Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland was in Madrid on 23 October, to attend the ceremony of the VIII Award to the most outstanding work in the eradication of domestic and gender violence. The award is granted every year by the Observatory against domestic violence, which is presided by the Spanish General Council of the Judiciary.

  The Council of Europe is one of the awardees this year for its work in fighting violence against women, notably for the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention. 

During his stay in Madrid, the Secretary General held meetings with Jesús Posada, President of Parliament; José Manuel Garcia-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation; and the members of the Spanish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

On 24 October the Secretary General will visit Santiago de Compostela to participate in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Way of Saint James as the first Council of Europe cultural route. He will also visit the exhibition "Pilgrimage Memories", speak at the conference "The Way of St.James- The Way of Europe", and meet former Council of Europe Secretary General Marcelino Oreja. 

Press release