On 31 March 2010, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 on measures to combat discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. This Recommendation is the first instrument in the world to deal specifically with discrimination against LGBT+ people. It begins by setting out principles relevant to this group, deriving from existing European and international instruments, with particular emphasis on the European Convention on Human Rights and case law from the European Court of Human Rights.

The review process for implementation of the Recommendation is carried out periodically by the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) in the Council of Europe. This helps to provide an overall picture of the state of discrimination against LGBT+ people in Europe and enables the Council of Europe to establish priority areas for its work.

More information about this Recommendation can be found in the section on LGBT+