Newsroom
Cyprus Chairmanship Conference in Nicosia: 'Securing Democracy through Education'
Education to fight violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism. Education to build Inclusive Societies, valuing diversity and dialogue. Education to create a provision for refugees, from short term solutions to long term integration. These major challenges that Education systems are...
21 March 2017: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Statement by Ioannis Kasoulides, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cyprus
Combatting human trafficking: Armenia has made good progress, but more effort needed to prevent the crime and help victims
Armenia has advanced in the legislation and practices for preventing and combatting trafficking in human beings, said the Council of Europe Group of experts on action against trafficking in human beings (GRETA), in its new report published today. However, more needs to be done to prevent...
Preventing corruption in top governmental functions
The Council of Europe anti-corruption body (GRECO) is organising a High Level conference in Strasbourg on 20 March to discuss the prevention of corruption in top governmental functions and law enforcement agencies. Speakers include Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Attorney...
Portugal should improve the identification and protection of child victims of trafficking in human beings, according to GRETA
In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) urges the Portuguese authorities to improve the identification and protection of child victims of trafficking. GRETA’s second report on Portugal’s implementation of the...
Malta urged to improve assistance of victims of human trafficking
In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has urged Malta to step up efforts to provide assistance, including safe accommodation, to victims of human trafficking. The report assesses developments since the...
Canada joins Eurimages, the Council of Europe’s film co-production fund
Canada has become the first non-European country to accede to the Council of Europe’s cultural fund, Eurimages, as an associate member. The country joins 37 European states already participating in the Fund, which distributes 25 million euros annually to film co-production, distribution and...
Ten years in partnership for human rights, democracy and the rule of law
The European Union and the Council of Europe share a mutual commitment to human rights, the rule of law and democracy. 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of their Memorandum of Understanding. With Europe facing many challenges – populism, extremism, terrorism, xenophobia, the refugee crisis – the...
Anti-torture committee: fact sheet on immigration detention standards
The Council of Europe´s anti-torture committee (CPT) has published today a fact sheet compiling its standards on immigration detention, one of the issues where it has regularly found shortcomings during its visits to member states. Foreign nationals may be deprived of their liberty following a...
GRECO calls on Switzerland to develop ethical rules applicable to federal members of parliament, judges and prosecutors
In a report published today, the Council of Europe anti-corruption body (GRECO) highlights the specificities of Switzerland’s institutions which enjoy considerable public confidence. It underlines, however, that the very organisation of the system allows subtle pressure to be exerted on...
Committee of Ministers reviews the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
On 7-10 March, representatives of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe held their first “Human Rights” meeting of 2017, during which they examined the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in keeping with the supervisory role of the Committee of Ministers,...
Europe’s prison population falls, but there is no progress in tackling overcrowding, says annual Council of Europe survey
The number of people held in European prisons decreased by 6.8% from 2014 to 2015, although prison overcrowding remained a problem in 15 countries, according to the latest Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE), published today (SPACE I: report and summary ; SPACE II: report). In 2015,...
Call for applications for the Council of Europe Prize “Crystal Scales of Justice” for innovative practices contributing to the efficiency and quality of justice
The Council of Europe is organising the 9th edition of the Crystal Scales of Justice Prize. The aim of the prize is to identify and promote innovative practices regarding the conduct of proceedings, court organisation and the functioning of court systems in general. To be eligible for...
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland calls for dialogue over Turkish foreign campaigning
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland today reacted to growing tensions between Turkey and several other Council of Europe member states: "The situation is now damaging to diplomacy and democracy. We cannot allow it to escalate any further. All Turkish citizens,...
Venice Commission: Critical analysis of amendments to Spain’s Constitutional Court
Full opinion to be made available on Monday 13 March
Venice Commission: Proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey would be a “dangerous step backwards” for democracy
The Council of Europe’s constitutional law experts, the Venice Commission, warn against a one-person regime in Turkey in a definitive, as-adopted, opinion on proposed constitutional amendments to be put to a referendum next month. The Venice Commission warns that by removing necessary checks and...
Concerns raised over intolerance, discrimination and minority languages in the UK
There have been positive steps across the United Kingdom to boost the rights of national minorities, say European experts, but intolerance and hate speech are growing. Furthermore, national minorities still face discrimination in many areas of life and additional efforts are needed to protect...
Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee calls for monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has today called for the monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened in order to strengthen its co-operation with the Turkish authorities and all forces in the country and thus ensure respect for...
European Prize for Eloquence 2017 won by British law student
Alice Shaw, a British law student at Strasbourg University, was declared the winner of the 2017 edition of the European Prize for Eloquence. The competition took place on 7 March at the Council of Europe. The six best speakers qualified from semi-finals, which brought together 16 candidates from...
Human Rights Commissioner concerned about Hungary’s new law allowing automatic detention of asylum seekers
Statement by Nils Muižnieks
Portugal: progress in participation of Roma in local decision-making should be sustained
Concrete measures to address the discrimination Roma face in Portugal and ways to foster the participation of Roma in society were at the centre of a two day visit the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks made to Lisbon and Torres Vedras on 6-7 March. “It is heartening...
Fighting violence against women is not about “gender ideology” or breaking families
In a statement published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) expresses concern about misconceptions surrounding the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic...
Italy should improve its asylum reception-capacity, prevent human trafficking and strengthen its child-protection system
“Italy should improve its asylum reception-capacity and integration policies, prevent human trafficking and combat corruption in the migration-related services sector” are the main recommendations in a report published today by the Secretary General’s Special Representative on migration and...
New report on protecting refugee children from sexual abuse
A new report focusing on the protection of children affected by the refugee crisis from sexual exploitation and abuse was presented today. Non-comprehensive data collection, inadequate reception conditions, problems with age verification and with identification of victims are among the key...
Press statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland on the occasion of the visit of Mr Bekir Bozdağ, Minister of Justice of Turkey
"It is imperative for Turkey and Europe that the judicial safeguards for all those who have been dismissed or are in prison are based on the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission that will be set up in Turkey to go...
National minorities: new reports on Armenia and Republic of Moldova published
The Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) published today its new Opinions on Armenia and Republic of Moldova, assessing the progress over the past years and giving recommendations for the government. In Armenia, the...
New reports by anti-racism commission on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Luxembourg
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published today four country reports on Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland and Luxembourg, analysing recent developments and making recommendations to the authorities. The respective governments’ comments were also published....
Secretary General Jagland in Geneva for Human Rights Council and high-level meetings
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is addressing the Human Rights Council of the United Nations on 28 February during a two-day working visit to Geneva (27-28 February). Meetings are scheduled with: António Guterres, United Nations Secretary General Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, UN...
Strengthened social rights needed to face frustration in Europe: Cyprus conference
Why are millions of Europeans willing to support nationalist, xenophobic and anti-democratic forces, sending shockwaves through our political systems,” asked Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, in her opening speech to a conference on social rights in Europe....
Secretary General welcomes the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to release Ildar Dadin
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, today made the following statement in reaction to the Russian Supreme Court judgment concerning Ildar Dadin: “I welcome the decision from the Russian Supreme Court to overturn the guilty verdict against opposition...
Protect journalists – Rory Peck Trust and the International News Safety Institute join Council of Europe platform
The Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists, through which media freedom organisations and associations of journalists inform the Council of Europe and disseminate information on alleged violations of media freedom has two new partners – The Rory Peck Trust and...
Access to registered same-sex partnerships: it’s a question of equality
Commissioner Muižnieks publishes his latest Human Rights Comment
Pontifical Academy of Sciences Summit highlights role of CoE Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs
The Council of Europe’s EDQM has participated last week in the Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences of the Vatican State to raise awareness on organ trafficking and human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal. On the occasion,...
European Human Rights Moot Court Competition
Team from National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” wins 2017 edition of the European Human Rights Moot Court Competition
Live debate on populism with Jan-Werner Müller
Professor of Politics at Princeton University and leading expert on populism, Jan-Werner Müller, is taking part in a lecture-debate at the Council of Europe on Friday 17 February: « How Populism endangers Democracy – and how to fight it ». Follow it live on our Facebook page and on this website...
Urgent measures are needed to restore freedom of expression in Turkey
“The space for democratic debate in Turkey has shrunk alarmingly following increased judicial harassment of large strata of society, including journalists, members of parliament, academics and ordinary citizens, and government action which has reduced pluralism and led to self-censorhip. This...
Meeting of the Congress Monitoring Committee in Athens
The members of the Monitoring Committee of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will meet in Athens on 16 February 2017. Georges Patoulis, President of the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), and Michalis Angelopoulos, Vice-President of the...
Austria should improve integrity rules in parliament and independence of the judiciary: anti-corruption report
In spite of commendable progress that Austria has made in recent years in domestic anti-corruption policies, those for parliamentarians are still at an early stage. Rules are needed to manage conflicts of interest when they arise and a code of conduct should be put in place to improve poor public...
Kosovo*: High time to restore social cohesion and safeguard media freedom
“Many victims of the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo*, in particular displaced persons, families of missing persons and victims of wartime sexual violence, are still trying to re-build their lives, find out the truth about their loved ones and access justice. The on-going political deliberations have...
New search engine to follow the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
The Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments launched a new search engine which aims to improve the visibility and transparency of the process of execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights: HUDOC-EXEC This new search engine (based on the existing HUDOC-ECHR...
Challenges to gender equality and women’s rights continue to thrive in Europe
The Council of Europe has just published the 2016 annual report on the implementation of its 2014-2017 Gender Equality Strategy by its member states which looks at how existing challenges to women’s rights are being addressed. Among the challenges identified in the report is the critical...
Decentralisation in Ukraine: political settlement needed for building lasting peace, says Secretary General
Ukraine urgently needs an inclusive and sustainable political settlement on which lasting peace can be built, and decentralisation remains a major part of it, said Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland today in Strasbourg. Speaking at the event “Decentralisation in Ukraine:...
Deputy Secretary General in Lucca for protection of cultural property through criminal law
Council of Europe Deputy Secretary General Gabriella Battaini Dragoni will participate in an international seminar on “A New Perspective on the Protection of Cultural Property through Criminal Law”, which will take place on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th of February in Lucca, Italy (Complesso di San...
Ukraine: Statement of the Secretary General on the worsening humanitarian situation in Donbas
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement today: “I am deeply concerned by news from Donbas and reports of heavy fighting, resulting in the loss of lives and a worsening humanitarian situation affecting many civilians including children. We are particularly concerned about...
High time for states to invest in alternatives to migrant detention
“The use of migrant detention across Europe, whether for the purpose of stopping asylum seekers and other migrants entering a country or for removing them, has long been a serious human rights concern.” says Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Human...
Anti-trafficking experts urge Italy to better protect unaccompanied children
The Council of Europe Group of experts against human trafficking (GRETA) has published today a report on the implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings by Italy. The report assesses the specific situation of forced returns of victims of trafficking from Italy...
New Convention on Cinematographic Co-production at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam
In common with many other creative industries, the film industry now operates as part of a worldwide content market. Digital technology has made this possible by reshaping not only how films are made, but how they reach their audience. To respond to these challenges, the Council of Europe opens...
Secretary General on a visit to Georgia
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland is in Georgia on an official visit on 30 January 2017, to meet high-level officials and discuss the co-operation of the country with the Council of Europe. The Secretary General’s agenda includes meetings with the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili;...
Isle of Man: strong legal basis for tackling money laundering, but improvements needed in practice
European experts have praised the Isle of Man’s legal system for tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism, whilst also expressing a number of concerns about how it works in practice. Today’s report from the Council of Europe’s expert committee on money laundering and the financing...
Data Protection Day: guidelines to protect the people behind Big Data
Ahead of Data Protection Day on 28 January, the Committee of the Council of Europe´s Data Protection Convention, also known as “Convention 108”, adopted this week Guidelines on Big Data aiming to assist policy makers and organisations processing personal data to place people at the centre the...
