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GREVIO report on Belgium: violence against women should be more visible in national anti-violence policies
In its first report on implementation by Belgium of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (known as the “Istanbul Convention”), the Group of Experts (GREVIO) highlights how gender-based violence against women is relatively...
Secretary General: member states must work together to learn COVID-19 health crisis lessons
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has called for increased multilateral cooperation among the organisation’s member states to draw lessons from the pandemic crisis and enhance preparedness for addressing health concerns on the basis of common principles and best...
Secretary General: Anti-money laundering controls should not be relaxed
Addressing MONEYVAL on the occasion of its 60th plenary meeting, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has stressed the importance of not relaxing anti-money laundering controls, which is taking place in some countries, and of strengthening effective compliance with...
International Day of Democracy: statement by the President of the Congress
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Anders Knape, made the following statement on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy: "If democracy is the foundation on which our common values are based, it is at the level closest to citizens,...
Anti-torture committee urges Moldova to end persistent inter-prisoner violence and intimidation
Moldova should take resolute action to put an end to inter-prisoner violence and intimidation linked mainly to informal hierarchies in the country’s prisons, says the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) in a new report. (see executive summary) In the report, based on...
Rencontre avec Clément Beaune, secrétaire d’Etat français chargé des affaires européennes
La Secrétaire Générale a rencontré lundi 14 septembre le secrétaire d'État français chargé des affaires européennes, Clément Beaune. Au cours de cette première rencontre, ils se sont entretenus notamment du rôle du Conseil de l’Europe pour aider ses Etats membres à lutter efficacement contre la...
Commissioner calls on Greek authorities to provide adequate support to all those affected by fire at Moria
“The fire that destroyed most of the Registration and Identification Centre of Moria and the informal settlements surrounding it, on the Greek island of Lesvos on Tuesday night has dramatically worsened the living conditions of more than 12 000 asylum seekers and migrants, including more than...
Council of Europe Bank and Italy sign € 300 million loan agreement to support COVID-19 response
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance have signed a € 300 million loan agreement to finance the emergency and health expenditure associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy was the first EU country to declare the state of emergency on 31 January...
Secretary General gravely concerned by human rights violations in Belarus
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has made the following statement concerning Belarus: “The Council of Europe is gravely concerned about the latest threats to human rights in Belarus. The reported harassment and persecution of members of the...
United Kingdom: experts report “considerable progress” on regional and minority languages
The Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional or Minority languages (ECRML) has reported considerable progress in the United Kingdom’s implementation of the charter. In its latest report on the UK, the committee noted that institutions and many public services in Wales and...
Armenia completes ratification of Lanzarote Convention
Armenia has become the 47th state to have completed the ratification of the Council of Europe’s Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”). The Permanent Representative of Armenia to the Council of Europe, Ambassador Paruyr...
Digital surveillance by intelligence services: states must take action to better protect individuals
In a joint statement the chair of the Council of Europe’s data protection “Convention 108” committee, Alessandra Pierucci, and the Council of Europe’s Data Protection Commissioner, Jean-Philippe Walter, have urged states to strengthen the protection of personal data in the context of digital...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Committee of Ministers
The latest case-by-case decisions on the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The second part of the Committee’s latest regular human rights meeting took place in Strasbourg from...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Council of Europe closes infringement procedure against Azerbaijan
The Committee of Ministers has closed infringement proceedings launched against Azerbaijan for failing to implement a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning opposition politician Ilgar Mammadov. The decision follows a ruling from the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan in...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Council of Europe urges Turkey to release Osman Kavala
The Committee of Ministers has urged Turkey to ensure the immediate release of jailed businessman and human rights defender Mehmet Osman Kavala pending the Turkish Constitutional Court’s forthcoming decision on his case. The decision was taken during the Committee’s latest regular meeting to...
9th World Forum for Democracy is postponed
Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic and the various restrictions being imposed by national authorities, in particular on travel and on large gatherings, the 9th edition of the World Forum for Democracy « Can Democracy Save the Environment?” has been postponed until 8-10 November 2021. Climate...
COVID-19: Trends in money laundering and terrorism financing
The Council of Europe’s MONEYVAL Committee has issued a report aimed at helping the global community to counter new criminal activities which are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic, including the sale of counterfeit medicines and cybercrime. The Committee, which specialises in measures to tackle...
A virtual celebration of Europe’s heritage
Thousands of cultural sites are preparing to open their virtual doors for the first time ever as the Council of Europe and the European Union once more join forces to celebrate the annual Heritage Days. Held since 1985, the Days give visitors a chance to see inside places of historical and...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers will carry out the second part of its latest meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 1 to 3 September. The first part of the meeting took place by written procedure in...
European states must no longer procrastinate on the duty to establish the truth concerning missing persons
“The lack of truth and justice for thousands of missing persons remains a serious human rights issue in Europe. So many families of missing persons in Council of Europe member states, including in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries in the Balkans, Cyprus, Georgia,...
