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Council of Europe urges states to step up their action to prevent corruption
The Group of States against Corruption publishes its annual report
London terrorist attack
Statement by Lubomír Zaorálek, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Statement by the Secretary General on the London attack
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made the following statement today following the attack in London last night that left several people dead and dozens wounded: "This was another cruel attack on our common values and freedoms. We stand united with our member state UK in the...
Venice Commission on Hungarian law on foreign-funded NGOs: legitimate aims, but excessive obligations, disproportionate sanctions
The Venice Commission has published today its preliminary opinion on the Draft Law on the Transparency of Organisations Receiving Support from Abroad of Hungary. The Venice Commission acknowledges that the draft law pursues the legitimate aim of ensuring transparency of civil society...
Launch event for the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture: 8 June in Berlin
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) will be officially launched in Berlin on Thursday, 8 June. The launch event is organised by the German Federal Foreign Office, the Alliance for the European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture, the Council of Europe and the Open Society...
European Dialogue on Internet Governance
Why have “fake news”, hate speech and propaganda become widespread on the Internet? What can users do to face disinformation? How can freedom of expression and privacy be further protected in the online environment? What should be done to secure criminal evidence online to fight cybercrime more...
Quality youth work key to preventing a “lost generation” in Europe
Young people are a key resource for building a social and just Europe, and providing them with structured support is an important investment Europe has to make for its present and future. This is the underlying idea of the new Recommendation to the Council of Europe member states on youth work,...
Germany: Uneven progress in treatment of detained persons and detention conditions, says anti-torture committee
In the report on its most recent visit to Germany, published today, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) praises progress made to improve the treatment of detained persons and detention conditions, but also found...
Lisbon Forum 2017: managing migration in the face of populism
The North-South Centre's Lisbon Forum 2017 is tackling on 1 and 2 June the challenges to manage migration flows while preventing the growth of anti-immigrant populist movements, promote inclusive societies that respect cultural diversity and reinforce the dialogue between the North and the South....
North-South Prize 2016
Giuseppina Nicolini and Mbarka Brahmi are the two laureates of the XXII North-South Prize of the Council of Europe in recognition of their work towards the promotion of human rights, pluralistic democracy and north-south solidarity. Giuseppina Nicolini will be awarded for her commitment in the...
MONEYVAL: annual report for 2016
MONEYVAL, the Council of Europe’s body in charge of fighting money laundering and financing of terrorism, today made public its annual report for 2016. Continuing mutual evaluations of states in 2016, the ongoing 5th round of evaluations focused on whether states actually and efficiently made use...
Switzerland: Commissioner Muižnieks welcomes progress on asylum, but the most vulnerable need better protection
“I call on the Swiss authorities to stop detaining migrant children arriving at Swiss international airports. Children, with or without their families, do not belong in detention” said today Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, after a three-day visit (22-24 May)...
Discrimination against national minorities in Norway must be addressed
Norway should take effective measures to rebuild trust and raise awareness in particular of the Tater/Romani and the Roma national minorities in the country; step up efforts to preserve their cultural identities and facilitate their access to education. Alternative measures to the placement of...
Secretary General Jagland on official visit to the Republic of Moldova
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland made an official visit to the Republic of Moldova on 30 and 31 May. During his visit to Chisinau, the Secretary General launched the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2017-2020, together with Andrei Galbur, Deputy Prime...
The Palme d'Or goes to a EURIMAGES supported film
The Jury of the 70th Cannes Film Festival chaired by Pedro Almodovar has awarded the Palme d’Or to the Eurimages-supported film The Square by Ruben Östlund, a co-production between Sweden, Germany and France. In addition to the 9th Palme d’Or after Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan in 2014, the...
Terrorist attack in Manchester
Statement by Lubomír Zaorálek, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Secretary General expresses condolences to UK for victims of Manchester attack
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has written a letter of condolence to UK Prime Minister Theresa May following the terrorist attack at a pop concert in Manchester which has left at least 22 people dead and 59 injured. He said he was shocked to hear the news and his thoughts were with the...
Deputy Secretary General praises legacy of crusading anti-Mafia prosecutor Falcone
“Giovanni Falcone set a model for international judicial co-operation and law enforcement against organised crime, expanding his investigations beyond the scope of traditional prosecutorial work for a criminal phenomenon that was no longer national. Falcone applied a determined focus on...
Committee of Ministers: chairmanship handover from Cyprus to Czech Republic
At the end of their meeting in Nicosia (Cyprus) the six month chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers passed from Cyprus to the Czech Republic. Foreign Affairs Minister Ioannis Kasoulides took stock of Cyprus’s chairmanship and made the handover to Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek, who...
47 European States agreed on an Action Plan on how to protect children in migration
On 19 May 2017 in Nicosia, Cyprus, during the 127th Session of the Committee of Ministers, 47 European states adopted an Action Plan on protecting refugee and migrant children (2017-2019). “Today, the Council of Europe has agreed on concrete action on protecting refugee and migrant children...
