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Council of Europe leaders pay tribute to Mikhail Gorbachev
PACE President Tiny Kox and Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić have paid tribute to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. In a joint statement, they said: “Europe has lost a great statesman and peacemaker. By bringing the Cold War to a peaceful end, Mikhail Gorbachev...
Georgia: Draft surveillance law adopted hastily, needs further elaboration, finds Venice Commission opinion
The draft law amending Georgia’s procedure for the use of covert investigative measures was adopted in a hasty procedure and requires both impact assessment and more detailed justification, according to an urgent opinion from the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission of legal and constitutional...
PACE President marks Ukraine’s independence day: ‘Ukraine needs Europe, and Europe needs Ukraine’
PACE President Tiny Kox, in a message to mark the 31st anniversary of the independence of Ukraine, has again pledged the Council of Europe’s full support in the coming months and years, adding: “Ukraine needs Europe, and Europe needs Ukraine”. “I want to express my admiration for the courage and...
Council of Europe will continue to support Crimea and all of Ukraine, says Secretary General
The situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol has further deteriorated, but the Council of Europe will continue doing all it can to support the people of Crimea and of Ukraine in general, despite Russia’s brutal, illegal and ongoing aggression against the country,...
Secretary General took part in Second Summit of Crimea Platform
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić participated in the Second Summit of the Crimea Platform on 23 August, hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Secretary General spoke about the support provided by the organisation to Ukraine and specifically addressed human rights...
New initiative to help Roma people in Bulgaria and Romania
A new agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Union will help marginalised Roma communities in Bulgaria and Romania to access education, housing and employment, and promote Roma inclusion. To date, the ROMACT programme has mobilised over €140 million to fund more than 120...
International Youth Day
“Creating stronger links between youth and other generations can help us find solutions to today’s challenges” says Congress Spokesperson
The right to a healthy environment, a universal human right and an emergency for all levels of governance
Following the resolution just adopted by the United Nations General Assembly declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right, Congress spokesperson on human rights Harald Bergmann (Netherlands, ILDG), welcomed this historic decision. "This recognition...
European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
GRETA calls on states, civil society and tech companies to counter the use of technology to recruit and control victims of human trafficking
On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, held every year on 30 July, the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) joins the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) in calling on State Parties to...
Anti-torture Committee announces regular visits to eight countries in 2023
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has announced its 2023 programme of regular visits. The Committee intends to examine the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the following countries: Albania Armenia Cyprus...
“Sport is a great leveller that can bring people together in a way that nothing else can”, Bjørn Berge tells Commonwealth Sports Ministers
“Sport is a great leveller that can bring people together in a way that nothing else can”, highlighted Deputy Secretary General while addressing the 10th Commonwealth Sports Ministers Meeting in Birmingham. Bjørn Berge underlined how the Council of Europe’s four-year strategic priorities for...
Council of Europe at the Ministerial Ukraine Accountability Conference
The Council of Europe was represented at the Ministerial Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague on 14 July by the Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Christos Giakoumopoulos. The Conference was hosted by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the Prosecutor of...
SRSG on Migration and Refugees publishes reports of visit to Czech and Slovak Republics
The Special Representative on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik, has emphasised in her report the efficient response of the Czech Republic to an unprecedented situation, resulting in a swift setting-up of well-run registration centres where national, local and non-governmental actors...
Trafficking in human beings: expert group GRETA releases its annual report
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published its annual report for 2021. During 2021 GRETA was able to achieve a number of milestones in spite of the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and continued to develop its cooperation...
For a quality education free of fraud and corruption – a new Recommendation adopted by the Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a Recommendation addressed to its 46 member states aimed at assisting them in combating fraud in the field of education. The recommendation follows four years of work in the framework of the ETINED platform of the Council of Europe...
ECHR judgment in the case Kavala v. Türkiye: joint statement by the Council of Europe leaders
Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Simon Coveney, 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, have made the following...
Secretary General attends Srebrenica Commemoration: Remembrance and reconciliation are hard, but essential
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has attended the Commemoration ceremony for the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. In her speech, she stressed the importance of remembrance and reconciliation. “We have gathered here today to pay tribute to the immense suffering of the victims, their...
Srebrenica: the mothers’ fight for justice should inspire us all
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović has taken part in the inauguration of the ‘Mother’s Scarf’ art installation initiated by the Mothers of Srebrenica, as part of the Srebrenica Heroines Initiative, and issued the following statement: “As we honour the memory of...
CEB approves €465 million in new loans, appoints new vice-governors and agrees on Ukraine’s accession to the Bank at zero cost
The governing bodies of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) have discussed its strategic and policy priorities, with a focus on Ukraine’s membership. Noting that the process is well advanced, CEB members states agreed, as a tangible sign of support, to relieve the country from any...
