Parties are required to enact domestic legislation which will allow them to comply with the substantive provisions of the Santiago de Compostela Convention. As such, the below country profiles have been prepared in view of imparting information and assessing the current state of implementation of the Santiago de Compostela Convention. It is nevertheless noted that they may not always reflect the official position of the countries in question or of the Council of Europe.
The national contact points provide a link between the Council of Europe and the domestic actors dealing with trafficking in human organs. The latter may include government officials, parliamentary representatives, local and regional authorities, law enforcement, civil society and the private sector.
Other international legal-frameworks and non-binding s standards have contributed to the fight against organ trafficking. At the same time, it is noted that the object of these instruments is generally the traffic in human beings. Despite the similarities and common root causes of trafficking in human organs and human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal, it still remains the case that efforts should be specifically targeted at combating both phenomena.
The Council of Europe is working in close cooperation with different national and international entities and organisations, as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs). You may find a non-exhaustive list of them here.
