Newsroom
Albania should continue improving child protection and inclusion of persons with disabilities
“The protection of children and inclusion of persons with disabilities has improved in Albania, but the authorities still have to address remaining shortcomings”, said today Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, while releasing the report on her visit to the country...
GRECO places Denmark in its non-compliance procedure
Council of Europe anti-corruption experts (GRECO) have placed Denmark in its non-compliance procedure due to lack of sufficient measures taken to prevent corruption in respect of members of parliament and in the judiciary, according to a compliance report published today. GRECO concludes that...
Congress President meets Belarus President
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Gudrun Mosler-Törnström, met with the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko on 11 September 2018. They discussed the importance of local self-government in the governance of our societies. During this exchange,...
Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Session
Debate on decision-making process concerning credentials and voting
Despite challenges in managing mixed migration Spain should guarantee effective access to asylum also in Melilla and Ceuta
”Every person arriving in Spain, including those jumping the border fences in Melilla and Ceuta, should be protected against refoulement and collective expulsions with a real possibility to have access to an effective and fair asylum procedure”, says the Secretary General’s Special Representative...
Cyprus makes promising moves to fight corruption
Cyprus makes promising moves to fight corruption, but many results yet to materialise, says anti-corruption group
Anti-torture Committee on Ukraine: severity of police ill-treatment diminished, material conditions in prisons remain poor
The severity of ill-treatment by the law enforcement in Ukraine appears to have diminished, but allegations are still frequent. Poor material conditions, overcrowding and lack of out-of-cell activities remain major problems in prisons; and the system of guardianship in psychiatric and social care...
20th anniversary of Children’s Houses: Icelandic model to counter child sexual abuse continues inspiring change across Europe
The 20th anniversary of the Barnahus (Children’s House), a Council of Europe-promoted model to address child sexual abuse by coordinating parallel criminal and social welfare investigations in a child-friendly and safe environment , is marked today at an event in Reykjavík, Iceland. The first...
Global Education: Human Rights dimension
The North-South Centre of the Council of Europe launches new free online course on the Human Rights dimension of Global Education
Thirty years of the European Charter of Local Self-Government
"Thirty years after the entry into force of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, we must more than ever ensure respect for its principles", says Congress President
“A safety net for the people of Europe”: 65 years of the European Convention on Human Rights
The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, better known as the European Convention on Human Rights, entered into force on 3 September 1953. Ahead of the anniversary, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said: “The European Convention on Human...
European Heritage Days 2018: Celebrating the Art of Sharing
The European Heritage Days (EHDs), a joint initiative of the Council of Europe and the European Commission, are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural events shared by the citizens of Europe. The pan-European nature of this project contributes to bringing citizens together and...
MONEYVAL calls for actions to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in line with Latvia’s risk profile
In a report published today on Latvia, MONEYVAL acknowledges that large financial flows passing through the country pose a significant money laundering threat. Latvia is a regional financial centre, with a majority of its commercial banks focusing on servicing foreign customers, mainly from the...
Latvia: new GRECO report on corruption prevention in central government and law enforcement bodies
Latvia to further boost the integrity, transparency and accountability of those exercising top executive functions in central government and of police and border guard staff
Release of Taner Kiliç, Amnesty International
Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland
Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland on the release of human rights defender Ilgar Mammadov in Azerbaijan
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement today: “News that the Shaki Court of Appeal in Azerbaijan today ordered the release of prominent human rights defender Ilgar Mammadov after more than five years in prison is to be welcomed. We cannot accept political prisoners in...
Transparency of political funding in Switzerland
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption group regrets the lack of progress
GRECO says “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” makes no substantial progress; urges more action to apply recommendations
In its second compliance report released today, GRECO (Group of States against Corruption) finds that “the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” made no substantial progress in implementing recommendations on preventing corruption among MPs, judges and prosecutors. Calling the country’s...
Searches and arrests in Belarusian media
Statement by the Spokesperson of the Secretary General
10th anniversary of the conflict in Georgia
Statement by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia
Council of Europe honours Roma victims of the Holocaust: “acknowledge the past and improve Roma rights today”
Today in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe held a commemorative wreath-laying ceremony in memory of Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust. This year marks the 74th anniversary of 2 August, 1944, when all remaining Roma of the so-called “Zigeunerlager” (Gypsy camp) – 2,897 men, women and...
Moldova: Council of Europe anti-money laundering committee concerned about misleading media reports
Media reports in Moldova seem to wrongly suggest that the Law on Voluntary Declaration and Fiscal Stimulation, which was passed by the Moldovan Parliament on 26 July 2018, had been analysed positively by an expert from the Council of Europe’s Committee on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering...
Poland: Persons taken into police custody still run “appreciable risk” of being ill-treated, says anti-torture committee
A report published today by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) found that most people who were or recently had been in police custody reported correct treatment by the police. However, although the report includes...
Keeping the promise: ending poverty and inequality
“Poverty and inequality are closely interlinked”, says Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in her Human Rights Comment published today. “People living in poverty are much more likely to be relegated to low-income work, poor housing, and inadequate health care, as...
Submit your examples of good practices on child-friendly procedures in the migration context
The Office of the Special Representative on migration and refugees is looking for examples of good or promising practices of migration-related procedures that are child-friendly. Selected examples will be published in a compilation of good practices being prepared under the Council of Europe...
SRSG on migration and refugees: visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Ambassador Tomáš Boček, will be visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina from 24 to 27 July 2018. He will have meetings with the government officials and representatives of relevant international organisations to discuss...
Azerbaijan: torture, impunity and corruption highlighted in new anti-torture committee publications
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today reports on six of its visits to Azerbaijan – in 2004, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 – together with the responses of the Azerbaijani Government. Thus, all...
The Commissioner requests decisive measures to safeguard Oyub Titiev’s rights
Today the Commissioner published a letter she sent to the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Mr Yury Chaika, concerning the situation of Mr Oyub Titiev, the leading member of the Human Rights Centre Memorial who is being prosecuted in the Chechen Republic. In the letter, the...
The CEPEJ adopts a toolkit to strengthen the implementation of the CEPEJ guidelines on mediation
At its 30th plenary meeting, the CEPEJ completed the list of existing Council of Europe instruments in the field of mediation, in particular the Council of Europe Recommendations (Recommendation (98) 1 on family mediation; Recommendation (99) 19 concerning mediation in criminal matters ;...
Romania: Proposed reforms could undermine independence of judges and prosecutors according to Venice Commission
In a preliminary opinion published today and requested in May this year by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission commented on three legislative drafts amending existing judiciary legislation: Draft law amending Law 303/2004 on the statute of judges and...
GRECO acknowledges progress in Albania, but calls for further action
In a report published today, the Council of Europe´s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) acknowledges the progress made by Albania in implementing its recommendations to prevent corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors, but it also calls for a number of...
We must not forget Srebrenica
Today, Commissioner Mijatović, participated in the commemoration of the 23rd anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. In her speech she expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the victims, honoured the memory of the victims and called on all political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
Conference on cybercrime: evidence in cyberspace, WHOIS data, cyberviolence, global state of legislation
From 11 to 13 July, the Council of Europe will bring together ministers and other high-ranking government representatives, criminal justice experts, and representatives from the Internet industry, civil society and data protection organisations from all over the world to step up international...
Regional or minority languages are protected in Norway, but further efforts needed
Progress has been made while promoting regional and minority languages in Norway, such as the Sami languages, Kven/Finnish and Romani/Romanes, according to a report published today by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Almost all undertakings are fulfilled concerned the...
GRECO urges Ireland to ensure judiciary's independence on appointments and promotion of judges
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has urged the Irish authorities to step up their efforts to ensure judicial independence in respect of appointments and promotion of judges. In a report published today, GRECO notes that Ireland has only implemented fully three of...
Secretary General calls on Romania to wait for Venice Commission opinion on reform of Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe made the following statement today: “I call upon all parties concerned to wait for the Venice Commission’s Opinion, and to take it into account, before any further steps are taken to amend Romania’s Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code. This...
European states must put human rights at the centre of their migration policies
“European states’ current approach to the arrivals of refugees and migrants has transformed a manageable issue into an extremely divisive topic, in particular within EU member states. And it has caused immense suffering and hardship to thousands of people who sought our protection. It is time...
Council of Europe gives recommendations to member States on children’s rights in the digital environment
How to better respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment is at the core of the new Recommendation adopted today by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Building on international and European legal instruments, the text provides comprehensive...
The Council of Europe adopts a new counter-terrorism strategy for 2018-2022
In response to the acute terrorist threat in Europe, the Council of Europe today adopted a new strategy based on prevention, prosecution and protection, including assistance to victims. “We must improve the ability of our member states to prevent and combat terrorism, in full compliance with...
Safeguarding human rights in the era of artificial intelligence
“The use of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives is on the increase, and it now covers many fields of activity. Something as seemingly banal as avoiding a traffic jam through the use of a smart navigation system, or receiving targeted offers from a trusted retailer is the result of big...
Greece: immediate action needed to protect human rights of migrants
“The humanity and hospitality that Greece’s people and authorities demonstrated towards migrants in recent years is truly commendable. In spite of these efforts, however, the situation remains worrying and much more needs to be done to protect the human rights of those who have had to flee their...
Mexico joins the data protection convention
Mexico today acceded to the Council of Europe´s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, known as “Convention 108”, and to its Additional Protocol on transborder data flows and supervisory authorities. Mexico, which has observer status in...
The future of the Council of Europe depends on respect for its underlying precept – “effective multilateralism”
“For the future of the Council of Europe to be secured, we must respect its underlying precept of ‘effective multilateralism’, in other words the process of seeking solutions together with due regard for international law”, said Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign and European...
The Council of Europe is not a "menu à la carte" where we choose what we want
“All Member States should realise that the Council of Europe is not a ‘menu à la carte’ where we only choose what we want. Therefore, we should not merely enjoy the benefits of the membership. On the contrary, it is necessary to honour and respect its obligations and to implement consistently the...
Luxembourg must improve its strategy to prevent risks of corruption in government and in the police sector
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) publishes today its fifth-round evaluation report on Luxembourg. The main focus of this round is preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies. GRECO...
Secretary General: accept the findings of the anti-Corruption Commission
Answering a series of questions from members of the Parliamentary Assembly about a meeting with a former Ambassador for Azerbaijan, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland urged the Assembly to stop making political theatre out of the findings of its own anti-corruption Commission, which published...
"Member States must fully implement Council of Europe standards"
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, addressing PACE today in the framework of Croatia’s Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, underlined that all member States must unequivocally implement the Council’s shared standards. He expressed his support for ongoing measures...
Joint statement on the occasion of the “United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture”
"70 years on, torture is still widespread: more action needed to achieve a torture-free world for all"
Croatian Chairmanship plans put focus on fighting corruption
Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Marija Pejčinović Burić spelled out her country’s priorities for its six-month spell chairing the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in a speech to the Parliamentary Assembly today. Presenting the work of the...
Liliane Maury Pasquier elected PACE President
Liliane Maury Pasquier (Switzerland, SOC) has been elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Succeeding Michele Nicoletti (Italy, SOC) – who resigned because he was not re-elected in Italy – she becomes PACE’s 32nd President and the second Swiss...
Is Russia making any progress in criminalising bribery and ensuring transparency of party funding? – GRECO’s assessment
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published a new assessment of the implementation by Russia of its recommendations on incriminations and transparency of party funding. Twelve recommendations (as compared to 11 during the previous assessment) out of 21 have...
Summer Session: Croatian and Slovak Prime Ministers to address PACE
PACE is scheduled to elect its new President at its summer session in Strasbourg (25-29 June 2018). VIPs to address members include the Croatian and Slovak Prime Ministers as well as the Luxembourg Foreign Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of...
Hungary: “Stop Soros” provision on illegal migration should be repealed as it seriously impairs legitimate NGO work, say Venice Commission legal experts
An opinion adopted today by the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission criticises a key provision on illegal migration of the so-called “Stop Soros” legislation that the Hungarian Parliament adopted this week. The new provision – Article 353A of the Criminal Code – introduces the offence of...
Poland: Council of Europe anti-corruption group criticises weakening independence of courts and judges
Following–up on preliminary findings of March 2018, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has now re-assessed legislation passed in respect of Poland’s judiciary in 2017-18, including the new amendments to the laws on the National Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme...
Committee for the Prevention of Torture factsheet on transport of detainees
CPT delegations have periodically inspected vehicles intended for the transport of detainees, mainly by road and rail. They often found that conditions were substandard or that basic safety requirements were not being met. The Committee also detected practices which merited criticism (e.g....
Unrelenting rise in xenophobic populism, resentment, hate speech in Europe in 2017
Xenophobic populism and hate speech have continued to be on the rise in 2017, with high levels of migration and challenges of integration, religious extremism, terrorist attacks and the austerity-driven socio-economic climate observed all over Europe, says the annual report of the European...
Data protection: conference on the modernisation of “Convention 108”
The Council of Europe is organising a conference in Strasbourg on 21 June to discuss the implications for data protection globally of the recently adopted modernisation of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, known as “Convention...
Anti-torture Committee publishes critical report on police ill-treatment in Serbia and the outdated treatment of remand prisoners
The Serbian authorities must recognise that ill-treatment by the police is an accepted practice, and not the work of a few rogue officers; they must effectively investigate the allegations of ill-treatment and punish the crime, said the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT) in the...
The UK ratifies the Lanzarote Convention to protect children against sexual violence
The United Kingdom has formally ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, known as the Lanzarote Convention. The convention is a legally-binding treaty which obliges countries to take a wide range of steps to help prevent...
Human trafficking: Spain achieved progress, but further action needed against trafficking for labour exploitation
Spain has made progress in developing the legislative, institutional and policy framework against trafficking in human beings. However, improvements are needed in a number of areas, in particular more efforts are required to tackle trafficking for labour exploitation, says the Council of Europe’s...
Refugee today – citizen tomorrow?
There is a voice which is rarely heard in the deeply divisive debate about refugee policies – the voice of cities. Listening to cities can not only make the debate more constructive, it can also help shape policies which reconcile solidarity and societal cohesion. Most asylum-seekers and refugees...
Cabo Verde joins the data protection and cybercrime conventions
Cabo Verde today acceded to the Council of Europe´s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, known as “Convention 108”, to its Additional Protocol on transborder data flows and supervisory authorities, and to the Convention on Cybercrime....
Secretary General Jagland to meet Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow
Secretary General Jagland will meet President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss current relations between Russia and the Council of Europe. Mr Jagland will also meet Russian Ombudsperson Moskalkova. Contact: daniel.holtgen@coe.int
“Stop Soros” legislation in Hungary: Venice Commission president asks Hungarian parliament not to proceed with vote before its opinion on the matter is adopted
Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio met with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto on Monday 18 June in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe to discuss the upcoming opinion on new “Stop Soros” legislative provisions. President Buquicchio called on the Hungarian Parliament not to...
Croatian Chairmanship underlines the importance of dialogue with national minority representatives and the competent institutions in advancing national minority rights
Chair of the Committee of Ministers, Marija Pejčinović Burić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia and Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe opened a conference entitled “Minorities and Minority Languages in a Changing Europe” in...
EURIMAGES Gender Equality Outreach event in Canada
On the occasion of the 151st Board of Management meeting in Montréal, EURIMAGES will renew its commitment to gender equality through an international outreach event (Cinémathèque québecoise, 7pm), organised in co-operation with Telefilm Canada: a panel discussion with Canadian female film-makers,...
Improving the management of prison and probation services – Jõhvi conference
The Council of Europe’s annual Conference of Directors of Prisons and Probation Services, to be held in Jõhvi (Estonia) on 19 and 20 June, will explore ways to improve the management of prisons and probation services, and the co-operation between them. Held under the theme “Working together...
Greece ratifies the Istanbul Convention
Today, in Strasbourg, in the presence of Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ambassador Stelios Perrakis, Permanent Representative of Greece to the Council of Europe, deposited the instrument of ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and...
Estonia: human rights should steer policies for women, older persons, minorities
“Estonia has been developing at a fast pace, but some people in the country risk being left behind. To achieve a more inclusive society, Estonia should combat discrimination and abuses against older persons, tackle the gender pay gap and violence against women, and devote more efforts to building...
Conference “National Minorities and Minority Languages in a changing Europe” in Strasbourg next week
A high-level conference “Minorities and Minority Languages in a Changing Europe” will be held in Strasbourg on 18-19 June on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the entry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or...
Positive results of the European Convention of Human Rights
Council of Europe launches new information resource
Council of Europe meeting with the Media and Law Studies Association (Turkey)
Exchange of views between Christos Giakoumopoulos, Council of Europe Director General for Human Rights and Rule of Law, and MLSA President Evin Barış Altıntaş and Vice President Veysel Ok
Secretary General welcomes name agreement between Athens and Skopje
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has warmly welcomed the agreement achieved between the Prime Ministers of Greece and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” on the name issue. “This agreement has been a long time coming. It shows that talking,...
Norway ratifies Council of Europe Convention to protect children against sexual violence
Today Norway became the 43rd state of the Council of Europe to have ratified the Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Lanzarote Convention). The Convention will enter into force in Norway on 1 October 2018. Council of Europe Secretary General...
EDQM/European Pharmacopeia: new building will ensure continuity in pharmaceutical reference standards supply
The first stone of a new secondary site for the Council of Europe’s European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and HealthCare (EDQM) has been laid. The new site will be used to store the EDQM’s portfolio of over 3 000 pharmaceutical reference standards, as an addition to those already in...
