Newsroom
To prevent sexual abuse, children’s circle of trust must be made safer
Ahead of the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse marked on 18 November, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called on the states to step up their efforts to ensure that children’s “circle of trust” (those around them...
Committee of Ministers reaffirms key role of Medicrime Convention
The Committee of Ministers has reaffirmed the key role of the MEDICRIME Convention which was opened for signature in Moscow on 28 October 2011. In a declaration to mark the Convention’s 10th anniversary, the Committee underlined how important the Convention is for guaranteeing and promoting the...
Secretary General concerned by plans to liquidate International Memorial in the Russian Federation
The news that the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office seeks to liquidate International Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest and most reputable human rights organisations, on the basis of the so-called “Foreign Agents” law is very regrettable. As the Council of Europe repeatedly indicated, this law...
Green Blue Deal for the Middle East wins Council of Europe’s Democracy Innovation Award
At the closing session of the 9th World Forum for Democracy, the Council of Europe announced that the winner of its 2021 Democracy Innovation Award was the Green Blue Deal for the Middle East, an initiative by EcoPeace Middle East which brings together Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian...
Secretary General meets Sarah El Haïry, France’s Minister of State for Youth
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić met with Sarah El Haïry, France’s Minister of State for Youth and Engagement, attached to the Minister for National Education, Youth and Sport on the sidelines of the World Forum for Democracy, during the last day of the three day event....
GRETA calls on Malta to strengthen and guarantee protection for trafficking victims
The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking (GRETA) has urged Malta to make efforts to guarantee effective access to compensation for victims of trafficking and to take measures to ensure that human trafficking cases are investigated proactively and lead to effective, proportionate,...
Council of Europe marks 20 years of action against cybercrime
Twenty years after it was adopted, the Budapest Convention remains the most relevant international treaty that protects individuals and their rights against crime online. The Council of Europe’s annual conference on cybercrime, which every year brings together cybercrime experts from all over the...
Italy: Secretary General on official visit ahead of Committee of Ministers' Presidency
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić is paying an official visit to Italy ahead of the upcoming Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers (17 November 2021 – 20 May 2022). The programme includes meetings with President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, Minister for Foreign Affairs...
CPT urges Spain to prevent and effectively investigate cases of prison ill-treatment
A new report by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) urges the Spanish authorities to take determined action to prevent ill-treatment in prison and ensure that cases of alleged ill-treatment are investigated effectively. It also proposes measures to improve the...
Implementing ECHR judgments: New factsheet on migration and asylum
The Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights has published a new thematic factsheet on cases related to migration and asylum. The factsheet summarises measures reported by 23 member states to protect and further strengthen migration- and...
Special Representative on Migration and Refugees hosts FRONTEX team
The Special Representative on Migration and Refugees, Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, is hosting the first visit of Frontex Fundamental Rights Officer (FRO), Jonas Grimheden, to the Council of Europe. Mr Grimheden is accompanied by a team of Fundamental Rights Monitors. The visit, from 8-10...
World Forum for Democracy 2021: “Can democracy save the environment?”
The World Forum for Democracy will bring together intellectuals, politicians, activists, experts and young people from all over the world from 8 to 10 November to answer the question “Can democracy save the environment” after a year-long, worldwide, online debate about democracy and the...
Bulgaria: CPT issues public statement regretting persistent lack of progress addressing serious problems in social care homes and psychiatric hospitals
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has issued a public statement strongly criticising the persistent failure of the Bulgarian authorities to address grave problems in social care institutions and psychiatric...
Secretary General on official visit to Ukraine
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić visited Kyiv on 4 November for meetings on key issues facing the Organisation. The Secretary General met with Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Olha Stefanyshyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic...
Data protection: Committee of Ministers updates recommendation on profiling
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a Recommendation aiming to respond to the radical changes in profiling techniques in the last decade and to the consequent need for additional safeguards to protect personal data and private life of individuals. The text, which...
Octopus 2021: global cooperation against cybercrime
This year’s Octopus Conference will take place on 16-18 November providing an opportunity for cybercrime experts from public and private sectors as well as international and non-governmental organisations from all over the world to share experience. A special event with high level interventions...
European Drug Prevention Prize: winning projects from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania
Three projects from Belgium, Poland and Lithuania were awarded the Pompidou Group’s 2021 European Drug Prevention Prize, on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Group at the Pompidou Centre in Paris. The 2021 Prize winners – S.A.M.E.N. (Together) project in Belgium,...
Municipalities from Portugal, Greece and the United Kingdom win the Congress Dosta! Prize
Municipalities of Torres Vedras in Portugal, Argostoli in Greece and Salford in the United Kingdom have been awarded the Dosta! Prize by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe during its 41st Session, for their initiatives promoting the integration of Roma and...
Migration: Developing long term solutions with local and regional authorities
The Congress examined the challenges posed by migration for cities and regions in a debate held on 26 October with the participation of Ambassador Drahoslav Štefánek, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees, and Erini Dourou (Greece,...
Pompidou Group marks 50th anniversary in Paris against backdrop of increasing drug use in Europe
The Council of Europe’s International Co-operation Group on Drugs and Addictions (Pompidou Group) will mark its 50th anniversary in Paris (Pompidou Centre) on 28 October at an event that will look back over its history and successes, while also highlighting the importance of placing human rights...
