Newsroom
Domestic violence: Countries should improve child custody safety and victim protection
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) finds that many countries lack enough protection for children and domestic violence victims. GREVIO, which monitors implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and...
Brigitte Macron, guest of honour at the first forum for secondary school pupils
Four hundred youngsters had the opportunity to talk at length with Brigitte Macron today at the first-ever forum for secondary school pupils dedicated to living together. School bullying and cyberbullying were the focus of the discussion, during which Ms Macron mentioned the existence of the...
Portugal urged to enable trafficking victims to access legal aid and compensation, better identify victims among asylum seekers
The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking, GRETA, has urged the Portuguese authorities to improve trafficking victims’ access to legal aid and to guarantee their effective access to compensation. These are among the main proposals for action included in the latest evaluation...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from 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 8 to 10 June to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee adopted 35 decisions concerning 17...
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
“I firmly condemn the death penalty sentences issued today in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment. It has no place on the European continent. On behalf of the Council of Europe, I call for...
Estonia should intensify efforts to integrate national minorities
In its latest Opinion on Estonia the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) makes a series of recommendations aimed at improving the integration of society as a whole, and ensuring that persons belonging to national minorities can...
Anti-racism commission publishes reports on Denmark, Monaco and Estonia
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published new monitoring reports on Denmark, Monaco and Estonia. In its report on Denmark, ECRI calls on the Danish authorities, as a matter of priority, to introduce a national action plan against racism, with a particular...
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 8 to 10 June. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
Prison overcrowding remains a problem in prisons in French-speaking Switzerland: Anti-torture committee report
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report on the periodic visit to Switzerland carried out from 22 March to 1 April 2021. The visit focused on the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in...
Hungary: improvements in fighting money laundering and terrorist financing have led to upgraded ratings
Hungary has improved measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, demonstrating good progress in the level of compliance with the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) standards, according to a new follow-up report by the Council of Europe anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL. The...
Human trafficking in Norway: progress on legislative reforms, but should avoid rapid deportations of foreigners without screening them
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published its third evaluation report on Norway focusing on human trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. The report also assesses developments since the publication of...
New report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship
The Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) has issued a new report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship. The report examines AI systems regarding the doctor-patient relationship in relation to...
Informal exchange of views between Committee of Ministers and civil society representatives on participatory democracy
At an informal meeting on 3 June, delegations from the 46 Council of Europe member states held an exchange of views with representatives of civil society, other international organisations and experts on participatory democracy in Europe. The aim was to exchange views on how best to strengthen...
Council of Europe Congress President in Ukraine
At the invitation of the Association of Ukrainian Municipalities (AUC), the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Leendert Verbeek, is visiting Ukraine from 1 to 4 June, accompanied by the Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer. This visit follows the adoption of a...
PACE President's statement on 100th day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
In a statement on the 100th day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, PACE President Tiny Kox has again called on the Russian authorities to immediately bring the war to an end, and issued a strong appeal for the restoration of peace with justice. “By this blatant violation of...
GRECO urges European governments to increase transparency and accountability of lobbying
European governments should increase transparency and accountability around lobbying to ensure that members of the public know which actors are seeking to influence political decisions so that the risk of corrupt practices can be reduced, says the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO in...
Adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, racism in policing, intimidation of LGBTI people: main trends in ECRI's annual report
The continuing Covid-19 pandemic that has further marginalised vulnerable groups, the ongoing problem of racism in police forces and the rise of anti-LGBTI public discourse were the main trends in 2021, said the Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its annual...
Congress President calls on member States to ratify the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government to strengthen citizen participation at local level
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek has marked the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority by urging States that...
Early intervention on intersex children and children’s rights
A seminar aimed at safeguarding the human rights of intersex children has taken place in Strasbourg. Medical practices applied to intersex children may have future long-term implications for them, and it is vital to safeguard children’s right throughout the process. Early intervention on intersex...
Armenia: despite legislative reforms, survivors of human trafficking face uphill struggle to access justice
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) have published a new report on Armenia focusing on human trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. GRETA acknowledges improvements in the legislative and policy framework but asks...
