Newsroom
Austria must step up fight against corruption, new reports warn
The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published two compliance reports on Austria. The Third Interim Compliance Report assesses progress made in implementing recommendations issued to the country in the Fourth Evaluation Round Report in 2017 on preventing corruption...
Slovakia: progress in combating human trafficking but more needed
In its latest report on the Slovak Republic, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) acknowledges progress in combatting trafficking in human beings but urges the authorities to prevent trafficking of vulnerable children, including Roma...
Congress reaffirms its solidarity with the Ukrainian people and its commitment to a just and lasting peace
During its 48th session, the Congress held a debate on the Russian federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, focusing on Ukraine’s decentralised recovery and reconstruction with a human-centred, inclusive, transparent and sustainable development approach. Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of...
Secretary General’s first official visit to Norway: strengthening democratic resilience and enhancing cooperation
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset made his first official visit to Norway from 24 to 25 March, where he discussed strengthening Europe’s democratic resilience and deepening cooperation on common challenges. In meetings with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister of Foreign...
Deputy Secretary General addresses Congress: “local democracy is our first line of defence”
Addressing the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge emphasised the crucial role of the Congress in defending democracy. “As we look to the future, let us never forget that local democracy is our first line of defence. This session...
Faced with threats to democracy, Europe responds with a desire for unity: Congress session opens in Strasbourg
“Democracy is under threat, not only in Europe but elsewhere in the world. It is by exercising participatory and inclusive governance in our communities that we can help to protect it,” stressed Congress President Marc Cools at the opening of the 48th session of the Congress in Strasbourg on 25...
EDQM On Air – The evolution of biologicals in the European Pharmacopoeia
EDQM On Air, the podcast on public health brought to you by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe, has just released a new episode! Biological medicinal products – or biologicals – are a class of pharmaceutical products derived or...
Denmark: two new reports show lack of progress in combatting corruption
The Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published two compliance reports on Denmark assessing progress made in the implementation of the recommendations contained in its 2014 evaluation report on “Preventing corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and...
Secretary General’s Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine carried out her first visit to Ukraine
Following her nomination as Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine in February 2025, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir engaged in her first fact-finding mission to Ukraine on 19-20 March 2025. “I am committed to making every possible...
Congress: Mayor İmamoğlu’s detention is an assault on democracy; he must be released
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement on behalf of the Congress: “We deplore the decision to place Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu in detention, and demand his immediate release. “Putting Mayor...
Parliamentary Assembly Bureau calls for the immediate release of Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu
Meeting in Strasbourg today, the Bureau of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) made the following statement: “The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly expresses its grave concern at the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu from the Republican People's Party (CHP), just...
Ukraine’s reconstruction, local and regional democracy in Georgia: Congress session highlights
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold its 48th session from 25 to 27 March 2025 in Strasbourg, France. The session will include the first-ever participation of a delegation of Belarusian democratic forces, following the Congress Bureau’s decision in...
Special Tribunal for Ukraine: Secretary General welcomes completion of technical discussions
Commenting on the completion of the final meeting of the Core Group* on a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, Secretary General Alain Berset said: “I welcome the successful outcome of the Core Group’s meeting and the finalisation of the necessary technical legal...
Congress Rapporteur: new Hungarian law forces local authorities to violate human rights
Peter Drenth (Netherlands, EPP/CCE), Deputy Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has made the following statement: “I am deeply concerned by the negative impact on human rights of the law banning the organisation of Pride...
Register of Damage for Ukraine announces the opening of new claim categories for involuntary internal displacement and violations of personal integrity
In a significant step toward justice and accountability, the Register of Damage for Ukraine (RD4U) has announced the opening of new claims categories for individuals who have suffered grave violations as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The announcement was made at a high-level...
Congress strongly condemns the arrest of Istanbul Mayor
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Marc Cools, and Congress Rapporteurs on the situation of local and regional democracy in Türkiye, David Eray (Switzerland, EPP/CCE) and Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), have made the following statement: “We strongly...
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...
Council of Europe highlights social rights challenges amid cost-of-living crisis
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has published a review focused on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on social rights across Europe. The review provides a detailed overview of the challenges faced by states in safeguarding the rights enshrined in the European Social Charter....
Council of Europe Development Bank and European Investment Bank sign agreement to facilitate co-financing and boost investment impact
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) deepened their long-standing partnership by signing a Mutual Reliance Agreement to strengthen co-operation, facilitate co-financing and enhance the impact of public sector projects in countries of operation...
Venice Commission publishes its latest opinions
During its 14-15 March plenary session (closed to the press) held at the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission adopted 14 opinions concerning 10 countries (Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo*, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova,...
