Raoul Wallenberg Prize has been launched in Strasbourg by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić - The Hungarian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers is also committed to promoting the call for nominations to the 2022 edition of the...
Cybercrime Convention Committee approves E-evidence Protocol
The 24th plenary of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY), representing the Parties to the Budapest Convention, on 28 May 2021 approved the draft “2nd Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime on Enhanced Co-operation and Disclosure of Electronic Evidence”. “Criminals have stepped...
