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"There is little doubt that the Russian state bears full responsibility for the death of Alexei Navalny", PACE President says
Following the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Theodoros Rousopoulos made the following statement: "I am deeply shocked by today's terrible news of the death in prison of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny....
Death of Alexei Navalnyy: Statement by Committee of Ministers' President
Liechtenstein Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport and President of the Committee of Ministers, Dominique Hasler made the following statement: "Saddened and deeply disturbed by the reported death of Alexei Navalnyy today, I, in my capacity as President of the Committee of Ministers of...
Congress President dismayed at the death of Alexey Navalny in Russia
Congress President Marc Cools has made the following statement today: “I am shocked and dismayed by the news of the death of Alexey Navalny in a Russian prison. On behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, I express my deep condolences to his family....
Protecting the human rights of sex workers
“The lived realities of sex workers across Europe raise serious human rights concerns. I call for an approach to sex work that is firmly based on human rights and focuses on the effective protection of sex workers’ rights, prioritising their safety, agency and bodily autonomy over stereotypes and...
Cinema attendance in Europe up by 18% in 2023, but is still below pre-pandemic levels
According to initial findings compiled by the Council of Europe’s European Audiovisual Observatory, cinema attendance in wider Europe rose to approximately 859 million admissions in 2023. This reflects a positive year-on-year rise of 18.1%, signifying an increase of 131.8 million tickets compared...
Rights of volunteer firefighters: Council of Europe concludes that France is in violation of the European Social Charter
In a new decision the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) concludes that France is in violation of the revised European Social Charter on the ground of the discriminatory difference in treatment with regard to remuneration between certain volunteer firefighters (VFF)...
Addressing delays in family law proceedings involving children: a key goal of a new EU-Council of Europe project in Slovenia
A new joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Ensuring the best interests of the child in civil court proceedings in Slovenia” has been launched in Bled. The project, co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe and enacted by the Council of Europe's Children’s Rights...
Azerbaijan should step up investigations and prosecutions of money laundering and improve supervisory arrangements, says MONEYVAL
In the new report published today, Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL calls on Azerbaijan authorities to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering (ML), the financing of terrorism (TF) and financing of proliferation, in particular in the areas of preventive...
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Council of Europe user-friendly tool to empower users in the digital landscape
Anti-torture committee highlights immigration issues in the UK
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has raised a number of concerns related to immigration issues in the United Kingdom, following an ad hoc visit to the country early last year. The main objective of the CPT’s visit, which took place from 27 March to 6 April...
Commissioner highlights key steps to better respect victims’ rights and deal with the past in former Yugoslavia region
In her letters to the Prime Ministers of the Council of Europe member states in the region of the former Yugoslavia, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, recommends specific steps to be taken to deal with the violent past and move more resolutely toward social...
Secretary General makes official visit to Slovenia
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the President of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar and other key personalities during an official visit to the country. During her meetings, the Secretary General discussed the follow-up to the Reykjavik Summit and the forthcoming 75th anniversary of the...
Declaration by the Committee of Ministers on the death penalty in the United States of America
The Committee of Ministers deplores the execution on 25 January in the State of Alabama of Mr Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was already subject to a failed execution in 2022. The Committee of Ministers is particularly concerned by the unprecedented use in the State of Alabama of a new and...
Secretary General appoints David Best as Special Representative on Migration and Refugees
Today, Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić announced the appointment of Swiss diplomat David Best as her Special Representative on Migration and Refugees. The Council of Europe provides a close dialogue and support to its member States in responding to these challenges on the basis of the...
Montenegro should step up efforts to investigate and effectively prosecute money laundering, and strengthen the supervision of high-risk non-financial businesses and professions
In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL calls on the Montenegrin authorities to further strengthen measures to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Since 2015, when MONEYVAL last provided a comprehensive evaluation of Montenegro,...
Congress President welcomes steps to restore regional government in Northern Ireland
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement today: “Following the end of the boycott by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), steps can now be taken to reconstitute the Northern Ireland Assembly and thus...
GRETA publishes its third report on Andorra
Andorra has made progress in the development of a legal, institutional and policy framework to combat human trafficking, but should take additional measures to identify potential victims, according to a report issued today by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking...
Bulgaria: Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee again highly critical of situation in psychiatric institutions, notes progress in social care homes
Continued ill-treatment of psychiatric patients by staff demonstrates, once again, a continuing serious failure by the Ministry of Health to prevent and eradicate such unacceptable behaviour. Therapy opportunities in psychiatric institutions remain deficient, staffing levels insufficient and the...
AI and deeper learning in language education, unlocking opportunities for sign languages users: the European Centre for Modern Languages launches new projects for 2024-2027
The first meeting under the new programme “Language education at the heart of democracy” (2024-2027) launched by the Council of Europe’s European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) took place in Graz, Austria on 25-26 January 2024. Supporting the integration of children from different linguistic...
Congratulations to the winners of the Stefano Rodotà Data Protection Award 2024!
The Jury of the Stefano Rodotà Award, composed of the members of the Bureau of the Committee of Convention 108, has selected the winners of the Stefano Rodotà Data Protection Award 2024. After reviewing all the exceptional works submitted by the applicants, the Jury has decided to award; PhD...
