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Secretary General meets Committee of Ministers Chair Rinkēvičs
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has had an exchange of views with Edgars Rinkēvičs, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia. The meeting focused on the implementation of the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government decisions and on the...
States need to improve criminal asset recovery in combatting money laundering, says MONEYVAL Committee
In its annual report for 2022 the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing body MONEYVAL warns that the recovery of proceeds from crime across states remains insufficient and calls on governments to step up their efforts to strengthen their national frameworks for...
World Refugee Day: The Council of Europe maintains its focus on protecting the vulnerable
Each year on 20 June, the world marks World Refugee Day, to draw attention to the plight of millions of people who have been forced to flee war, violence and persecution and to the international obligations under the United Nations 1951 Geneva Convention on the Protection of Refugees. In the face...
Council of Europe Secretary General meets Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met Péter Szijjártó, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary. They discussed the follow up to the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government and the role of the Council of Europe to uphold peace and democratic security in Europe. They...
Secretary General’s Question Time at Parliamentary Assembly
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has responded to parliamentarians’ questions at the PACE Summer session’s Question Time. During a lively Q & A session, Marija Pejčinović Burić highlighted the results of the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in...
Hungary Foreign Minister addresses PACE
Addressing the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), which is meeting in Strasbourg for its 2023 Summer Session, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, Péter Szijjártó, referred to the foreign policy of his country in the context of the war of aggression against Ukraine. ...
Parliamentary Assembly Summer plenary session
A joint urgent debate (*) on the political consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics, will be a highlight of the Summer plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)...
Serbia urged to strengthen criminal justice response to human trafficking, improve assistance to victims
Over the past five years, several legislative changes relevant for combatting trafficking in human beings were adopted in Serbia. However, further steps are needed to ensure effective access of victims to justice and effective remedies, said the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking body GRETA in...
Council of Europe Commission for the Efficiency of Justice adopts “Backlog reduction tool”
The Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) has adopted a new tool designed to help countries reduce backlogs of court cases, a frequent issue encountered by many states and highly detrimental to the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time, as...
Anti-trafficking body urges Slovenia to better identify victims of human trafficking
In a new report the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking group GRETA calls on the Slovenian authorities to improve trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies, and to strengthen the identification of victims of trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation and amongst...
GRECO calls on European governments to ensure access to information to help fight corruption
The Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO) has expressed concern about the restrictive application of the right of access to information in some European states and called on authorities to respect international standards in this field. In its annual report for 2022,...
Summary of Iceland’s Presidency of Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe has published a summary of Iceland’s six-month Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, which came to an end on 17 May 2023 in Reykjavík at the 4th Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe. Iceland took over the Presidency on 9 November 2022,...
GRETA publishes 2022 annual report, highlighting the need for more action and resources to tackle human trafficking in Europe
The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published its annual report for 2022 which provides an overview of its activities, including meetings, evaluation visits, country reports and round tables, as well as its co-operation with Council...
Venice Commission publishing opinions that were adopted in latest plenary session
The Council of Europe’s constitutional law experts of the Venice Commission are publishing several opinions that they had adopted during their latest closed plenary in Venice on 9 and 10 June. Published opinions include the following: An interim opinion on Article 49.3 of the Constitution of...
Secretary General meets Justice Minister of Armenia, welcomes progress in execution of judgments
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with Grigor Minasyan, Minister of Justice of Armenia. She welcomed Armenia’s excellent progress with regard to the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In this context, she noted the recent establishment of the...
Spain urged to guarantee compensation to victims of human trafficking and to step up investigations of trafficking for labour exploitation
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged the Spanish authorities to guarantee effective access to compensation to victims of human trafficking and to increase proactive investigations into trafficking for labour exploitation. In a...
Secretary General addresses 56th Joint Meeting of Council of Europe Development Bank in Athens
Addressing the 56th Joint Meeting of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić underlined the CEB’s actions and their positive impact across its member states. Speaking at the event in Athens, the Secretary General welcomed the decision made last year...
Poland must take further steps to tackle human trafficking, say Council of Europe experts
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged the Polish authorities to take further action against human trafficking, notably by effectively preventing and combating trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation and improving the...
Hungary: anti-corruption group calls for measures to prevent corruption in central government and law enforcement
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), in a new report, calls for determined measures to prevent corruption in Hungary in respect of persons with top executive functions, including the Prime Minister, ministers, commissioners, political state secretaries, political...
Council of Europe leaders profoundly concerned about Russia’s non-execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, including the non-payment of just satisfaction
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has reiterated the Russian Federation’s unconditional legal obligation to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and to pay ‘just satisfaction’ awarded by the Court. The President of the Committee of Ministers made a statement on...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published the case-by-case decisions taken during the Committee’s meeting from 5 to 7 June to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers adopted 38 decisions...
Social projects from Serbia, Croatia and France honoured at CEB Award for Social Cohesion 2023
The Serbian non-governmental organisation Atina has won this year’s Council of Europe Bank (CEB) Award for Social Cohesion, with its ‘Bagel Bejgl’ social enterprise. Humana Nova (Croatia) and L’outil en main (France) were the runners-up. The announcement was made at the award ceremony, held this...
National minorities: Council of Europe and OSCE join forces to raise awareness of human rights standards
Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, has met Kairat Abdrakhmanov, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, to officially launch the joint web resource “Collection of Council of Europe and OSCE National Minority Standards”. The webpage, an example of...
Minority languages situation in Austria and Serbia: new reports published
The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) has published new reports on Austria and Serbia. The reports provide a general evaluation of the situation and contain snapshots of the situation of each language covered by the Charter, assessing whether...
Destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region of Ukraine: statement by Council of Europe leaders
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Council of Europe’s President of the Committee of Ministers, Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Tiny Kox and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić made the...
Social reintegration of offenders in prison and under probation: Berlin conference explores innovative responses
The Council of Europe annual Conference of Directors of Prison and Probation Services, held in Berlin on 6 and 7 June, is exploring innovative responses to challenges such as the increasing number of people with mental health problems in prison or under the supervision of probation agencies,...
The Council of Europe and me – a documentary film to be shown in European schools
A documentary film on the impact of the Council of Europe is being produced by the Robert Schuman European Centre in Scy-Chazelles (France) and the Pädagogisches Landesinstitut Rheinland-Pfalz (Germany). The aim is to familiarise young people with the activities of the Council of Europe and...
Council of Europe anti-trafficking body urges Azerbaijan to better identify victims of human trafficking and improve their access to compensation and other remedies
In a new report the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings assesses developments since the publication of GRETA’s second evaluation report on Azerbaijan in November 2018 as regards the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Action...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 5 to 7 June. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
Support to young people from Ukraine: call for grant applications continues
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) has decided to continue and expand the special call for activities to support young people from Ukraine. The call now includes possibilities for international youth co-operation projects. An information session will take place on 7 June. Applications can be...
Consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine, mixed picture with LGBTI persons’ rights, antigypsyism and shrinking space for civil society - Council of Europe anti-racism body presented key trends in Europe in 2022
Addressing the challenges posed by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, addressing continued discrimination – despite certain progress - of LGBTI persons, Roma and Travellers, as well as the need for supporting civil society actors were the main thematic clusters of issues European...
Secretary General’s lecture at Comenius University in Bratislava: “Summit in Reykjavik will be remembered as a turning point”
“There are good reasons to believe that our recent Summit in Reykjavik will be remembered as a turning point”, highlighted Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić while addressing students, the diplomatic academy and a wider public at Comenius University in Bratislava. In her lecture “Human...
The Committee of Ministers calls on member states to recognise the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right
In a Recommendation on human rights and the protection of the environment, the Council of Europe calls on its 46 member states to actively consider recognising, at national level, the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as a human right. Considering that measures to address the...
Helga Pedersen Human Rights Moot Court Competition: 11th anniversary
Students from the University of Maastricht (the Netherlands) were declared winners of the eleventh edition of the Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition in English on the European Convention on Human Rights, after beating a team from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece) in...
In Türkiye’s presidential runoff, a competitive campaign continued to be marked by lack of level playing field and media bias, say international observers
The second round of Türkiye’s presidential election was well run and gave voters the opportunity to choose between real political alternatives, but was characterized by increasingly inflammatory and discriminatory language during the campaign period. Media bias and ongoing restrictions to freedom...
Secretary General visits the Slovak Republic and attends GLOBSEC 2023 Bratislava Forum
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met President Zuzana Čaputová during an official visit to the Slovak Republic. Meetings with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Miroslav Wlachovský, with Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourová and with President of the Supreme...
Statutes of limitation for sexual offences against children and “age of consent” in Council of Europe member states
In the context of an ongoing debate and diverse approaches to statutes of limitations in respect of sexual offences against children and the legal age for sexual activities, commonly known as the “age of consent”, in Council of Europe member states, the Lanzarote Committee (Committee of the...
National minorities in the UK: European experts report troubling levels of antigypsyism and the need to further support linguistic minorities
The Council of Europe’s expert body on the rights of national minorities has highlighted troublingly persistent levels of antigypsyism in the United Kingdom, as well as racial and ethnic bullying in schools. Linguistic minorities also need greater levels of support. These are among the main...
Secretary General addresses PHILEA Forum 2023 in Croatia
“Civil society groups, backed by philanthropy, have been central to changing hearts, minds, and laws. They are an essential part of functioning and effective democracies”, emphasised Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić while addressing the opening plenary for the PHILEA Forum 2023 “A New...
Heads of State and Government agree to strengthen Council of Europe, ensure accountability for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and support victims
At the Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, Heads of State and Government of the organisation’s 46 member states have decided to establish a Register of damage caused by the Russian Federation’s aggression as a first step towards an international compensation mechanism. The leaders...
Latvia takes over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
Latvia has taken over the rotating Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Iceland at the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government from the organisation’s 46 member states. The outgoing Chair of the Committee of Ministers - Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs,...
European leaders unite around Ukraine and European values
Iceland has welcomed heads of state and government to the fourth Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik. The Summit is an historic opportunity to reaffirm the common commitment to the Council of Europe’s core values and to refocus its mission in the light of new threats to human rights and...
Time for urgent action to stop democratic backsliding, Secretary General tells Summit
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on Europe’s leaders to act urgently to reverse a slide in democracy. Speaking at the opening session of the fourth Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government, she stressed that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was an extreme...
Youth work in time of war in Ukraine
What impact is Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine having on young people in the country and on the way youth work is conducted? This question and the support that the Council of Europe has been providing to youth work in Ukraine, are the subject of a series of short documentaries first...
Summit parliamentary dimension: PACE Standing Committee meets in Reykjavik
The Parliamentary Assembly has put all its political weight in support of the Summit, pushing for it to be held and providing a substantive input to it though a host of texts, including its Recommendation 2245 (2023) on ‘The Reykjavík Summit of the Council of Europe - United around values in the...
New Prize will reward achievements leading to women’s empowerment, says Secretary General
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has welcomed the launch of the Parliamentary Assembly Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment. Speaking at a side event on the eve of the fourth Council of Europe Summit, she said the prize – named after former Icelandic president Vigdís...
Local and regional authorities to play essential role in implementing decisions taken at Council of Europe Summit
Local and regional authorities and communities are at the frontline in reacting to crises in Europe and will be essential to implementing decisions taken at the highest political level at the 4th Summit of Heads of States and Government of the Council of Europe that is taking place in Reykjavik...
Declaration on imprisoned Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza
Joint Declaration from the Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of...
New factsheet on life imprisonment and the ECHR
Life imprisonment is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, as long as prisoners have some chance of being released and it is possible for their sentences to be reviewed. According to the European Court of Human Rights, national laws concerning life imprisonment must be...
Council of Europe Summit unites Heads of State and Government around Ukraine and European values
The Icelandic Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is hosting a Summit of Heads of State and Government from the organisation’s 46 member states on 16 and 17 May in Reykjavik. This is the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe since its creation in 1949. The Summit will be an...
Council of Europe and EU leaders warn against backsliding on LGBTI rights in run-up to International Day Against Homophobia
Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and Helena Dalli, EU Commissioner for Equality, have made a joint statement ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Biphobia, Transphobia and Intersexphobia,...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: police ill-treatment of detainees remains a serious problem, says anti-torture committee
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report of its ad hoc visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) of September 2021, along with the response of the authorities. Ill-treatment of detained persons remains a...
Secretary General meets President of Portugal
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), an opportunity to reaffirm unity at the highest political level and reinforce commitment to the...
Secretary General meets Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Anita Van den Ende. The meeting began with preparations for the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), an historic opportunity for reinforcing the...
Promoting greater gender equality in sport: Council of Europe and European Union launch “All In Plus” project
The Council of Europe and the European Union are today launching the “All In Plus” project during a day-long event in the framework of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. The hybrid event brings together representatives of public institutions and the sport movement, as well...
Secretary General joins the summit of leaders for creation of Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine
“There can be no just and sustainable peace without accountability. This is why Ukraine and the accountability for the crimes committed by Russia will be central to our upcoming fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik on 16-17 May”, declared Secretary General Marija Pejčinović...
Secretary General meets Hungarian Minister of Justice
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Hungarian Minister of Justice Judit Varga. The meeting focused on the recent visit of the Special Representative on Migration and Refugees to Hungary, the state of play of Hungary’s execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human...
Icelandic Presidency: Secretary General meets Minister of Culture and Business Affairs
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has exchanged views with the Icelandic Minister of Culture and Business Affairs Lilja Alfredsdóttir. The meeting started with the preparations for the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May), a historic opportunity for...
Secretary General calls for action against democratic backsliding in annual report
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on member states to mark the fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May) with a commitment to reverse democratic backsliding in Europe. In her annual report, published today – Council of Europe Day – the Secretary...
Council of Europe-ECPAT overview highlights need for more resources to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation in Moldova
The Republic of Moldova needs to devote more resources to identifying and supporting victims of child sexual exploitation, including from the most vulnerable groups, according to a joint Council of Europe and ECPAT international country overview released today. The overview says that the...
World Press Freedom Day: Statement by Committee of Ministers' Chair
Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, has made the following statement on World Press Freedom Day: “As the world faces one of the greatest challenges ever to the global peace architecture with...
Advancing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in Europe
Senior judges, experts and representatives of the international community took part in a high-level conference in Strasbourg to discuss what the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment means in practice and what legal form that right may ultimately take in Europe. Opening the...
Press Freedom Day: Secretary General urges European states to protect journalism and enhance safety of journalists
In a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, Council of Europe´s Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić urged European governments to make the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists and other media actors a political priority: “As journalists and other media actors...
The forcible transfer and ‘russification’ of Ukrainian children shows evidence of genocide, says PACE
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has demanded the safe return of Ukrainian children forcibly transferred to Russia or territory it temporarily occupies, as well as punishment of those who carried it out at all levels – pointing out that the documented evidence of this...
Why gender stereotypes matter: Council of Europe conference highlights role of men and boys to stop violence against women
Opening a conference co-organised by the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić stressed the need for men and boys to stop violence against women by breaking barriers to gender equality. She spoke against...
President of Iceland addresses the Parliamentary Assembly
The President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, commended the Parliamentary Assembly for its swift response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We must continue to condemn this violation of international law and norms. Therefore, let us all hope that the Reykjavík summit next month will deliver...
Icelandic Presidency: Secretary General meets President Jóhannesson
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has exchanged views with the President of Iceland, Gudni Th. Jóhannesson. The Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik (16-17 May) has been at the centre of the meeting. “The Summit presents a historic opportunity...
Reykjavik Summit is the response of member States to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
"The Russian Federation is writing a bloody page in European history, waging a barbaric war of aggression to achieve its imperialistic objectives. It is exactly because our deepest values are being trampled upon that we must reaffirm our identity. The Reykjavik Summit is the response of the...
Workshop to support Russian journalists in exile
In March 2022, when excluding Russia from the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers noted that “the Council of Europe will take initiatives to support and engage with human rights defenders, democratic forces, free media and independent civil society in the Russian Federation”. Outlining...
Ministers from MONEYVAL member states ministers commit to strengthen fight against money laundering and terrorist financing
Ministers responsible for anti-money laundering policies from the member states and territories of the Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee have committed to improving the effectiveness of their regimes to prevent and combat money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of...
Icelandic Foreign Minister: Ukraine, core values high on agenda at Rejkavik Summit
“Support and solidarity with Ukraine is one of the main priorities of our Presidency and we have worked hard to ensure that the outcome of the Reykjavík Summit in May further strengthens our collective resolve,” said Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland...
Secretary General meets Committee of Ministers President
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of the Committee of Ministers, Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir at the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. The meeting focused on the ongoing preparations for the Fourth Summit of the...
High-level conference on the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in practice
With the urgent global challenges posed by environmental degradation and the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and nature and biodiversity loss, the question of the need for an autonomous right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment has never been more timely. On...
Secretary General’s Question Time at Parliamentary Assembly
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has answered parliamentarians’ questions at the PACE Spring session’s Question Time. During a lively Q & A session, Marija Pejčinović Burić underlined the importance of the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and Government in Reykjavik...
Annual Report 2022: Commissioner Mijatović calls for renewed commitment to human rights protection to address numerous systemic problems
“The protection of human rights in Europe has suffered serious setbacks in 2022,” said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, presenting her Annual Report on 24 April. “A renewed commitment to human rights is needed to reverse the trend.” The report largely focuses...
Secretary General visits Austria and attends meetings at the OSCE
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Austrian president, key ministers, and personalities during an official visit to Austria. Meeting Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, the Secretary General highlighted the relevance of the Fourth Summit of the Heads of State and...
Georgia: Secretary General’s report says little progress in human rights and humanitarian situation in conflict areas
Serious concerns persist regarding the human rights situation in the areas affected by the armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Georgia in August 2008, according to a report by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić presented to the Committee of Ministers on 19 April. The...
Secretary General meets Icelandic Minister for Education and Children
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with the Icelandic Minister for Education and Children Ásmundur Einar Dadason. The conversation focused on the Icelandic Presidency’s support to the Council of Europe’s work for children and for integrating a youth perspective in...
Practical tools to help young migrants and refugees in transition to adulthood launched in Strasbourg
The Council of Europe has launched a set of practical tools aimed at helping young migrants and refugees in their transition to adulthood, with the support of the Icelandic Presidency and the participation of Iceland’s Minister of Education and Children, Ásmundur Einar Daðason. Addressing an...
Secretary General condemns 25 year prison sentence for Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza
Statement by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of Council of Europe
Privacy Symposium examines global role of data protection convention; Argentina ratifies amending protocol
The 2023 Privacy Symposium taking place in Venice from 17 to 21 April is devoting its opening day to a special programme on the Council of Europe’s privacy and data protection treaty (“Convention 108”), which comprises 55 states from four continents and has become the backbone of national...
Rights of people with disabilities: Council of Europe concludes that France violated the European Social Charter
In a decision made public on 17 April the European Committee on Social Rights of the Council of Europe (ECSR) concludes that there is a violation by France of the European Social Charter because of the failure of the authorities to adopt effective measures within a reasonable timeframe with...
PACE session: situation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, forcibly displaced to Russia; political strategies to prevent natural disasters
Un débat d'urgence sur « La situation des civils Ukrainiens, et notamment des enfants, déplacés de force ou transférés vers la Fédération de Russie ou les territoires ukrainiens sous le contrôle de facto de la Fédération de Russie », avec la participation en ligne de la Première dame d’Ukraine,...
Council of Europe leaders express ‘deep concern’ for the health of Alexei Navalnyy
Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Committee of Ministers, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, and Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, have issued the following statement: “We express...
Despite Finland’s high standards for protecting children against sexual violence and guaranteeing their well-being, some gaps remain
A new joint document developed by the Council of Europe and ECPAT International highlights the need for more resources to identify and support victims of child sexual exploitation, including from the most vulnerable groups. Presented in Helsinki on 13 April the Country Overview document...
Secretary General addresses Black Sea Security Conference
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić is taking part in the Conference on Black Sea Security of the International Crimea Platform in Bucharest today where she delivered a speech in a panel entitled “lessons learned from the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine and its...
Rule of law: Secretary General calls for increased political will to implement ECHR judgments
The Secretary General of the 46-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has urged member states to show increased political will to implement judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, and to improve their capacity for doing so. “Complying with court rulings is essential to the...
Committee of Ministers hears testimony from former death row prisoner during discussion on death penalty abolition
At the initiative of the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and the Permanent Representation of France, the Committee of Ministers held a thematic discussion on the abolition of the death penalty on 5 April, with the participation of speakers who gave testimonies based on their...
Young Roma people: Committee of Ministers issues recommendation to ensure their participation
The Committee of Ministers has issued a new Recommendation to the governments of 46 Council of Europe member states to ensure substantive participation, representation and inclusion of Roma youth in all spheres of society and decision-making processes, as well as to combat structural racism. ...
Visit to Ukraine: Secretary General meets President Zelenskyy
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and key personalities during her visit to Ukraine on 3 April. The Secretary General expressed the Council of Europe’s full solidarity and support to Ukraine in the face of the ongoing Russian...
Negotiations start in Strasbourg on a new convention on the protection of the environment through criminal law
Environmental crime was in focus when the Council of Europe Committee of experts on the protection of the environment through Criminal Law held its first meeting in Strasbourg. In his opening remarks, Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge emphasised that environmental crime has been growing at...
Crimes in Ukraine: ‘justice will be done and delivered, whatever it takes' says PACE President
PACE President Tiny Kox has pledged that the Parliamentary Assembly will do everything in its power to ensure accountability for the crimes committed during Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, declaring: “Justice will be done and delivered, whatever it takes.” Speaking by teleconference at the...
Statement by Committee of Ministers President on the anniversary of the liberation of towns Bucha and Irpin
Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and President of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd Gylfadóttir, has made the following statement on the anniversary of the liberation of towns Bucha and Irpin: “In my last visit to Ukraine, I had the honour to pay...
Secretary General on official visit to Republic of Moldova
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President and key ministers during an official visit to the Republic of Moldova. Meeting Moldovan President Maia Sandu, the Secretary General reaffirmed the Council of Europe’s full support to the ongoing reform process, including in respect...
Anniversary of the liberation of towns Bucha and Irpin
Statement by the Secretary General
Reykjavik conference: Investing in children – the key to prosperity
On 30 March the Ministry of Education and Children of Iceland and the Council of Europe hosted a high-level conference “Investing in Children – the Key to Prosperity” in Reykjavik, Iceland. Organised under the Icelandic Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the...
World Forum for Democracy 2023: Call for initiatives
The World Forum for Democracy is calling for expressions of interest from innovative initiatives, from all over the world, aiming at enhancing democracy and contributing to sustainable peace. Any public or private organisation is eligible to apply. One presenter for the selected initiatives will...
Anti-torture committee calls on European governments to end pushbacks and prevent ill-treatment of foreign nationals at borders
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has called on European governments to protect foreign nationals deprived of their liberty under immigration legislation from any ill-treatment and to put an end to pushbacks at land or sea borders, particularly at the borders...
“UK’s Illegal Migration Bill should be reviewed to ensure it complies with the anti-trafficking convention”, says GRETA
Meeting in Strasbourg this week, the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has expressed deep concern over the United Kingdom’s Illegal Migration Bill and its lack of compliance with core elements of the Council of Europe Convention on Action...
