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Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 16 April 2025
At their 1525th meeting on 16 April, the Ministers’ Deputies continued the preparation of the 134th Session of the Committee of Ministers (Luxembourg, 13-14 May 2025) and approved its draft agenda. In addition, the Deputies held an exchange of views with Mr Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the...
Living together in diversity: Ministers’ Deputies seek to promote inclusion of the most vulnerable
On 16 April the Ministers’ Deputies will discuss living together in diversity, at an informal meeting that will seek to give a voice to three groups which are particularly vulnerable to discrimination: older people, people with disabilities and Roma and Travellers*. The aim of the meeting is to...
Xavier Bettel: Europe must stay united in a geographical context under pressure
In a communication to the Parliamentary Assembly, the Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, presented an initial review of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and emphasised the challenges facing Europe. He began by deploring the calling...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 2 April 2025
At their 1524th meeting on 2 April, the Ministers’ Deputies discussed current political affairs. They also began their preparation of the 134th Session of the Committee of Ministers (Luxembourg, 13-14 May 2025) and held a first exchange of views on a comprehensive draft report, presented by the...
Secretary General: More needs to be done to implement ECHR judgments
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, has called for further efforts to implement judgments from the European Court of Human Rights. Commenting on the annual report for 2024 on the execution of the Court’s rulings, published, the Secretary General said: “This report shows...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 19 March 2025
At their meeting on 19 March, the Ministers’ Deputies held an exchange of views with Ms Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). President Spoljaric provided an update on the trends being seen in conflict zones globally and the impact on...
Council of Europe adopts international convention on protecting lawyers
The Council of Europe has adopted the first-ever international treaty aiming to protect the profession of lawyer. This is to respond to increasing reports of attacks on the practice of the profession, whether in the form of harassment, threats or attacks, or interference with the exercise of...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 11-12 March 2025
On 11 March, the Ministers’ Deputies held an exchange of views with Ms Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition, on the current political and humanitarian situation in Belarus, the ongoing efforts of the Belarusian Democratic Forces to achieve democratic reforms, and...
Crimea: Russia must release Ukrainian political prisoners and respect human rights, says Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has urged the Russian authorities to immediately restore application of the Ukrainian law in Crimea, to cease all administrative practices found by the ECHR to be in breach of the European Human Rights Convention and to release all Ukrainian...
Implementing ECHR rulings: Latest decisions from the Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published the case-by-case decisions taken during the Committee’s meeting from 4 to 6 March to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers adopted 38 decisions...
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 4 to 6 March. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
Council of Europe adopts new guidelines on prosecution of violent extremism
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted new guidelines aimed at enhancing the prosecution of violent extremism conducive to terrorism. These guidelines, developed by the Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT), provide strategies for prosecuting violent far-right, far-left,...
New recommendation to protect mental health of prisoners and probationers
The Council of Europe has addressed a Recommendation to its 46 member states aimed at promoting and protecting the mental health of prisoners and probationers and at ensuring the management of their possible mental disorders, in full respect of their human dignity. While highlighting the crucial...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 24 and 26 February 2025
On 24 February 2025, the Ministers’ Deputies marked the third anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine with a meeting focused on Ukrainian civilians held prisoner by the authorities of the Russian Federation. In a series of decisions, the Deputies...
Council of Europe marks third anniversary of start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
To mark the third anniversary of the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, the Ministers’ Deputies (ambassadors) have held an extraordinary meeting focusing on Ukrainian civilians held prisoner by the authorities of the Russian Federation. At this meeting, a...
Council of Europe to mark third anniversary of start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
On 24 February the Council of Europe will hold a ceremony to mark the start three years ago of the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, along with an extraordinary meeting of the Committee of Ministers (to be broadcast live). Ambassador Patrick Engelberg, Permanent...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 12-13 February 2025
At their 1519th meeting, on 13 February 2025, the Ministers’ Deputies held their annual exchange of views on relations with the United Nations on human rights questions, with the participation of experts from capitals. The Deputies held an initial exchange with Ambassador Jürg Lauber, President...
Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine appointed
Secretary General Alain Berset has appointed Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir (Iceland) as his Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine. She will raise awareness of the challenges faced by the children of Ukraine and of the Council of Europe’s standards and initiatives to...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 5 February 2025
At their 1518th meeting, on 5 February 2025, the Ministers’ Deputies discussed current political affairs. They welcomed Secretary General Alain Berset’s decision to nominate Ms Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir as Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on the...
Luc Frieden: “Europe is a necessity!”
In his speech before the Parliamentary Assembly, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Luc Frieden, stressed the importance of an approach based on the rule of law and multilateral co-operation to promote peace, common development and respect for human rights. He also warned about the current threats...
Xavier Bettel: “The Council of Europe must be a platform for dialogue”
In a communication to the Parliamentary Assembly, the Luxembourg Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, presented the priorities of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. He reiterated Luxembourg’s commitment to continued support for Ukraine as one of the...
Day of Remembrance of the Holocaust and for the Prevention of Crimes against Humanity
Declaration by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Xavier Bettel, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg
Young people in the digital age: Ministers’ Deputies discuss challenges for democracy
The Ministers’ Deputies will discuss youth democratic participation in the digital age during an informal meeting on 22 January aimed at better understanding new trends. The challenges around digital influencing The digital age has radically transformed the way in which young people participate...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 22 January 2025
At the start of their 1517th meeting, on 22 January 2025, the Ministers’ Deputies observed a minute of silence in memory of His Excellency Mr Didier Guillaume, Minister of State of Monaco, who passed away on 17 January 2025. The Deputies heard a communication from the Secretary General of the...
Meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies on 15 January 2025
At their 1516th meeting, on 15 January 2025, the Ministers’ Deputies discussed current political affairs, including following the Secretary General’s recent visit to Georgia. The Deputies adopted a Declaration on the protection of judges of the European Court of Human Rights from threats and...
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