Newsroom
Council of Europe Secretary General welcomes Hungarian contribution of €450,000
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, has welcomed an exceptional voluntary contribution of €450,000 towards Council of Europe action plans and projects, which support priorities of the Hungarian Presidency. Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Péter...
Péter Szijjártó reviews the priorities of the Hungarian Presidency
“Guarantees should be given to national minorities to enable them to preserve their identity, culture, religion and language in public administration, education and in the media,” said Péter Szijjártó, Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the...
Local self-government in Armenia: positive developments but still room for progress
Despite positive developments in local self-government in Armenia, the powers of the municipalities have not been extended, their role in delivering public services remains limited, and local authorities are not provided with sufficient funding, says the monitoring report adopted today by the...
Georgia Election Code Reforms: Venice Commission and OSCE/ODIHR call for “more holistic approach”
In a joint urgent opinion the Venice Commission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (“ODIHR”) acknowledge that revised draft amendments to the Election Code of Georgia have been prepared in close cooperation between the ruling party and several opposition parties....
Local self-government in Azerbaijan: few improvements observed, limited powers and weak financial position of municipalities must be urgently addressed
Despite some improvements in the work of municipalities, major concerns remain about a number of factors impairing the development of self-government in Azerbaijan, such as a lack of real powers of municipalities, of a status of state institutions and of own financial resources, says the...
Memorandum of understanding between the Council of Europe and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe
The Council of Europe and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) have signed a memorandum of understanding in Strasbourg with a view to stepping up cooperation between the two bodies and making the Organisation's activities more visible to Europe's lawyers. Lawyers play a key role...
World Refugee Day: Council of Europe and EU Agency for Fundamental Rights to work closely together on protecting rights at borders
On World Refugee Day on 20 June, the Council of Europe and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) are joining forces to strengthen their cooperation on human rights protection at the European borders. As a follow-up to the previous joint Note ‘Fundamental rights of refugees, asylum applicants...
The Congress calls on Poland to withdraw anti-“LGBT ideology” resolutions and to protect the rights of LGBTI people
At its 40th Session, 16 June 2021, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe examined the situation of LGBTI people in Europe based on a report prepared by Andrew Boff (United Kingdom, ECR) and Yoomi Renström (Sweden, SOC/G/PD). The Congress adopted a resolution and...
CEB appoints Carlo Monticelli as new Governor
At its 229th meeting held today by videoconferencing, the Governing Board of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) appointed Mr Carlo Monticelli to the post of Governor, effective from 18 December 2021 for a five-year mandate. Mr Monticelli, an Italian national, has been serving as CEB...
Pompidou Group 50th Anniversary: Committee of Ministers adopts revised statute
With the adoption of the revised statute by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe’s drug policy cooperation platform (the “Pompidou Group”) has a renewed foundation to shape its future as the key international reference point for human rights in drug policies....
