Newsroom
Human rights in biomedicine post-COVID-19: action plan 2020-2025
The Bioethics Committee has launched its new action plan on human rights and biomedical technologies. Governance of technologies, equity in health care and physical and mental integrity are at the heart of this five-year strategy. “While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating,...
Good governance essential for authorities to successfully tackle COVID 19
COVID-19 is a test for democracies, and good governance is the key to success, Council of Europe experts have stressed. Over a hundred experts and observers from the European Committee on Democracy and Governance (CDDG) shared lessons learned during an online meeting. They included the importance...
Secretary General: “The constitutional crisis in Armenia can be solved with the Venice Commission’s guidance”
“The Opinion of the Venice Commission adopted on 19 June and made public today makes it possible to solve the problems that have been at the centre of the constitutional crisis between the Armenian National Assembly and the Constitutional Court", said Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of...
Rapporteurs regret Latvia missed opportunity to adopt territorial reform in full conformity with the Congress Charter
In reaction to the recent enactment of the administrative territorial reform by the Saeima, the Congress rapporteurs on Latvia, Xavier Cadoret, France (L, SOC/G/PD), President of the Chamber of Local Authorities, and Marc Cools, Belgium (L, ILDG), expressed disappointment and concern about the...
Pushbacks and border violence against refugees must end
“On 20 June, World Refugee Day will spotlight the hardship that refugees endure. I pay tribute to the resilience of refugees and reiterate the call to protect them and uphold their rights”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, ahead of World Refugee...
New guide to international protection for victims of trafficking
Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published a new guide on the entitlement of victims of trafficking, and people at risk of being trafficked, to international protection. The guide is intended to help national...
Alternatives to immigration detention: Council of Europe and UNHCR launch new course
Ahead of World Refugee Day on 20 June, the Council of Europe is launching a HELP/UNHCR free online course on Alternatives to Immigration Detention with the aim of supporting legal and other professionals working on migration. While the interest in managing migration without depriving people of...
Venice Commission adopts opinions on Armenia, Kosovo*, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, Russia and Turkey
The Venice Commission is adopting a number of opinions through a written procedure on 18-19 June, in a replacement of the meeting of 123rd plenary session in Venice, that will not take place due to the continued COVID-19 concerns. The following opinions are to be adopted by a written procedure: ...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Congress President welcomes significant developments paving the way for Mostar local elections
Welcoming the signatures between party leaders Bakir Izetbegović (SDA) and Dragan Čović (HDZ) who, last night, signed two agreements aimed at reinstating free and democratic suffrage in Mostar, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape,...
Sanctions and measures without deprivation of liberty increasingly used in Europe: new survey
European states are increasingly resorting to sanctions and measures which keep offenders in the community without deprivation of liberty, according to the 2019 SPACE II annual survey, carried out for the Council of Europe by the University of Lausanne. (Please see also the Key Findings) On 31...
Congress President: statement on local elections to be held on 21 June in Serbia
Taking note of the fact that the Republic Electoral Commission of Serbia had resumed preparations for local elections rescheduled for 21 June, the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, expressed his confidence in the state authorities...
Justice in Lockdown: new methods based on human rights could be model for future
The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity to transform traditional court functioning for the better, as long as high-quality justice and respect for individual rights are at the forefront of changes, says the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) Launching new guidelines the...
Cyprus needs effective legal aid and compensation for victims of human trafficking
There were 801 presumed victims of trafficking in human beings in Cyprus in 2015-2019, according to a new report from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). Female victims of sexual and or labour exploitation, forced marriage, or illegal...
Slovakia should improve access to justice and provide effective remedies for victims of human trafficking
In a new report published today, the Council of Europe expert body on trafficking in human beings (GRETA) acknowledges the progress achieved by the Slovak Republic in taking measures to combat human trafficking, but points out a number of shortcomings, such as the need to improve access to...
Secretary General at Congress Bureau: "Local and regional authorities play a key role in responding to the COVID crisis and that of climate change".
"Faced with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in countries, cities and regions, authorities at all levels of government are doing their best to respond to the enormous challenges posed by the coronavirus," said the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić during an...
Congress Bureau adopts declaration on impact of central government COVID-measures on local and regional authorities
The Bureau of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe adopted the following Declaration during its meeting held by video conference on 9 June 2020 : “The Congress Bureau expresses its concern about the democratic self-governance and financial autonomy of local and...
Austria: New report praises efforts to curb human trafficking, but more must be done
In its third report on Austria, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) analyses trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies and examines progress in the implementation of previous GRETA recommendations. The report...
World Environment Day: Congress President calls for mobilisation of local and regional authorities
"Good governance at the local and regional level means protecting the environment and combating global warming," stated Congress President Anders Knape, on the occasion of the World Environment Day, 5 June 2020. "Municipalities and regions are key partners for national authorities in this regard...
Beyond COVID-19, human rights can help save the planet
Council of Europe statement ahead of World Environment Day
Implementing ECHR judgments: latest decisions from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers
The latest case-by-case decisions on the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Due to the exceptional circumstances, the first part of the Committee’s latest regular human rights...
