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Eighth Regional Rule of Law Forum for South East Europe
The President of the European Court of Human Rights, Robert Spano, a number of current and former ECHR judges and Thomas Markert, the former Secretary of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission of constitutional experts, will take part in the Eighth Regional Rule of Law Forum for South East...
Ukraine joins Council of Europe’s drug policy cooperation platform the Pompidou Group
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has delivered a letter to Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić informing her of his country's decision to join the Pompidou Group as of January 2022. The participation of Ukrainian experts in the work of the Group will help with the...
Council of Europe member states should not undermine human rights protections in response to Afghans seeking safety
“Member states should unequivocally commit to handling the arrival of persons fleeing the horrendous situation in Afghanistan in accordance with their human rights obligations”, said the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović. “Various governments and local authorities...
Tunisia: statement by Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio
“Since the declaration of the state of emergency on 25 July 2021, the President of Tunisia has concentrated in his hands the legislative, executive and, partially, judicial powers. Tunisia does not have a constitutional court. Tunisia is facing a very deep crisis, caused on the one hand by the...
Crimea: Secretary General underlines Council of Europe’s support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has repeated the organisation’s condemnation of the illegal annexation of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Speaking at the Crimea Platform summit in Kiev, she said “We remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and...
PACE President: international community should demand respect for human rights and an immediate end to violence in Afghanistan
“The entire world is watching the events unfolding in Afghanistan with grave concern and sadness. The international community should remain united and firm in demanding an immediate end to violence and the respect of human rights for all, both in the current situation and once a system of...
Deputy Secretary General: many LGBTI people in Europe can “state their pride”, but more remains to be done
“Much progress has been achieved in Europe and many LGBTI people can march in many streets throughout our continent, stating their rightful pride in who they are, but much more remains to be done,” said Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge in an address to participants of the...
Pride vs. indignity: political manipulation of homophobia and transphobia in Europe
World Pride is being celebrated on our continent this week, but a surge in intolerance towards LGBTI people in Europe is nothing to be proud about. In more and more European countries, politicians and public officials are shamelessly targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex...
Young people must have their say in protecting the environment, says Secretary General
On the occasion of International Youth Day, marked on 12 August, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić calls for more meaningful participation of young people in decision-making processes to tackle the climate crisis and to revitalise democracy. “The consequences...
Building bridges between past and present, to enable a better future
In a statement to mark European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day, on 2 August 2021, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Buric has highlighted the importance of remembering Roma Holocaust victims. She stressed that learning from the past would allow for a better future for Europe’s...
World Day against Trafficking in Persons: joint statement from GRETA and ICAT
On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) joins the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons (ICAT) in calling on stakeholders to include victims’ and...
North Macedonia: Cramped prison conditions, detainee ill treatment and opaque prison management among longstanding concerns for anti-torture committee
Despite minor improvements including the renovation of one wing of the remand section of Skopje Prison and the closure of three problematic wings of Idrizovo Prison, most longstanding concerns with respect to living conditions in prisons persist, concludes the latest report on North Macedonia...
Developments in Varosha district of Famagusta, Cyprus
We are deeply concerned by the announcements of the President of Turkey and the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community on 20 July regarding the further re-opening of the fenced-off area of Varosha. Such unilateral action is regrettable as it would be in contradiction with the relevant United...
Un site web sur l’égalité de genre et la lutte contre les violences à l’égard des femmes lancé en Tunisie
Le site web sur l’égalité de genre et la lutte contre la violence à l’égard des femmes a été lancé aujourd’hui dans le cadre d’un événement en ligne tenu le 16 juillet 2021 en présence de la Ministre de la femme, de la famille et des séniors et de la Cheffe du bureau du Conseil de l’Europe en...
A 10th Palme d’Or for Eurimages
With an exceptional selection of 18 films supported by Eurimages, including 8 in the official competition, the 74th edition of the Cannes Film Festival wrapped up on Saturday evening with Julia Ducournau’s TITANE, a co-production between France and Belgium and supported by the Fund, receiving the...
Launch of the 2nd edition of the "Junior Crystal Scales of Justice" Prize
This Prize, organised jointly by the CEPEJ and the Faculty of Law of Strasbourg, complements the existing Crystal Scales of Justice Prize. It is open to Master's students from law schools in one of the member States of the Council of Europe or an observer country to the CEPEJ and is organised...
Searches and detentions of civil society representatives in Belarus
Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
Public symposium to assess behavioural addictions linked to technology including smartphone addiction
From internet and smart phone use addiction to artificial intelligence simulating the effects of psychoactive substances, an online international symposium – Addictions of the 21st Century: Challenges and Effective Responses – will evaluate the “crossover” between psychoactive substances and...
Moldova celebrates 26 years of Council of Europe membership
13 July 2021 marks 26 years since the Republic of Moldova became a full-fledged member of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1995. It was the first former CIS state to join the organisation. “During the past 26 years, the Council of Europe and the Republic of Moldova have been working together...
Statement of Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on the commemoration of the Srebrenica genocide
« The genocide of Srebrenica was the most horrible atrocity in Europe since the Second World War, one we all thought impossible. Nationalism, hatred and ethnic cleansing led to death, destruction and human rights violations on a massive scale on our continent. The immeasurable suffering of the...
