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Secretary General welcomes major step towards creating a Special Tribunal for Ukraine
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has welcomed a major step forward in Brussels today towards creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe. The 13th meeting of the international Core Group* of senior legal...
Press Conference 2025 by the President of the ECHR
The President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Marko Bošnjak, held a press conference on 31 January 2025. After presenting the results of the Court’s activities and statistics for 2024, he took questions from journalists alongside Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court. The press...
Council of Europe consolidates action on migration and refugees
On 15 January, Secretary General Alain Berset informed the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers about his decision to consolidate and intensify the Organisation’s efforts to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing the continent today. Recognising the need for stability and...
Liechtenstein urged to improve identification of trafficking victims and step up efforts to combat trafficking for labour exploitation
In a new report the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) calls on Liechtenstein to improve the identification of victims of human trafficking and to step up efforts to prevent and combat trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. While nine presumed...
Parliamentary Assembly gives green light to new Council of Europe treaty which protects the profession of lawyer
Parliamentary Assembly has warmly welcomed the draft Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, pointing out that lawyers play a key role in administering justice and ensuring public confidence in the law. Approving an opinion based on a report by Vladimir...
Council of Europe Pays Tribute to Former German President Horst Köhler
The Council of Europe pays tribute to former German President Horst Köhler, a distinguished statesman and committed European. Throughout his career, he demonstrated remarkable leadership and integrity, serving as head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and governor of the European Bank for...
Dismissals of mayors in Türkiye: Statement by the Congress President
Marc Cools, President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, has made the following statement: "I condemn the escalating practice of dismissing and replacing elected mayors in Türkiye, a measure that both the Congress and the Venice Commission consider as...
‘No grounds for recognising the legitimacy of Lukashenka as President of Belarus' says Assembly
“The so-called elections organised in Belarus on 26 January 2025 do not meet the minimum international standards for democratic elections and lack any democratic credibility, and there are no grounds for recognising the legitimacy of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president,” the Parliamentary Assembly...
Assembly President regrets Georgian delegation’s decision to withdraw from Parliamentary Assembly
“I regret the decision of the Georgian delegation to withdraw from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) following the Assembly’s vote tonight to ratify the delegation’s credentials, subject to conditions,” said the Parliamentary Assembly President, Theodoros Rousopoulos....
Joint statement by Secretary General Alain Berset and Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau on the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Eighty years have passed since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, but the deep wound it left in our collective consciousness is still raw. This sombre anniversary is for all the victims. More than 1.1 million people were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau, including nearly one million Jews. In 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...
Council of Europe deeply concerned that yet another election that was neither free nor fair took place in Belarus on 26 January
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset
New project launched to address online gaming and gambling risks among youth
A new initiative, the "Promoting the mental health of children and youth by addressing the risks of online gambling and gaming” project, has been launched to tackle the potential dangers linked to online gaming and gambling, particularly among young people. The project, co-funded by the European...
Parliamentary Assembly calls for an end to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza
Approving a resolution based on a report by Saskia Kluit (Netherlands, SOC), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) reiterated its condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the appalling terrorist attack by Hamas and other militias against Israel on 7 October 2023, and...
Secretary General calls for stronger democracy and dialogue in address to Parliamentary Assembly
On 28 January 2025 Secretary General Alain Berset addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The key points of his speech are outlined below. You can read the full speech here. 80 Years After Auschwitz: A Call for Democracy and Collective Vigilance This week marks the 80th...
Raoul Wallenberg’s legacy for today’s human rights defenders, 80 years after his disappearance
Marking the 80th anniversary of Raoul Wallenberg's disappearance, the permanent representation of Sweden to the Council of Europe, the Swedish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the Human Rights Directorate of the Council of Europe hosted a round table on Raoul Wallenberg’s...
Georgia: parliamentary elections marked by high polarisation, unequal competition conditions and a widespread climate of intimidation
The conclusions of the report presented by Iulian Bulai (Romania, ALDE) on the observation of the parliamentary elections in Georgia on 26 October 2024 “raise concerns about the correctness of the election results, namely whether the election results truly reflect the will of the voters”. The...
Theodoros Rousopoulos, re-elected President, expresses support for Ukraine as his ‘primary commitment’ and for the people of Belarus
“I wish to start by expressing my gratitude for re-electing me as President of this Assembly for a second term. I consider my re-election as a vote of confidence and approval of the work I have been doing since becoming PACE President in January 2024,” PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos said at...
80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp
Address by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset Inauguration of the Memorial Garden on the site of the former Synagogue at Quai Kléber, Strasbourg Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister for Equality between Women and Men and the Fight against Discrimination, Ms Bergé, Mayor...
Moving ceremony at the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp
Deputy Secretary General, Bjørn Berge attended the commemoration ceremony in Poland of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Around 50 survivors returned to the death camp and it was decided that at this...
