Newsroom
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...