Newsroom
Congress highlights “generally degrading situation” of local democracy in Turkey
The 46-nation Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities has reported a “generally degrading situation” with regard to local democracy in Turkey. In its latest report on Turkey’s application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Congress welcomes the impressive...
Russia ceases to be a Party to the European Convention on Human Rights on 16 September 2022
Following its expulsion from the Council of Europe on 16 March 2022, the Russian Federation will cease to be a High Contracting Party to the European Convention on Human Rights on 16 September 2022. This was confirmed today in a Resolution by the Committee of Ministers. In line with the...
European Committee of Social Rights’ Conclusions on Health, Social Security and Social Protection
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) today published its Conclusions 2021 in respect of 33 States* on the articles of the Social Charter relating to Health, Social Security and Social Protection. In the framework of the reporting procedure, the Committee adopted 401 conclusions: 165...
Congress holds debates on the war in Ukraine, local democracy in Germany and involving children in sustainable development
“We are meeting at a time when a Council of Europe member state, Ukraine, is the victim of an act of war committed by a former member state, the Russian Federation, said Congress President Leedert Verbeek at the opening of the 42nd session. “This new reality has produced the opposite effect from...
Democracy Here | Democracy Now - reaching out to young people, including in times of crisis
A campaign to revitalise democracy through youth participation Democracy Here | Democracy Now has been launched today at an event organised by the Council of Europe’s Youth Sector, with the support of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General...
As Venice Commission adopts opinions on key constitutional issues, it voices “firm condemnation” against Russian aggression
During its first plenary session of the year, held on 18 and 19 March, the Council of Europe's Venice Commission announced “firm condemnation” against Russian aggression and deplored “the loss of lives and the destruction in Ukraine”. The constitutional experts furthermore fully supported the...
Venice Commission plenary session underway
The first plenary session of the year for the Venice Commission is underway. Expected to be adopted, among other texts, are opinions on Armenian draft laws concerning amendments to the Judicial Code and the Law on the Constitutional Court; the drafting of a new Constitution in Chile; a draft law...
Committee of Ministers suspends relations with the Belarusian authorities
The Committee of Ministers has decided to suspend all relations with Belarus as a result of the country's active participation in the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. In its decision, the Committee of Ministers suspends the rights of Belarus to participate in all meetings and...
European governments must ensure Holocaust Remembrance and education to combat anti-semitism
Council of Europe Recommendation aims to prevent future crimes against humanity
Council of Europe calls on states to support quality journalism: new guidelines
The Council of Europe has adopted a Recommendation calling on its 46 member States to create a favourable environment for quality journalism to thrive and to play its essential role in democracy. The recommendation contains a set of legal, administrative and practical guidelines aimed at ensuring...
Human trafficking experts: States must urgently protect refugees fleeing Ukraine
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has warned of the dangers of people fleeing the armed conflict in Ukraine falling victim to human trafficking and exploitation, amid the fastest-growing refugee flow in Europe since World War Two....
Congress 42nd Session: situation in Ukraine; local democracy in Germany, Luxembourg, Turkey and the UK; fake news, threats and violence against mayors in the current crises in Europe
The 42nd Session of the Congress will take place from 22-24 March. A debate on the situation in Ukraine will take place on Tuesday afternoon, March 22nd. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been invited to address the Congress by video conference and the Congress will adopt an...
The Russian Federation is excluded from the Council of Europe
In an extraordinary meeting this morning, the Committee of Ministers decided, in the context of the procedure launched under Article 8 of the Statute of the Council of Europe, that the Russian Federation ceases to be a member of the Council of Europe as from today, after 26 years of membership....
The Russian Federation can no longer be a member State of the Council of Europe, PACE says
The Russian Federation “committed grave violations of the Council of Europe Statute incompatible with the status of a member State, does not bear its undertakings before the Council of Europe and does not comply with the commitments before it”. Therefore, the Council of Europe Parliamentary...
Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on the exclusion of the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović...
Congress President strongly condemns abduction of Mayors and pressure on local and regional authorities in Ukraine
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Leendert Verbeek, made the following statement regarding the war in Ukraine: “I strongly condemn the abduction of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudne, Zaporizhya oblast and the pressure on local elected...
“Council of Europe has been at the forefront to ensure a prompt, cohesive and strong reaction”, says Della Vedova at PACE
“The Council of Europe, the depositary and guardian of the fundamental principles of coexistence, respect for human rights, the promotion of democracy and the rule of law, has been at the forefront to ensure a prompt, cohesive and strong reaction”, highlighted Italian Under-Secretary of Foreign...
Secretary General condemns the Russian Federation’s aggression, calls for solidarity with Ukraine
Addressing the extraordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić spoke about the organisation’s response to the ongoingRussian aggression in Ukraine. “Since the decision to suspend Russia’s representation was taken on 25...
Ukrainian Prime Minister demands that Russia be immediately ousted from the Council of Europe
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, addressing an extraordinary session of PACE by video-link, has demanded that the Russian Federation be immediately ousted from the Council of Europe. “The right to life is one of the key fundamental rights – and today, at the centre of Europe, this right is...
Psychological first aid for Ukrainian people
The Pompidou Group, together with leading European psycho-trauma experts, has developed recommendations on how people can better interact and communicate with persons who have experienced a crisis or difficult life event. The recommendations were developed at the request of the Ukrainian Ministry...
Italian Presidency: high-level event in Rome to promote equality and combat discrimination
The promotion of equality, the fight against discrimination and the protection of vulnerable groups are the focus of a high-level event of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers (Rome, March 17th European Parliament Liaison Office & online), in the framework of the 5th meeting of...
Council of Europe to discuss potential further measures against Russia
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers today decided to consult the Parliamentary Assembly on potential further use of Article 8 of the Organisation’s Statute (*) in response to the serious violations by the Russian Federation of its statutory obligations as a member State. The Committee...
Implementing ECHR judgments: latest decisions from the Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published the case-by-case decisions taken by the Committee during its meeting from 8 to 9 March to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee adopted 37 decisions concerning 19...
Anti-torture committee: police ill-treatment in Serbia remains a serious problem, but some progress observed in prisons
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report (see also in Serbian) on its periodic visit to Serbia from 9 to 19 March 2021 together with the response from the authorities (see also in Serbian). While...
PACE to debate the consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine at a two-day extraordinary session
The consequences of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine will be the focus of an extraordinary plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), to be held in hybrid mode on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 March 2022. The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr...
More support urgently needed to assist people fleeing the war in Ukraine and countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova
“Beyond the prompt humanitarian response already provided by European states to people fleeing the war in Ukraine, more support is urgently needed to protect their human rights and to support countries of arrival, in particular the Republic of Moldova”, said today the Council of Europe...
Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović...
8 March: International Women’s Day
Statement by Chair of Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
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 March. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and...
War in Ukraine: protecting women and girls
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić ahead of International Women’s Day 8 March
Authorities should stop the unprecedented crackdown on freedoms of expression, assembly and association in Russia
“Russia's military attack against Ukraine has lasted for almost 12 days now, causing death and destruction. It is also leading to a large-scale repression of freedoms in the Russian Federation”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. "Since the war began, more...
International Women’s Day : #BreakTheBias starts with men
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić underlines that to achieve gender equality, men should make more effort to promote equal pay for equal work
Council of Europe and European Commission organise regional cyber training for East and South-East European countries
At a time when strengthening capacities on cybercrime and cybersecurity is more important than ever, the Council of Europe Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) and the European Commission will organise, from 7 to 11 March in Athens (Greece), a regional cyber exercise involving co-operation...
Anti-racism commission publishes conclusions on Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published today its conclusions on the implementation of its priority recommendations addressed to Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Slovenia in 2019. As regards Finland, ECRI concluded that the authorities had not...
Council of Europe suspends Russia’s rights of representation
In line with the Statute of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers has today decided to suspend the Russian Federation from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly with immediate effect as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed...
Situation in Ukraine: Decisions by Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers
In a decision adopted today, at the end of an extraordinary meeting which brought together the representatives of the 47 Council of Europe member states, the Committee of Ministers: condemned in the strongest terms the armed attack on Ukraine by the Russian Federation in violation of...
Situation in Ukraine
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, has made the following statement: “The Russian military operation is a very serious, unjustified and unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, which...
The new Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) adopted by the Committee of Ministers
On 23 February 2022, the Committee of Ministers adopted the new Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) “Children’s Rights in Action: from continuous implementation to joint innovation” which will guide the work of the Council of Europe over the next six years. The new Strategy is the...
Statement from Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on the military attack by the Russian Federation on Ukraine
“I strongly condemn the Russian military attack against Ukraine in flagrant violation of the Statute of Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights. This is a dark hour for Europe and everything it stands for. I call upon the authorities of Russia to immediately and...
European Court of Human Rights : updated “country profiles” now online
The European Court of Human Rights has published an updated set of “country profiles” containing facts, figures and summaries of key cases for all 47 Council of Europe member states. The factsheets have been revised to take into account the Court’s annual statistics for 2021, which were published...
Situation in Ukraine
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, has made the following statement: “As Chair of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, I support the statement of the Secretary General of the...
Belarus: constitutional amendments put to referendum fail to correct existing strong imbalance of powers, says Venice Commission
The Venice Commission in its urgent interim opinion on the constitutional reform in Belarus said that the draft amendments which will be submitted to referendum of 27 February 2022 “fail to correct the strong imbalance of powers which already exists under the current Constitution and indeed may...
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on the recognition of the so-called “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk by the Russian Federation
“The recognition of the so-called ‘people’s republics’ of Donetsk and Luhansk by the Russian Federation is in violation of international law and represents a unilateral breach of the Minsk agreements - which remain the only basis for a settlement of the conflict in Donbas. The Council of Europe...
Human trafficking: Latvia urged to better protect and compensate victims, convict traffickers
The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking has urged Latvia to take further steps to identify, protect and compensate victims of trafficking, and to ensure that traffickers are convicted. These are among the main proposals for action included in the third evaluation of Latvia’s...
Conference on Social Resilience and Health Equity: A human right prospective for better resilience and preparedness
In the framework of the Italian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe is organising an event on Social Resilience and Health Equity. In the current international context, member States are urged to further engage in dialogue and co-operation, and to rediscover the very...
France should improve the identification, protection and compensation of victims of trafficking in human beings
In a new report the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) calls on the French authorities to take additional steps to facilitate and guarantee access to justice for all trafficking victims and set up a national victim identification and referral mechanism....
Criminal conviction of independent journalist Vladislav Yesipenko further undermines media freedom in Crimea
Statement by Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights
Belgium found to have breached the European Social Charter over “bogus internships”
The European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has concluded that Belgium has breached the European Social Charter with regard to “bogus internships”. The ECSR considered that a traineeship must be understood as a limited period of work practice, either paid or unpaid, that includes a learning...
Council of Europe leaders make joint statement on Ukraine
The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Luigi Di Maio, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, Tiny Kox, and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović...
Commissioner’s report on Malta: high time for reforms to safeguard media freedom and better protect the rights of refugees and women
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović has published her report on her visit to Malta in October 2021. It contains recommendations for safeguarding media freedom and ensuring the safety of journalists, protecting the lives and dignity of refugees, asylum seekers and...