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Anti-torture committee critical of police ill-treatment and poor living conditions for remand prisoners in Montenegro
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its ad hoc visit to Montenegro, which took place from 7-13 June 2022, together with the response of the Montenegrin Government. To address the...
Slovenian President makes the case for the Council of Europe in tackling regional and global problems, climate crisis, international law violations
Advocating the Council of Europe’s role as the legal bedrock of Europe, promoting the human right to clean and healthy environment, working with the young people, continuing support to Ukraine in fighting against Russia’s aggression and thinking about post-war reconstruction, as well as...
Secretary General highlights Council of Europe role at Ukraine Recovery Conference
“The Council of Europe has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine. This includes doing what we can to ensure that when peace comes, it is just and durable. A firm foundation on which the country can rebuild with strong, democratic institutions. A clear European perspective and a positive...
Secretary General meets Slovenian President
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with Nataša Pirc Musar, President of Slovenia. At their meeting, which took place in Strasbourg, the Secretary General commended Slovenia and the President for their support for the promotion of the protection of the right to...
Latvian Foreign Minister: Ukraine must receive all the support it needs
“The Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik was an important milestone for the organisation at a critical time and resulted in strong European unity in responding to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Chair of the Committee of...
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...
