As at 13 February 2025

ECRI’s Statute provides that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (Congress) and the European Union shall be invited to be represented in ECRI without the right to vote. 

Petra Bayr, Sibel Arslan and Zeynep Yildiz are observers in respect of the PACE Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, and Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, respectively.

Mélanie Lepoultier is the observer in respect of the Congress.

Michaela Moua is the observer in respect of the European Union.

In addition, any State benefiting from observer status to the Council of Europe which presents such a request, may, upon a favourable opinion of ECRI and following a decision of the Committee of Ministers, be invited to be represented in ECRI without the right to vote and appoint an independent expert under the same conditions as for members of ECRI. The Holy See and Mexico were granted observer status in ECRI. The criteria for the appointment of ECRI observers are the same as for the appointment of ECRI members (including independence, impartiality and recognised expertise). The President of the National Council for the Prevention of Discrimination (CONAPRED), Claudia Olivia Morales Reza, is the observer in respect of Mexico, and Thierry Rambaud is the observer in respect of the Holy See.

Note: from February 2022 to February 2025, the United States of America were granted observer status in ECRI.