Organisation chart

Table of contents

Private Office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General
Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers (SecCM)
Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly
Registry of the European Court of Human Rights
Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe
Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights
Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC)
Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI)
Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DG II)
Directorate General of Administration (DGA)
Protocol
Directorate of Communications (DC)
Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations (DPAER)
Directorate of Programme and Budget (DPB)
Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law (DLAPIL)
Directorate of Internal Oversight (DIO)
European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM)

Private Office of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General

Overall mandate

To advise, assist and report to the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General in all matters relating to their office.

Main objectives

  • To ensure implementation by the Secretariat of the policy and management priorities of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General;
  • to co-ordinate the activities of the different parts of the Secretariat with a view to promoting transversality, co-operation, efficiency and focus on priorities;
  • to co-ordinate the preparation of official visits of the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General, of their meetings and of their participation in internal and external events, and to ensure follow-up including feedback to the services involved in such events;
  • to communicate and represent the Council of Europe in matters concerning the Private Office;
  • to provide secretariat support to the governance structures of senior management (Senior Management Group and General Affairs Team);
  • to ensure the preparation and smooth implementation of the Secretary General’s reform policy.

To meet these objectives, the Private Office

  • helps to establish objectives to be set by Major Administrative Entities in line with the priorities fixed by the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General and ensures appropriate follow-up and implementation within a given timeframe;
  • prepares briefings for the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General on all matters relating to their office;
  • prepares Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General communications to the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe;
  • assists and advises the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General before, during and after meetings; ensures proper preparation and follow-up;
  • prepares meetings of the Secretariat governance structures, distributes conclusions and ensures follow-up to decisions taken;
  • prepares and co-ordinates, together with the Directorate of Political Affairs and other Major Administrative Entities, the Secretary General’s and Deputy Secretary General’s official visits, participation in Ministerial Conferences and other missions, and accompanies, when appropriate, the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General on such visits;
  • establishes working relations with the Ministers’ Deputies, members of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights;
  • participates in the preparation, organisation and follow-up of meetings with other international organisations (UN, EU, OSCE and other international and regional organisations);
  • fosters relations with its counterparts in member states and other international institutions/organisations;
  • convenes co-ordination meetings at the request of the Secretary General or Deputy Secretary General with services concerned, for the purpose of rationalising the work and ensuring synergy both within each Major Administrative Entity and between Major Administrative Entities;
  • promotes communication between different parts of the Secretariat to avoid duplication of tasks and activities and increase synergy;
  • advises/mediates in case of competing interests between different Major Administrative Entities;
  • initiates and promotes internal and external communication, in close co-operation with the Directorate of Communications (DC);
  • distributes all incoming mail addressed to the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General to the services concerned and ensures that action is taken on it;
  • assists the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General in preparing their decisions on staff matters including appointments at senior level;
  • approves documents and texts prepared by the Secretariat and authorises their issue;
  • organises regular meetings between the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and senior management.

Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers (SecCM)

Overall mandate

To ensure the functioning of the Committee of Ministers as the decision-making organ of the Council of Europe.

Main objectives

  • To prepare and organise the meetings of the Heads of State and Government, Ministers, their Deputies including those meetings dedicated to the Supervision of the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights under Article 46 of the European Convention, and of subsidiary groups;
  • to assist the Presidency in preparing and running meetings, communications and exchanges of views;
  • to assist the chairpersons of rapporteur and working groups, and thematic coordinators in the discharge of their duties;
  • to facilitate liaison between permanent representations and the Council of Europe Secretariat;
  • to facilitate dialogue between the Committee of Ministers and committees reporting to it and the institutional partners in the Council of Europe;
  • to foster relations with other international institutions and organisations, in co-operation with the Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations;
  • to disseminate information about the Committee of Ministers, in co-operation with the Directorate of Communications (DC).

To meet these objectives, the SecCM

  • establishes and distributes files, prepares documents for and conclusions of the meetings of Heads of State and Government, Ministers and their Deputies including those meetings dedicated to the Supervision of the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights under Article 46 of the European Convention, and of rapporteur,  working groups, and of thematic coordinators, in accordance with the applicable rules on confidentiality and transparency; maintains the Committee of Ministers’ website to this effect;
  • assists and advises the chairpersons of meetings before, during and after meetings;
  • prepares, through documentation and briefings, the Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General and senior Secretariat representatives for contacts with the Committee of Ministers and facilitates co-ordination within the Secretariat in matters pertaining to the Committee of Ministers;
  • prepares, through documentation, drafts and briefings, the dialogue between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly, the European Court of Human Rights, the Congress and the Commissioner for Human Rights as well as exchanges of views with representatives of Council of Europe entities and other invitees;
  • participates in the material and intellectual organisation of “2+2/ 3+3” (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE), bilateral EU and Tripartite (United Nations and OSCE) meetings as well as of meetings with representatives of other international organisations;
  • monitors the taking of appropriate follow-up action on the decisions of the Committee of Ministers by the relevant Council of Europe entities;
  • contributes to the appropriate media impact of the work of the Committee of Ministers, in co-operation with the DC;
  • informs interested target groups and the general public about the Committee of Ministers’ work.

Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly

According to Article 72 of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure:
“1. The Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly shall be run by the Secretary General of the Assembly who is elected by it and shall be assisted by the administrative staff required for its work.
2. The Secretary General of the Assembly shall perform his duties under the authority of the Assembly and shall be responsible and accountable to its Bureau.”
The Secretariat of the Assembly is composed of two directorates of committees (which include secretariats of committees and units), the Table Office, Information Management and Events Department, the Administration and Central Services Department, as well as the Private Office of the President. The structure and tasks of each of them are determined by the Secretary General of the Assembly, who is also responsible for the management of the Assembly’s human resources and budget
The Secretary General of the Assembly has the rank of Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe (see Resolution (49) 20 of the Committee of Ministers).

Overall mandate

To supply the Assembly with the assistance required for its proper functioning and for the fulfilment of its political mandate. This includes providing support for its bodies (President, Bureau, Presidential Committee, Standing Committee, committees and sub-committees). The statutory role and structure of the Assembly is described in Appendix 1.

Main objectives

  • To ensure the smooth functioning of the Assembly and its bodies (President, Bureau, Presidential Committee, Standing Committee, committees and sub-committees);
  • to prepare the groundwork for all Assembly activities and programmes and to provide assistance to the members of the Assembly;
  • to follow up the decisions taken by the Assembly and its bodies;
  • to organise specialised conferences and colloquies, hearings and other activities.

To meet these objectives, the Secretariat of the Assembly

  • provides the appropriate infrastructure and support for the Assembly part-sessions and the numerous meetings held under the auspices of the Assembly both in Strasbourg and elsewhere;
  • provides administrative and other support in organising the work of the President, Bureau, Presidential Committee, Standing Committee, committees and sub-committees, in particular:
    - to ensure follow-up of the decisions taken by the Assembly and its bodies;
    - to prepare the groundwork (in particular research, analysis, contacts, drafting of documents, speeches and notes) for all the Assembly’s activities and programmes;
    - to organise the official missions and travel of, and provide assistance to, the members of the Assembly in their missions on behalf of the Assembly;
  • maintains working relations with the political groups of the Assembly;
  • organises the external contacts of the Assembly with, inter alia, national parliaments, international parliamentary assemblies, international organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs);
  • implements co-operation programmes for national parliaments of member states and partners for democracy, and organises the observation of elections;
  • maintains good intra-institutional relations, notably with the Secretariat of the Committee of Ministers, the Secretariat of the Congress, the European Court of Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as with the Private Office of the Secretary General/Deputy Secretary General of the Organisation;
  • maintains contacts and working relations with Council of Europe committees of governmental experts;
  • co-operates with other Council of Europe entities engaged in related activities and issues, for example with the Venice Commission and the North-South Centre;
  • takes into consideration in all its activities, as appropriate, the importance of internal and external communication, in collaboration with the Directorate of Communications;
  • in collaboration with relevant administrative entities of the DGA:
    - prepares the Assembly budget, maintains financial statistics and ensures the management of the budget in compliance with the financial regulations of the Council of Europe and the principles of sound financial management;
    - develops and manages the computer facilities available to the Assembly secretariat, including the Assembly voting system, databases and websites; provides user training and support during the Assembly part-sessions.

Appendix 1: Statutory role and structure of the Parliamentary Assembly

  • The Parliamentary Assembly is the parliamentary organ of the Council of Europe and provides political impetus to the Council’s actions. The Assembly may discuss and make recommendations upon any matter within the aim and scope of the Council of Europe.
  • The Assembly gives its opinion on requests for accession to the Council of Europe, as well as for Observer status, and is formally consulted on draft conventions and other legal instruments of the Council of Europe.
  • The Assembly is composed of parliamentarians appointed by the national parliaments of the Council of Europe member states, as well as members from Observer delegations. Its role and functions are defined in Chapter V of the Statute of the Council, in particular Articles 22 to 24.
  • The Assembly elects its President and Vice-Presidents and sets up the general committees.
  • The Assembly elects the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe (Article 36 of the Statute) as well as the Secretary General of the Assembly (Resolution (49) 20). It also elects the judges to the European Court of Human Rights (Article 22 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) and the Commissioner for Human Rights (Resolution (99) 50). It is furthermore involved in the procedure for the appointment of members of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Article 5 of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment).
  • The Assembly meets four times a year in plenary session (“part-sessions”), usually the last full week in January, April, June and September. Between part-sessions, the Standing Committee acts on behalf of the Assembly. The debates of the Assembly and Standing Committee are conducted by the President, who also ensures observance of the Rules of Procedure.
  • The President, the Vice-Presidents, the leaders of the political groups and the chairpersons of the nine committees form the Bureau of the Assembly. The Bureau is chaired by the President of the Assembly. It is responsible for the co-ordination of the activities of the Assembly and its committees. It also guides the external relations of the Assembly.
  • The Presidential Committee consists of the President, the leaders of the political groups and the Secretary General of the Assembly. It is a consultative body for the Bureau and the President. It prepares meetings of the Bureau, which may assign it liaison tasks.

Registry of the European Court of Human Rights

(General instruction drawn up by the Registrar and approved by the President of the Court in accordance with Rule 17, paragraph 4 of the Rules of Court)

Overall mandate

The overall mandate of the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) derives from Article 25 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“the Convention”), which provides: “The Court shall have a registry, the functions and organisation of which shall be laid down in the rules of the Court. The Court shall be assisted by legal secretaries.”
The overall mandate of the Registry is thus to assist the Court and the judges to fulfil the Court’s role under the Convention, which is to ensure the observance of the engagements undertaken by the contracting states (Article 19 of the Convention).
In this regard, the Registrar of the Court is responsible for the organisation and activities of the Registry under the authority of the President of the Court (Rule 17, paragraph 1 of the Rules of Court).

Main objectives

  • To process and prepare for adjudication, within a reasonable time and through appropriate procedures, applications lodged with the Court under the Convention;
  • to assist the Court in establishing and maintaining case-law which is coherent, consistent and of high quality and which ensures the application of common minimum standards of human rights protection throughout the community of Convention states;
  • to render the Court’s case-law as accessible as possible and to disseminate to the public general and specialised knowledge of its activities, notably through the management of databases concerning its work and a human rights law library;
  • to achieve the foregoing objectives in an efficient and cost-effective manner without dilution of the substantive and procedural rights contained in the Convention.

To meet these objectives, the Registry of the Court

  • assures the handling of correspondence in connection with cases before the Court and the preparation of the case files, including in particular draft decisions and judgments, for consideration by the Court in its various compositions (Committees of three judges, Chambers of seven judges, the Grand Chamber of seventeen judges);
  • under the supervision of the competent President, assures the organisation of the Court’s judicial business before the Sections and the Grand Chamber;
  • assists the Court in co-ordinating and ensuring the consistency of its case-law;
  • collects and analyses statistical data concerning the Court’s workload and its judicial activity, in order:
    - to track the achievement of case-processing objectives and to advise on the appropriate use of resources in the light of the fluctuations in incoming applications;
    - to monitor the efficiency and consistency of working methods, and to provide input to the constant process of review of working methods (under the supervision of the Court’s Standing Committee on Working Methods);
  • in collaboration with relevant administrative entities of the Directorate General of Administration : l
    - deals with staff matters (notably staff appointments, the appraisal system and in-house training), security matters and logistics;
    - prepares the Court’s annual draft budget, maintains financial statistics and ensures the management of the budget in compliance with the Financial Regulations of the Council of Europe and the principles of sound financial management;
    - administers the Court’s computer network, including software and hardware installation, website management, user support, training and security, and maintains and develops a number of databases;
  • organises meetings and hearings, produces and distributes documents, and keeps the case files and archives of the Court;
  • carries out, at the request of the Court or its judges, research into Convention case-law, comparative law, international law and academic writings;
  • under the supervision of the Court’s Library Committee, runs the Human Rights Law Library;
  • under the supervision of the Court’s Publications Committee, prepares publication of the Court’s official reports containing selected judgments and decisions, an annual report and other texts;
  • ensures the availability of all judgments and decisions on the Internet and disseminates a monthly information note summarising selected pending and decided cases;
  • in close co-operation with the Directorate of Communications, produces press releases and other information documents in relation to the Court’s activities and answers queries from journalists;
  • organises visits to the Court by the general and specialised public and by groups of national judges, prosecutors, advocates and the like;
  • provides specialist language input (translation, revision, advice) at the relevant stages of the Court’s and its Registry’s judicial and administrative work;
  • provides general secretarial, administrative and legal assistance to the President and the Registrar in connection with all matters relating to their functions under the Rules of Court, including the servicing of the Plenary Court and the Bureau of the Court;
  • contributes to the ongoing process of revising the Rules of Court (through servicing the Court’s Rules Committee).

Secretariat of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe

Overall mandate

  • To ensure the functioning of the Congress and its organs and to support it in the pursuit of its main goals as defined in Article 2 of Statutory Resolution (2007) 6. In its work, the Secretariat is answerable to the Congress and its organs and acts under the authority of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
  • To ensure the proper functioning of the Center of Expertise on Multilevel Governance and oversee the implementation of its cooperation projects.

Main objectives

  • to disseminate the values and standards of the Council of Europe on democracy, human rights and the rule of law in European towns, cities and regions;
  • to prepare, on a regular basis, monitoring reports on the situation of local and regional democracy in all member states and in states which have applied to join the Council of Europe, ensuring, in particular, that the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government are implemented (Article 2.3 of Statutory Resolution (2007) 6);
  • to prepare reports and recommendations following the observation of local and/or regional elections (Article 2.4 of Statutory Resolution (2007) 6);
  • to advise the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly on issues which are likely to affect the responsibilities and essential interests of the local and/or regional authorities which the Congress represents (Article 2.2 of Statutory Resolution (2007) 6);
  • to strengthen political dialogue and co-operation with local and regional authorities in order to facilitate the process of executing the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights which concern them;
  • to promote and support new forms of citizen participation in political decision making at local and regional levels;
  • to steer the work of the Centre of Expertise on Multilevel Governance in line with Council of Europe standards on local democracy and multilevel governance;
  • to respond to member states and local authorities’ requests for expertise in the Centre’s areas of competence;
  • to prepare and organise the meetings of the Congress, its organs, its committees and working groups;
  • to organise specialised conferences and colloquies on topical issues.

To meet these objectives, the Secretariat of the Congress

  • provides the appropriate infrastructure for the numerous meetings held under the auspices of the Congress in Strasbourg and elsewhere;
  • assists the Congress in examining the credentials of the Congress members;
  • prepares, in close collaboration with the appointed rapporteurs, the reports, recommendations, resolutions and opinions which the Congress organs issue;
  • prepares and implements the Congress budget;
  • develops synergies with Congress’s external contacts with, inter alia, international organisations and institutions (in particular the European Union’s Committee of the Regions), national associations of local and regional authorities, national governments, NGOs, associations and organisations holding Observer status, and Special Guest delegations;
  • liaises with other Council of Europe entities engaged in related activities and issues, in particular with the Parliamentary Assembly, Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations (DPAER), the Venice Commission, the North-South Centre, the Conference of INGOs and the World Forum for Democracy as well as other partial agreements, intergovernmental and monitoring bodies on issues of common interest;
  • actively participates in Ministerial Conferences, in particular, the Conference of European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, and in the European Committee on local and regional democracy, notably sharing with these two bodies common objectives such as the European Local Democracy Week and the Strategy on good governance;
  • takes into consideration in all its activities, as appropriate, the importance of internal and external communication, in close collaboration with the Directorate of Communications;
  • maintains working relations with specific structures created at the initiative of the Congress, such as:
    - The Committee of Independent Experts of the European Charter of Local Self-Government (ECLSG);
    - The Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA);
    - The European Network of Training Organisations for local and regional authorities (ENTO);
    - The Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South East Europe (NALAS)
    - The Adriatic and Black Sea Euro-regions;
    - The European Association of Historic Towns and Regions
    - The “Prix Europa” for local and regional television and radio programmes.

Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

Overall mandate

To ensure the functioning of the institution of the Commissioner for Human Rights and to support the Commissioner in the pursuit of his/her objectives as defined in the original terms of reference (Resolution (99) 50 of the Committee of Ministers) as well as other subsequent texts related to the institution. In its work, the Office is answerable to the Commissioner and acts under the authority of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Main objectives

  • To assist the Commissioner in the implementation of the mandate;
  • to provide the Commissioner with services for planning, implementation, assessment and follow-up of the institution’s programme of activities;
  • to cooperate with national human rights structures (i.e. Ombudsman institutions, National Human Rights Institutions and other state-created independent bodies working on human rights with a view inter alia to guaranteeing the long-term effectiveness of the Council of Europe system of human rights protection, facilitate their activities and encourage their establishment;
  • to assist the Commissioner in the protection of human rights defenders and the promotion of their activities in accordance with the Committee of Ministers Declaration of 6 February 2008;
  • to ensure the visibility of the Commissioner’s work.

To meet these objectives, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights

  • provides secretarial infrastructure for the Commissioner;
  • assists the Commissioner in the preparation of reports and other outputs related to her or his activities;
  • prepares and implements the Commissioner’s missions and official visits;
  • follows human rights developments in member states and international fora and provides the Commissioner with information and advice;
  • ensures the institution’s relations with the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Private Office of the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General, the European Court of Human Rights, the Congress and co-ordination with bodies and Major Administrative Entities (MAEs) of the Council of Europe;
  • ensures co-operation as appropriate with relevant bodies of the EU, UN, OSCE and other international organisations;
  • maintains and develops contacts with national authorities of member states, as well as with national and international NGOs competent in the field of human rights;
  • develops and implements a strategy regarding the Commissioner’s approach as the main regional mechanism for the protection of human rights defenders;
  • identifies cases for potential third party interventions by the Commissioner before the European Court of Human Rights in accordance with Article 36, para 2 of the ECHR, and prepares the written or oral submissions;
  • identifies cases for potential communications to the Committee of Ministers in accordance with Rule 9 of the Rules of the Committee of Ministers for the supervision of the execution of judgments and of the terms of friendly settlements, and prepares the written communications;
  • ensures constant exchanges of information with national human rights structures and engages in targeted human rights activities with them as appropriate;
  • organises conferences, workshops and round tables with the different partners of the Commissioner;
  • handles information provided to the Commissioner by governments, national parliaments, national human rights structures, international organisations, individuals and NGOs, in accordance with Resolution (99) 50;
  • prepares and allocates the Office’s budget;
  • takes into consideration in all its activities, as appropriate, the importance of internal and external communication, in close collaboration with the different MAEs concerned.

Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC)

Overall mandate

Contribute to the development and implementation of the Council of Europe’s (CoE) strategic objectives and priorities of the Programme and Budget, in close co-ordination with all relevant services, and, in particular, to co-ordinate the Organisation’s co-operation dimension, including its field offices, providing targeted support to beneficiaries on the ground;
Co-ordinate the programming of the co-operation dimension, based on a strategic approach furthering the implementation of the Council of Europe’s strategic objectives and priorities;
Develop and implement a strategic resource mobilisation strategy for the Organisation, based on an integrated approach with the Programme and Budget, further developing both the partnership with the European Union and the mobilisation of voluntary contributions by member States, observers and other donors (public and private);
Supporting actions in the co-operation sector, and notably in the field, by overseeing and managing the work of CoE Offices and Programme Offices, and, as applicable, to contribute to wider information on the Council of Europe’s actions.

Main objectives

  • To ensure the implementation of the CoE’s Project Management Methodology (PMM) aiming for harmonisation and standardisation and its further development;
  • To develop and implement a pro-active, strategic resource mobilisation strategy aimed to attract extra-budgetary funds from donors and partners for the implementation of the co-operation dimension and, in this respect, carry out a range of activities aiming at raising additional external resources by initiating and assisting in contacts with governments and external partners such as the European Union and others (public and private);
  • To centralise contracting of extra-budgetary resources, including as regards EU-CoE Joint programmes (JPs), irrespective of geographical and thematic scope, and to streamline contractual practice;   
  • To allocate mobilised extra-budgetary resources to support the co-operation dimension in a transparent and systematic manner, involving the respective external presence;
  • To ensure, in co-ordination with the relevant MAEs, CoE Offices and Programme Offices, the timely and qualitative financial and narrative reporting to donors and partners providing extra-budgetary resources for the co-operation dimension;
  • To monitor the implementation of co-operation projects and to ensure that a results-based management approach is followed in their development and implementation;
  • To ensure that the co-operation dimension contributes to transversal priorities, in particular the Human Rights Approach of the Council of Europe, the co-operation with civil society, gender mainstreaming and the implementation of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); 
  • To ensure the financial and human resource management of co-operation projects implemented through the CoE Offices and Programme Offices;
  • To support the smooth functioning of the CoE Offices and Programme Offices, inter alia, by co-ordinating issues related to office lease  agreements and management, IT support, logistics and security management with the Directorate General of Administration (DGA) as the entity in charge of these matters;
  • To co-ordinate closely with the Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations (DPAER) on all issues related to the work of CoE Offices and Programme Offices with regards to the mandate of DPAER;
  • To ensure, in close co-ordination with the Directorate for Communication (DC) as well as respective external presences and MAEs, strategic, concise and clear communication as well as adequate visibility with regard to the implementation of the co-operation dimension in the field.
  • To ensure a systematic oversight function, notably audit and evaluation of strategic co-operation documents (Action Plans) and co-operation projects by the Directorate of Internal Oversight, the Organisation’s External Auditor and - as appropriate - external evaluators;

To meet these objectives, the Directorate

  • prepares the strategic objectives and priorities for the Programme and Budget, with regards to the co-operation dimension, in close co-operation with the Directorate of Programme and Budget (DPB) and respective MAEs;
  • develops and implements criteria for the validation and subsequent prioritisation of project proposals;
  • co-ordinates the programming, implementation and reporting of EU-Council of Europe partnership frameworks; 
  • analyses and validates, in the PMM Platform, the proposals for co-operation projects to be funded by extra-budgetary resources and compiles information on the co-operation dimension, including a list of new project proposals, in preparation of the Programme and Budget Document;
  • develops and implements an updated resource mobilisation strategy for the CoE and, in this regard, conducts targeted fund-raising activities as well as donor profiling to identify potential donors, their priorities, funding capacity and allocation criteria, matching individual co-operation projects with identified resources;
  • prepares, in close co-operation with relevant MAEs and in consultation with DPAER, strategic programming documents (e.g. Action Plans), guidance on the co-operation work of the Council of Europe on a beneficiary level; 
  • in the light of developments in member States and neighbouring countries, advises the Secretary General, in close co-operation with DPB, DPAER and respective MAEs, on changes that should be made to the Programme and Budget and/or strategic co-operation documents with a view to ensuring appropriate responses to new challenges;
  • in consultation with DLAPIL, negotiates general financial framework partnership agreements with the EU regarding contractual arrangements applicable to each individual contract; 
  • supports individual contractual negotiations and ensures centralised contract processing of all extra-budgetary resources regardless of geographical or thematic scope;  
  • negotiates multi-annual partnerships with the EU (Facilities) as well as other  multi-annual framework contracts with donors;
  • allocates extra-budgetary resources to validated projects based on the developed priority criteria in a consultative process involving the external presence concerned, the relevant country adviser of the Programming Department and relevant representatives of the Resource Mobilisation and Donors Relation Department (Country Team);
  • monitors available funding and funding needs as well as the progress of implementation and spending with regard to ongoing programmatic co-operation activities to ensure the optimal use of available extra-budgetary resources;
  • prepares annual financial and narrative reports on strategic co-operation documents, as well as other contractually agreed financial and narrative reports for donors and partners;
  • ensures quality control and centralised administrative support to the preparation of contractual reports, regardless of geographical or thematic scope; 
  • organises the annual Scoreboard meeting with the EU and prepares the biennial Scoreboard report on JP implementation, as well as other reports for EU/CoE Senior Officials meetings; 
  • prepares the annual JP report for the purposes of the annual general report on CoE-EU co-operation; 
  • produces statistical analyses of extra-budgetary resources;   
  • prepares annual and final narrative reports on the implementation of strategic co-operation documents (Action Plans) for the CM (GR-DEM and GR-EXT as appropriate);
  • organises meetings of the Heads of CoE Offices and Programme Offices in Strasbourg (January) and the field (summer/autumn), as well as separate annual meetings of Deputy Heads of Office on operational issues;
  • provides training on the Project Management Methodology, Results-Based Management, Risk Management and other topics relevant for the sound implementation of programmatic co-operation activities;
  • if and when appropriate, co-ordinates, in co-operation with DPAER, negotiations with a view to the setting-up of new offices;
  • ensures the management of the AP and Priority Action Provision, the JP Provision, and of the JP Common Balance Account under the conditions set up by Private Office and in compliance with the Financial Regulations;
  • elaborates and implements a communication strategy for the co-operation sector in close co-ordination with DC;
  • further develops and improves the Project Management Methodology and the related PMM Platform;
  • contributes to the Risk Management Strategy of the Organisation and ensures its implementation with regard to the co-operation dimension;
  • contributes to the evaluation strategy of the Organisation and supports its implementation with regard to co-operation dimension.

European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity (North-South Centre)

The mission of the Centre is to empower civil society, in particular youth and women, through intercultural dialogue and global citizenship education, to play an active role in Council of Europe member states and neighbouring regions. Through its multilateral activities the North-South Centre contributes to spreading the Council of Europe’s standards and conventions and ultimately contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG I)

Overall mandate

The Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law has overall responsibility for the development and implementation of the human rights and rule of law standards of the Council of Europe, including the promotion of democracy through law, the operation of relevant treaties and related monitoring mechanisms and the development and implementation of activities in these fields.

The Directorate General is responsible for all matters within its competence that are relevant to the fulfilment of the Organisation's statutory objectives. In addition to the general protection of civil, political, economic and social rights, this includes in particular the prevention of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; monitoring of the execution of the judgments rendered by the European Court of Human Rights; bioethics; the fight against all forms of crime, including terrorism, corruption, money laundering and cybercrime; the strengthening of international co-operation in criminal matters, including with regard to prisons, and in matters of public and private law, including with regard to nationality, family law and data protection and the promotion of independent and efficient justice; ensuring sport integrity and its good governance in order for sport to continue serving societies and individuals with its multi-faceted benefits; contemporary human rights and rule of law challenges, including artificial intelligence and environmental issuescontemporary human rights and rule of law challenges, including artificial intelligence and environmental issues; as well as the Register of Damage caused by the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

Main objectives

  • to assist and advise the Secretary General on matters pertaining to law and policy in the fields of human rights and the rule of law;
  • to provide support and advice on these matters to the Committee of Ministers and all its subordinate Committees, in particular the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH), the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ), the European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), the Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO), the Council of Europe Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT), the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI), and the Multidisciplinary Group on Environment (GME) and, as appropriate, to other services of the Organisation;
  • to elaborate and evaluate legal standards (Recommendations, guidelines, handbooks etc. and Conventions);
  • to provide Secretariat support and advice to the Organisation's treaty and related mechanisms in the fields of human rights and the rule of law, in particular to the Committee of Ministers in its function of supervision of the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), the European Committee of Social Rights, GRECO (corruption), MONEYVAL (money laundering and financing of terrorism),the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission), the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE), the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors (CCPE), the Consultative Committee of the Convention 108 for the protection of individuals with regard to automatic processing of persona data (T-PD), the mechanism of the Convention on access to official documents (Tromsø Convention), the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY), the Conference of the Parties to CETS 198 (Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime and on the financing of terrorism), the Monitoring Group of the Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention (T-DO), the Follow-up Committee of the Council of Europe Convention on the manipulation of sports competitions (the Macolin Convention), the Committee on Safety and Security at major sports events of the Council of Europe Convention on an Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports Events (T-S4) , the MEDICRIME Committee, the Committee of the Parties to the Santiago de Compostela (THO) (Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs), the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) as well as to the Partial Agreements on combating drug abuse and drug trafficking (Pompidou Group), the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the Major Hazards Agreement (EUR-OPA);
  • to support member and/or non–member states in implementing institutional and legal frameworks in compliance with the principles of a democratic state, and at ensuring the observance of human rights and the rule of law.

To meet these objectives, the DG, inter alia:

  • maintains and develops contacts with the competent committees of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress;
  • co-operates and liaises regularly with other secretariat entities, in particular with the Directorate of Equal Rights and Dignity  - Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity, on human rights and rule of law issues with a view to ensure an overall coherence of the Organisation’s policies;
  • liaises and co-operates with the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights on matters of common interest, in particular regarding the execution of the Court's judgments;
  • liaises and exchanges information with the Commissioner for Human Rights so as to optimise the effectiveness of action taken respectively by the DG and the Commissioner;
  • maintains and develops contacts with national authorities and specialised agencies (e.g. the Human Rights National Institutions and the Government Agents' offices before the European Court of Human Rights) in member and observer states in the field of human rights and the rule of law;
  • follows closely policies and developments in member and observer States as well as in neighbouring countries which may have implications for human rights and the rule of law and call for action by the Organisation;
  • disseminates information on Council of Europe standards, achievements and activities in the DG's fields of competence;
  • maintains and develops legal relations and establishes appropriate working contacts with the European Union through the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two Organisations;
  • implements the agreement between the European Union and the Council of Europe concerning the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA);
  • designs and implements co-operation activities to facilitate the honouring of commitments by member or applicant States, including in the framework of joint initiatives with the European Union and other partners and of the "Human Rights Trust Fund";
  • develops interaction and synergies between the work of the Council of Europe in the fields of human rights and the rule of law and that of other European, regional and global actors; liaises with the competent services and bodies of the United Nations, the OECD, the OSCE and other Organisations, taking into account the specific responsibilities of the Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations;;
  • works with non-governmental Organisations and relevant professional groups;
  • liaises with Council of Europe external offices concerning matters within its sphere of competence, taking into account the specific responsibilities of the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination.

Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity (DG II)

Overall mandate

In line with the priorities set by the Committee of Ministers in the 2024-2027 Programme and Budget and the commitment of the Heads of State and Government at the 4th Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik in May 2023, the Directorate General of Democracy and Human Dignity:

  • upholds equality, including gender equality, fights discrimination, hate speech and hate crime, and protects and promotes the rights of persons most commonly exposed to discrimination, including Roma and Travelers, persons belonging to national minorities, and LGBTI persons, fostering comprehensive inclusion policies respectful of diversity;
  • protects and promotes women’s rights and children’s rights, and combats violence against women, sexual exploitation and abuse of children, and trafficking of human beings;
  • upholds democratic governance and democratic checks and balances by supporting media freedom, safety of journalists, democratic participation of all members of society, the protection of civic space and the engagement with the civil society.

DGII sets standards, prepares and implements targeted standards, programmes, policies, operates monitoring mechanisms and co-operates in its field of competence with relevant outside partners and stakeholders, including civil society organisations and other international institutions.

Main objectives

  • •    To assist and advise the Secretary General on policy issues related to democracy, participation and governance, equality,  diversity inclusion and human dignity , and to provide support and advice to the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress in its fields of competence;
  • to plan and implement relevant programmes to service intergovernmental and other bodies of the Council of Europe, as well as the Conferences of specialised Ministers;
  • to support the operation of the monitoring mechanisms in the field of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance as well as the convention-based mechanisms of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence;
  • to design and implement targeted programmes to assist the member states (as well as the States Parties to the European Cultural Convention (ECC)) in developing their relevant structures and policies and fulfil their commitments under the relevant treaties of the Organisation;
  • to assist in their work the governing bodies of the partial agreements set up in its fields of competence, in accordance with their respective terms of reference, and to provide management and other services for the implementation of their programmes (the European Centre for Modern Languages, the European Support Fund for the Co-production and Distribution of Creative Cinematographic and Audiovisual Works “Eurimages”, the Partial Agreement on Youth Mobility through the Youth Card, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, and the European Audiovisual Observatory);
  • to support the integration of mainstreamed perspectives within the Organisation (gender equality, youth, rights of the child, rights of persons with disabilities, Roma and Travellers issues).

To meet these objectives, the DGII

  • provides secretariat services for the planning, implementation and assessment of intergovernmental standard-setting, monitoring and co-operation activities in accordance with the general instructions and guidelines issued by the Secretary General;
  • advises and assists the Committee of Ministers and its relevant rapporteur groups and/or rapporteurs;
  • assists and advises the Secretary General on the implementation and follow-up of existing policies and standards, as well as monitoring the conventions (where applicable) in its area of competence;
  • maintains and develops contacts with national authorities and specialised agencies in member states, with other States Parties to the ECC (where applicable) and, as appropriate, other States;
  • •    designs and implements cooperation projects and activities to facilitate the fulfilment of commitments by member and applicant States, including in the framework of joint programmes with the European Union and other partners;
  • •    develops interaction and synergies between the Council of Europe and other international and regional institutions, taking into account the specific responsibilities of the Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations;
  • works in partnership with non-governmental organisations and relevant professional groups on issues in its field of competence;
  • works through the permanent co-management structures in the youth field and makes full use of its European Youth Centres in Strasbourg and Budapest, to implement Council of Europe's youth policies;
  • organises, in co-operation with partners, the Strasbourg World Forum for Democracy;
  • liaises, within its field of competence, with the external offices of the Council of Europe in close co-ordination with the Directorate of Programme Coordination.

Directorate General of Administration (DGA)

Overall mandate

To assist the Secretary General in the definition of strategic objectives and priorities for the Council of Europe, and to provide the Organisation with the administrative and general services support needed to carry out its activities with a concern for innovation, client-orientation and cost-efficiency.

Main objectives

  • To contribute to the definition of the Organisation’s priorities;
  • to provide knowledge, advice and quality services for the good management of, financial, human, information and technology, linguistic resources and general services  ;
  • to develop and disseminate rules and procedures for the best possible use of these resources and to monitor their application;
  • to provide impetus for innovation in the management of these resources to provide support services for the organisation of events including travel;
  • to ensure that staff receive timely and adequate information on all matters falling within the fields of responsibility of the DGA;
  • to promote the consistent application of existing rules and procedures and the transfer of administrative good practices within the Organisation.

To meet these objectives, the DGA

  • manages the Organisation’s funds and optimises their return;
  • keeps the Organisation’s accounts and prepares its financial statements in accordance with IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards);
  • provides translation and interpretation services for the entire Organisation;
  • promotes management reforms and facilitates the process of change;
  • ensures that the Organisation enters into the most favourable contracts for the supply of goods and services in accordance with the relevant regulations;
  • communicates with staff regularly via the Intranet Portal and other appropriate means;
  • acts as the depositary of the Organisation’s internal regulations and ensures their updating;
  • formulates and implements human resources policies, particularly in matters of recruitment, contracts, internal staff movements, training, competencies and performance management, equal opportunities and balanced geographical representation;
  • ensures the administrative management of serving and retired staff as regards pay, pensions, allowances, working hours and medical and social cover;
  • defines and provides the Organisation with a realistically secure information system and enforces the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information;
  • holds, manages and securely stores (back-up) the organisational data and data structures and makes them available to authorised users;
  • defines and delivers the structures and architecture for managing the data and information assets of the Organisation;
  • by means of training and spread of good practices develops synergy based on information and information technology;
  • manages the Organisation’s archives (whether on paper or in electronic or audiovisual form);
  • manages the Organisation’s buildings, office space, conference and exhibition premises in Strasbourg and Paris, undertakes their renovations and conversions, maintains technical installations, equipment and furnishings;
  • manages the safety and security of the infrastructure, goods and of the persons of the Organisation and ensures compliance with applicable norms and regulations;
  • provides advice and technical guidelines on  logistical support to the Organisation’s external offices on request;
  • handles the production and circulation of the Council of Europe’s documents and publications;
  • provides, directly or through subcontractors, services such as catering, technical maintenance, cleaning, distribution of working documents and mail, official motor vehicles, conference services and travel;
  • ensures the Organisation’s risk management co-ordination function in collaboration with DPC and provides the Secretariat for the Risk Management Working Group.

Protocol

Overall Mandate

Protocol advises and assists the Organisation as a whole, as well as representatives of member states, Observers and candidate States on matters related to protocol, privileges and immunities, official events and relations with host countries, in particular with France.

Main objectives

  • To contribute to the effectiveness and success of official visits and events through careful planning of protocol aspects;
  • to deal with the privileges and immunities accorded to the Council of Europe, to the members of Permanent Representations as well as to staff and their families, including tax, customs and other fiscal privileges;
  • to maintain constructive relations with the host country of the Organisation’s headquarters and with the local and regional authorities, as well as with the host countries of the other Council of Europe offices;
  • to facilitate the official journeys of staff, experts and officials, including elected members of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress as well as of the Judges of the European Court of Human Rights.

To meet these objectives, Protocol

  • advises and assists the Organisation’s statutory and other Organs and their high representatives, as well as staff on the protocol aspects of the organisation of ceremonies and official events in and outside Strasbourg;
  • advises the Permanent Representations of member states, Permanent Observers and, if applicable, representatives of candidate States, as well as local and regional interlocutors, on Council of Europe protocol;
  • organises the protocol aspects of ceremonies and official events, including, in cooperation with the Directorate of Communications, of media events;
  • organises the protocol aspects of official visits carried out by the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General;
  • prepares and accompanies official visits to the Council of Europe carried out by high level personalities;
  • liaises with the French authorities in order to resolve questions relating to privileges and immunities for the members of Permanent Representations, Council of Europe staff and their respective families;
  • coordinates all issues related to protocol of Council of Europe Major Administrative Entities and external offices;
  • liaises with the relevant French local and regional authorities for matters of common interests;
  • advises and assists staff members and members of statutory and other Organs in relation to visa requests and the issuing of the Council of Europe Laissez-passer;
  • provides Protocol-related assistance towards the organisation of Sessions of the Committee of Ministers, Conferences of specialised Ministers, Sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, colloquies, seminars etc.;
  • prepares and organises the Council of Europe’s official social events such as luncheons, dinners and receptions and manages appropriations allocated under the relevant sub-head in the Council of Europe budget ("Hospitality").

Directorate of Communications (DC)

Promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law

The Directorate of Communications strives to provide clear and accurate information about the work of the Council of Europe and promotes its values, positions and decisions.

 

Our outreach is targeted at:
  • media;
  • governments and national authorities;
  • human rights defenders, NGOs, think tanks and academics;
  • the general public;
  • internal stakeholders.
The Directorate serves all branches of the Organisation. Our activities comprise:
  • relations with journalists (Spokesperson’s Service);
  • social media and online communications;
  • media monitoring and daily press reviews;
  • coordination of media activity with internal entities;
  • advice on audio-visual products;
  • support to the production and distribution of communications products;
  • corporate visual identity;
  • electronic and paper publications;
  • visits to the Council of Europe (including on request of national and European members of parliament);
  • management of public events and exhibitions;
  • public relations including with NGOs and think tanks.
The Council of Europe is the continent’s leading international organisation for the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. To raise its profile and maintain its reputation we:
  • have the capability to respond rapidly to political developments and crises at all times;
  • promote, proactively, the work that the Organisation is doing across the three pillars of human rights, democracy and rule of law, with a particular focus on the Organisation's strategic priorities, as defined by the Reykjavik Declaration;
  • co-ordinate communications of the constituent parts of the organisation;
  • implement the communications strategy 2020-2025.

The Directorate of Communications is responsible for the Council of Europe’s web design and usability, and the content of its main online hub in the official languages English and French. It also maintains the Italian, German and Spanish language versions of the hub.

A media  officer posted in Brussels handles communications related to the EU institutions. Our services promote public relations with the City of Strasbourg and Paris and handle applications for patronage addressed to the Secretary General.

The internal communications team works to enhance in-house information exchange and support team spirit. It is responsible for the Intranet.

Directorate of Political Affairs and External Relations (DPAER)

Overall mandate

To assist and advise the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, the statutory organs and other bodies and Major Administrative Entities (MAEs) of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe on specific political matters affecting Council of Europe member and applicant states, as well as institutional and political relations with other international organisations, institutions and bodies, in particular the European Union (EU), the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) , and relations with non-member states, including Observers and countries in the CoE neighbouring regions.

To contribute, within the area of its competences, to the identification of political priorities of the Organisation and to bear responsibility for the coherent implementation of the Organisation’s policy and strategic orientation, including the Reykjavik Declaration, with regard to the co-operation and relations with other international organisations and non-member states.

To co-ordinate the relevant activities of MAEs in terms of external representation of the Organisation and to promote co-operation and partnerships, avoid duplication, increase synergies and enhance external visibility.

To prepare and implement confidence-building measures in respect of one or more member states in specific areas of relevance.

To prepare and provide elements for the policy planning of the Organisation.

Main objectives

  • To provide analysis and ensure co-ordination between the headquarters, Council of Europe external offices and external bodies (as determined by the Secretary General) on the matters of political relevance for the Organisation with regard to member and applicant states;
  • to develop and co-ordinate Council of Europe policy and action at the wider international level, in close co-operation with the EU, the UN the OSCE, and other international organisations. In this context to promote inter-institutional relations with relevant European and international organisations, including regional and sub-regional organisations in Europe and beyond;
  • to contribute to and to advise on the identification of priority action by or events that call for the rapid reaction of the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, the statutory organs and other bodies;
  • to provide input on political priorities with regard to Council of Europe country programming documents and action plans; to advise other MAEs and bodies of the Council of Europe on the political issues related to the activities and programmes implemented in CoE member and applicant states;
  • to promote dialogue and co-operation with non-member states with focus on countries in the neighbouring regions and the Observers;
  • to provide policy planning support within the Council of Europe, enhancing capacity to anticipate and respond to major trends and emerging challenges facing member states.

To meet these objectives, the DPAER

  • prepares timely political analysis, briefings, regular reports for information and proposals for action for the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and statutory bodies (as appropriate) concerning the specific role of the Council of Europe in member and applicant states;
  • prepares timely political analysis, briefings, regular reports for information and proposals for action for the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General and statutory bodies (as appropriate) concerning a coherent policy approach towards non-member states with focus on countries in the neighbouring regions;
  • provides the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General with political briefings and files for their visits to and meetings with interlocutors from member and applicant states, as well as visits to and meeting with interlocutors from International Organisations and non-member states, including Observers and countries in the CoE neighbouring regions;
  • reports and liaises as appropriate on the political follow-up of such visits and meetings;
  • implements the country-specific stock-taking and monitoring procedures in member states, as decided by the Committee of Ministers;
  • maintains and develops contacts with the national authorities of member and applicant states, as well as with national authorities of non-member states, including Observer states and countries in the neighbouring regions, as far as relations with the Council of Europe are concerned;
  • maintains and develops political relations and foster appropriate working contacts with the EU and other international organisations with a view of ensuring a coherent approach in the Council of Europe’s relations with them;
  • maintains and develops political relations and fosters appropriate working contacts with the EU in order to contribute to coherence of activities and develop synergies;
  • acts as the CoE focal point for co-operation with the EU and its Director acts as “Senior Official” in accordance with the 1987 arrangements;
  • intensifies co-operation with the OSCE to ensure effective working relations and co-operation, and generate coherence and complementarity of action and its Director acts as “Senior Official” for relations with the OSCE;
  • assumes the primary responsibility for the CoE Offices in charge of liaison with other international organisations or institutions (in Brussels, Geneva, Vienna and Warsaw);
  • assists the representatives of Observers in their relations with the Organisation
  • organises confidence-building and people to people contact activities, grounded in Council of Europe standards and expertise, in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries and regions;
  • maintains and develops contacts with policy planning leads in member states and other international organisations, including through the organisation of regular exchanges of views on topic transversal issues.

Directorate of Programme and Budget (DPB)

Overall mandate

To assist the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, the Committee of Ministers and other bodies and Major Administrative Entities of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe on programme and budgetary questions.

Main objectives

  • to prepare the Council of Europe’s strategic priorities and to assess their budgetary implications;
  • to prepare the Programme and Budget;
  • to monitor, and report on, the implementation of the Programme and Budget;
  • to foster a results-oriented culture throughout the Organisation;
  • to advise on programme and budgetary questions throughout the Organisation.

To meet these objectives, the DPB

  • co-ordinates and contributes to the definition of the Council of Europe’s strategic priorities and assesses their budgetary implications, in co-operation with all Major Administrative Entities;
  • co-ordinates the preparation of the Programme and Budget and ensures the translation of the priorities into concrete programmes, in co-operation with all Major Administrative Entities and, in particular the Directorate of Programme Co-ordination (DPC) for extra-budgetary resources;
  • co-ordinates the preparation of the terms of reference of the intergovernmental structures in line with the priorities of the Programme and Budget, in co-operation with all Major Administrative Entities;
  • prepares the member states’ obligatory contribution scales;
  • monitors, and reports on, the implementation of the programme and the execution of the budgets, in line with the Financial Regulations and the principles of sound budgetary management, in co-operation with all Major Administrative Entities;
  • provides guidance and support for the results-based management approach throughout the Organisation, in co-operation with DPC, and promotes good practices on programming, budgetary management, monitoring, evidence-based learning and reporting;
  • provides guidance and support to Major Administrative Entities for programme and budgetary questions, including training at financial and programmatic levels and user support of IT management systems consistent with business needs;
  • ensures the Secretariat of the Budget Committee and provides relevant input for the Committee of Ministers and its Rapporteur Groups;
  • liaises with the External Auditor and Oversight Advisory Committee on the above-mentioned questions.

Directorate of Legal Advice and Public International Law (DLAPIL)

Overall mandate

To discharge the tasks necessary to enable the Secretary General (“SG”) to fulfil his/her role as depositary of the treaties of the Council of Europe, as Head of the Secretariat and as representative of the legal personality of the Organisation in conformity with the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities;
To implement the Secretary General’s Rule No. 1326 of 25 January 2011;
To manage issues related to the development and implementation of public international law;
To assist the Advisory Panel of Experts on Candidates for election as Judge to the European Court of Human Rights (the Advisory Panel), set up by CM/Res (2010) 26;
To provide legal assistance to the Council of Europe Development Bank (the Bank).

Main objectives

  • To promote respect of legal standards, in particular internal ones, by the different Council of Europe bodies and instances as well as by the SG and Major Administrative Entities (MAEs) by ensuring a correct and coherent interpretation of the legal texts;
  • to ensure that legal provisions including the privileges and immunities of the Council of Europe and its staff are respected, and the legality of contracts signed by or on behalf of the SG. In addition, a senior staff member of DLAPIL acts as the legal adviser to the bodies of the Bank;
  • to assist the SG in the exercise of his or her functions as depositary of CoE treaties;
  • to assist the representative of the SG in the exercise of his or her functions within the Co-ordination system;
  • to reply in the name of the SG to formal complaints introduced under the Staff Regulations;
  • to represent the SG, if necessary, having recourse to the services of external specialists, in internal litigation procedures, in particular before the Administrative Tribunal, and in any disputes with third parties;
  • to assist decision-making on issues involving public international law and treaty law;
  • to co-ordinate the work of the Committee of Experts on Public International Law (CAHDI), providing its secretariat, assisting it in performing its role as European Observatory of reservations and updating its data bases;
  • to provide the secretariat of the Advisory Panel including its liaison with the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), the Committee of Ministers (CM) and the Parties to the Convention.

To meet these objectives, the DLAPIL

  • provides both background legal information and legal advice to the SG and, when appropriate, to MAEs and other other Council of Europe institutions and bodies ;
  • participates in the meetings of the CM and its Rapporteurs Groups and responds, orally or in writing, to consultations concerning legal matters;
  • in accordance with the instructions and guidelines issued by the SG, contributes to the planning, implementation and assessment of intergovernmental co-operation activities in the field of international law, assists and advises the SG in this field and represents the SG in events connected with this topic;
  • provides legal assistance to the competent MAEs in the preparation of draft conventions, agreements or recommendations and participates in procedures leading to their adoption;
  • ensures the legal management of treaties and of partial and/or enlarged agreements (PEAs) concluded within the Council of Europe; prepares the ceremonies for the signature, ratification or accession to treaties; registers and notifies to States all legal documents received by the Treaty Office and keeps the UN updated about treaty developments in the Council of Europe;
  • manages the database of the Treaty Office and disseminates information concerning Council of Europe treaties and maintains a register of documents pertaining to PAEs; ensures the legal protection of the European emblem;
  • participates in meetings of the Bank and provides the legal opinions required;
  • exchanges and shares information and experience with the Legal Advisors of International Organisations, in particular of the Co-ordinated Organisations, and liaises with the International Law Commission;
  • participates in the Tenders Board and provides an opinion on draft contracts, memoranda, endorsements prepared by MAEs;
  • provides support to cooperation activities through a specialised unit that provides advice on the granting and procurement procedures of the Council of Europe;
  • organises trainings on the legal aspects of procurement and granting within the Council of Europe.

Directorate of Internal Oversight (DIO)

Overall Mandate

To provide independent oversight, objective assurance and consulting services designed to add value to and improve the Organisation’s operations. To this end, the Directorate of Internal Oversight assists management in the effective discharge of its responsibilities by assessing its internal control and governance processes as well as the medium term effects of its activities, and their worth or significance in terms of the changes created.

Main objectives

  • To contribute to the rigorous and effective management of resources;
  • to support informed decision-making;
  • to add value and timeliness to the management process;
  • to enhance organisational learning and innovation;
  • to provide substantive accountability towards the member states and other donors and stakeholders;
  • to improve communication with stakeholders of programme results and impact;
  • to disclose presumptive fraud and corruption matters;
  • to provide quality assurance advice on evaluation-related matters.

To meet these objectives the Directorate of Internal Oversight

  • carries out audits and evaluations, in particular in areas of strategic relevance;
  • consults with management on their concerns and needs;
  • provides management with analyses, assessments, recommendations and advice concerning the operations reviewed;
  • provides information about the quality of the performance of the Secretariat of the Council of Europe in carrying out policies, programmes and actions;
  • assesses the economic, efficient and effective use of resources, both financial and human;
  • reviews the accuracy of financial, managerial and operational information;
  • sets standards for planning, conducting and using evaluation, develops and disseminates the methodology and establishes the institutional mechanisms for applying standards;
  • provides support to decentralised evaluations managed by the Major Administrative Entities, supports the quality assurance of independent evaluations and checks the quality of independent reports;
  • maintains a publicly accessible repository of evaluation reports, disseminates good practices and lessons learnt;
  • develops an evaluation culture in the Organisation;
  • ensures follow-up action is taken to remedy identified weaknesses;

Independence

The Directorate of Internal Oversight enjoys operational independence in the conduct of its duties. This independence is obtained primarily through the organisational status of the Directorate of Internal Oversight which reports directly to the Secretary General.

The Directorate of Internal Oversight has full discretion on selecting audit and evaluation subjects and the authority to initiate, carry out and report on any action, considered necessary to fulfil its responsibilities. The Director of Internal Oversight has to accept requests for their services from the Secretary General, but they may not be prohibited from carrying out any action within the purview of their.

The Charter of the Directorate of Internal Oversight, approved by the Committee of Ministers on 15 June 2022 (CM/Res(2022)13), outlines the overarching mandate and main objectives aimed at enhancing the effectiveness and accountability of the Organisation's operations.

European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM)

Overall mandate

To ensure the availability of and access to good quality medicines, Substances of Human Origin and consumer health products, for better health for all.

Main objectives

  • To provide a common, harmonised legal and scientific framework of standards for medicines and health products;
  • To help stakeholders implement the standards and ensure that medicines and health products comply with them

To meet these objectives, the EDQM

In the area of Medicines

  • establishes and supplies documentary standards and physical reference standards for the manufacture and quality control of medicines;
  • grants Certificates of Suitability confirming that the ingredients used in medicines comply with European Pharmacopoeia standards, and carries out inspections of manufacturers of these substances; these certificates replace the detailed information on the substance that is to be provided in marketing authorisation applications; 
  • •    co-ordinates a network of analytical laboratories that pool their expertise and make effective use of public resources, performs market surveillance studies and batch release testing to control the quality of medicines, and builds the capacity of the network through audits and proficiency testing studies.

In the area of Pharmaceutical Care

  • Develops policies, model approaches and standards to ensure the safe use of medicines;
  • Combats falsification of medical products and similar crimes.

In the area of Substances of Human Origin 

  • Establishes safety and quality standards – including legal instruments and guidelines – that cover all stages of the SoHO life cycle, from collection to human application; 
  • Collects data on the use of SoHO, vigilance and other practices; 
  • Carries out capacity building activities, including training courses, audits and proficiency testing schemes.

In the area of Consumer Health

  • Establishes safety and quality standards, including legal instruments and guidelines, for cosmetics and food contact materials; 
  • Co-ordinates a network that pools its expertise, effectively use public resources, build its capacity through proficiency testing studies to control the quality of cosmetics, by performing market surveillance studies.