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El presidente del Congreso rechaza la aprobación de una ley anti-LGTBI en Georgia
Marc Cools, presidente del Congreso de Poderes Locales y Regionales, ha hecho la siguiente declaración: Me preocupa seriamente la adopción de la legislación «sobre protección de valores familiares y de menores» del Parlamento de Georgia a pesar de los continuos llamamientos por parte de los...
Nuevas directrices para proteger los datos personales de los votantes
El Consejo de Europa ha publicado directrices destinadas a la protección de los datos personales de las personas a la hora de su registro como votantes y cuando se necesita autentificar su identidad para participar en las elecciones. Las directrices, preparadas por el Comité Consultivo del...
Sentencia de la Gran Sala del TEDH contra España
La Gran Sala del Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos ha determinado que existe una violación del Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos en el asunto Pindo Mulla vs. España, relativo a las transfusiones de sangre administradas a una Testigo de Jehová en contra de su voluntad. Más precisamente, el...
Study visit to Austria sets groundwork for a free, post-war Ukraine
As part of a project to prepare for a free and independent Ukraine, ten representatives from six pilot territorial communities in Ukraine (local authorities and civil society organisations or CSOs) will participate in a study visit to Austria from 17 to 21 September 2024. The five-day visit,...
PACE committee urges steps to prevent violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer women
PACE’s Equality Committee has called for a series of measures to combat violence and discrimination against lesbian, bisexual and queer (LBQ) women in Europe, pointing out that these women are now “especially targeted by anti-gender movements” which attempt to silence them or deny them their...
Committee calls on the Council of Europe Development Bank to boost support for reconstruction in Ukraine and focus on social dimensions of climate change
The Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, meeting in Lisbon on 13 September, congratulated the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) for “its flexible and tailored support to its member states” in the context of the pandemic and natural disasters, and for the rapid...
Palabras de despedida de la secretaria general ante los delegados de los ministros de Asuntos Exteriores
«Hace cinco años realicé una intervención aquí mismo en la que afirmé que “el Consejo de Europa debe mantenerse como un referente de la defensa y protección de la democracia, los derechos humanos y el Estado de derecho en nuestro continente. De hecho, es menester velar por esta misión. Este es el...
PACE committee proposes a ‘right to food’ in national constitutions
A PACE committee is urging steps to ensure accessible, sustainable and adequate food for all – including enshrining a “right to food” in national constitutions and giving priority to a coherent legal framework to make food distribution, processing and marketing systems fairer and more stable....
CEPEJ Experts’ Visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the implementation of a pilot project on satisfaction surveys for court users
The CEPEJ will organise an expert visit to the pilot courts of Brčko and Trebinje on September 17 and 18, 2024, to support the launch of user satisfaction surveys in these courts. A Steering...
La secretaria general recibe la Legión de Honor en Estrasburgo
“La Legión de Honor es un reconocimiento al esfuerzo realizado, pero también es una llamada a seguir luchando sin descanso por la paz, la justicia y la solidaridad entre los pueblos. Hoy estos valores son más necesarios que nunca. Recibiendo hoy este galardón, reafirmo mi compromiso para...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 17 to 19 September. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium,...
European Audiovisual Observatory: new report on the share of women in today’s European film industry
The proportion of women working in the various different roles in European film production only grew from 19% in 2015 to 24% in 2023. Between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of women in the cinema industry represented around 30% for producers, editors, screenwriters and directors, and only 12% for...
«No me había percatado de que la brutalidad humana pudiera tener tales expresiones»
En poco más de cuatro años, 52.000 seres humanos —entre judíos, romaníes y sinti, personas LGBTI, opositores políticos y otros— fueron encarcelados en Natzweiler-Struthof. Veintidós mil personas perdieron la vida allí. La crueldad absoluta —la maldad flagrante— supuso un enorme golpe para muchos...
El Congreso examina la aplicación de la Carta Europea de Autonomía Local en San Marino
Una delegación del Congreso de Poderes Locales y Regionales, integrada por los relatores Alexander Boomgaars (Países Bajos) y Tanja Joona (Finlandia), realizará una visita de seguimiento a la República de San Marino del 17 al 18 de septiembre de 2024 para evaluar la aplicación de la Carta Europea...
Local innovation is a catalyst for empowering communities
“We are living through unprecedented crises that pose new challenges and require innovating in response to them; local authorities are at the forefront of responding to these new challenges,” underlined Melanie Lepoultier, Deputy Permanent Rapporteur of the Congress on human rights and Mayor of...
Boosting citizen participation
A round table on “Boosting democracy by engaging all citizens”, held in Strasbourg on 13 September 2024, focused on the challenges faced by democratic societies such as a crisis of trust in...
Congress and national associations: Renewed commitment to upholding democratic values in cities and regions
At the close of the two-day conference in Strasbourg, the Congress of the Council of Europe and national associations of local and regional authorities from the 46 member states reiterated their shared commitment to upholding democracy, the rule of law, and human rights at the grassroots.
La democracia se construye desde la base: declaración del presidente del Congreso por el Día Internacional de la Democracia
“La democracia, construido desde la base, es nuestro bien común. Las autoridades locales y regionales pueden hacer una valiosa contribución para mantener la estabilidad democrática”, ha destacado Marc Cools, presidente del Congreso de Poderes Locales y Regionales del Consejo de Europa,...
Resilience and reconstruction of Ukraine: call for expanded partnerships with Ukrainian municipalities - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
There is a need for expanding municipal partnerships and co-operation between Ukrainian and other European municipalities, and for sharing good practices of municipal support for rural and...
Co-rapporteurs express concern at Russia's attempts to interfere in the Republic of Moldova's domestic politics and electoral processes
In an information note declassified by the Monitoring Committee on 11 September, the co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of the Republic of Moldova, Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) and Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica (Latvia, EPP/CD), expressed their concern at “the exponential increase in attempts...
Protecting the rights of sex workers and improving their life conditions
The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, meeting on 12 September in Paris, has expressed its concern that sex workers continue to face stigmatisation, are vulnerable to violence and abuse, and face discrimination in access to education, employment, health, housing, justice and protection...
Türkiye: concerns remain about the independence of the judiciary, prison conditions and the execution of the Court's judgments
In an information note following his visit to Türkiye from 11 to 14 June 2024, Stefan Schennach, one of the co-rapporteurs on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Türkiye, expressed a number of concerns relating to the independence of the judiciary, prison conditions, the execution of...
Monitoring Committee welcomes reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but says there is ‘insufficient progress in some areas’
PACE’s Monitoring Committee has congratulated the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the pace of reforms since 2022 – but said it remains concerned about “the lack of, or insufficient, progress in some areas crucial for the functioning of democratic institutions”. Approving a draft...
Council of Europe Bank committed to strengthening resilience of local communities
"Strengthening subnational governments’ capacity is a priority for the Council of Europe Bank, to scale up investments and social impact,” stressed the Bank’s Vice-Governor Tomáš Boček during...
PACE delegation makes pre-electoral visit to the Republic of Moldova
A seven-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), led by Thórhildur Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), will make a pre-electoral visit to the Republic of Moldova on 17-18 September to assess the election campaign and political climate prior to the...
Congress President meets Mayor of Istanbul
On 12 September 2024, Congress President Marc Cools met Ekrem Imamoglu, President of the Union of Turkish Municipalities and Mayor of Istanbul, on the occasion of the Conference of associations of local and regional authorities
Carabinieri trained on ensuring public order in the electoral process ahead of presidential elections and constitutional referendum in Republic of Moldova - Electoral assistance
(Seulement en anglais) In preparation for the upcoming 2024 Presidential election and constitutional referendum in Moldova, approximately 80 carabinieri representing the General Inspectorate...
Council of Europe contributed to the high-level ‘United for Justice’ Conference in Ukraine: Focus on Accountability for the Attacks against Civilian Objects
On 11 September 2024, the Council of Europe supported the international high-level expert conference ‘United for Justice: Accountability for Attacks Against Civilian Objects’, held in Kyiv,.... Latest news from the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law
Updating the European Youth Foundation’s work after Reykjavik
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) gathered partners, international and independent funders active in the field of youth and member of the Council of Europe Joint Council on Youth in Strasbourg to chart the way to updating the Foundation’s work. The European Youth Foundation is a unique, agile...
Las autoridades locales y regionales tienen un rol crucial a la hora de construir sociedades democráticas resilientes: conferencia organizada por el Congreso del Consejo de Europa
El papel de las autoridades locales y regionales a la hora de responder eficazmente a los desafíos que afrontan las democracias europeas, de apoyar a Ucrania, proteger los derechos humanos, salvar el medioambiente y permitir la participación de los jóvenes, son los puntos centrales de una...
Congress strengthens co-operation with the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils
On 12 September 2024, on the margin of the Conference of National Associations of Local and Regional Authorities, the Congress signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ukrainian Association of District and Regional Councils (UAROR) to increase co-operation and contribute to building...
3rd meeting of the Bureau of the Bern Convention - Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats
The Bureau of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats held its third ordinary meeting of the year from 10 to 12 September 2024 in Strasbourg.
La secretaria general participa en la cuarta cumbre de la Plataforma Internacional de Crimea
“Este año, 10 años después de la anexión ilegal por parte de la Federación de Rusia de la República Autónoma de Crimea y la ciudad de Sebastopol, el Tribunal Europeo de Derechos Humanos ha emitido una sentencia unánime que afirma que Rusia ha cometido violaciones de los derechos humanos en la...
Committee expresses deep concern at harsh treatment of Julian Assange, warns of its chilling effect for the press
PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee has warmly welcomed the release of Julian Assange but expressed deep concern at “the disproportionately harsh treatment” he faced, and called on the US to investigate the alleged war crimes and human rights violations disclosed by him and Wikileaks. Approving a...
Commissioner O’Flaherty held a consultation meeting on the human rights of Roma and Travellers in the Council of Europe area
On 9 and 10 September in Strasbourg, Commissioner O’Flaherty convened a consultation meeting with experts working on the human rights of Roma and Travellers. The discussions...
Award of the 2024 Václav Havel Prize a highlight of the PACE autumn session
The award ceremony for the 2024 Václav Havel Prize – which honours outstanding human rights defenders worldwide – will be a highlight of the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), to be held in Strasbourg from 30 September to 4 October 2024. An overall...
Committee denounces the human rights situation in Iran and calls for strengthening the protection of Iranians in Europe
The Political Affairs Committee, meeting on 9 September in Paris, expressed its concern about the persecution of human rights defenders in Iran and abroad by the Iranian regime. The report by Max Lucks (Germany, SOC), adopted by the committee, underlines that many Iranians in exile in Europe, and...
El Consejo de Europa insta a que se refuerce la cooperación internacional contra el tráfico ilícito de migrantes
En la 2ª Conferencia Internacional sobre el Tráfico Ilícito de Migrantes, organizada por el Consejo de Europa en Estrasburgo, se ha instado a sus 46 Estados miembros a que exploren todas las vías para reforzar la cooperación internacional. En su discurso de apertura, la secretaria general del...
El Parlamento georgiano no debería aprobar una ley anti-LGBTI y debería abstenerse de utilizar una retórica estigmatizadora
El comisario de Derechos Humanos del Consejo de Europa, Michael O'Flaherty, ha enviado una carta al presidente del Parlamento de Georgia en la que pide a los diputados que se abstengan de aprobar el proyecto de ley sobre la «protección de los valores familiares y de los menores», aprobado en...
Austria: GREVIO señala avances, pero es necesario reformar el derecho de familia relacionados con la violencia doméstica
En un nuevo informe temático publicado por el Grupo de expertos sobre acción contra la violencia contra las mujeres y la violencia doméstica (GREVIO) felicita a las autoridades austríacas por haber tomado medidas para seguir adaptando su legislación a los requisitos del Convenio del Consejo de...
Speech at the Conference on Migrant Smuggling
Speech by Michael O'Flaherty, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the 2nd International Conference on Migrant Smuggling, organised by the Council of Europe European Committee on Crime Problems (CDPC), in collaboration with the Office of the Special Representative on Migration and...
Round EUR 22 bn spent on European original TV and VoD content in 2023
The European Audiovisual Observatory publishes new free report on investments in European original content by broadcasters and streamers. The broadcasters and the big streaming platforms spent around EUR 22 bn on European original works in 2023, reflecting slower growth after the post-pandemic...
El presidente del Congreso de Poderes Locales y Regionales condena las elecciones ilegales en la Crimea ocupada
El presidente del Congreso de Poderes Locales y Regionales del Consejo de Europa, Marc Cools, ha realizado la siguiente declaración: «En nombre del Congreso, condeno la celebración ilegal de las pretendidas elecciones convocadas por parte de la Federación de Rusia en la República Autónoma de...
Kazajistán: GRECO publica su primer informe sobre avances en aplicar su recomendaciones contra la corrupción
El Grupo de Estados contra la Corrupción (GRECO) del Consejo de Europa ha publicado su primer informe sobre Kazajistán en el que se evalúan los progresos realizados en la aplicación de las recomendaciones formuladas al país en el Informe de la primera y segunda rondas de evaluación conjunta...
Speech at Informal Conference of the Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe on accountability in Ukraine
Speech by Michael O’Flaherty at the Informal Conference of the Ministers of Justice of the Council of Europe “Towards Accountability for International Crimes Committed in Ukraine” in...
Justicia para los crímenes perpetrados en Ucrania: los ministros de Justicia estudian la cooperación jurídica y la creación de un Tribunal Especial para el Crimen de Agresión
Reunidos bajo la presidencia lituana del Comité de Ministros, los ministros de Justicia de los Estados miembros y observadores del Consejo de Europa han adoptado una declaración que incluye una serie de principios para abordar cuestiones fundamentales de justicia y de rendición de cuentas...
La secretaria general participa en la Conferencia de los ministros de Justicia europeos en Vilna
“Tras más de dos años y medio de brutal e ilegal guerra de agresión de la Federación de Rusia contra Ucrania, y con la violencia y el desarrollo de los acontecimientos en el campo de batalla durante el verano, la necesidad de rendición de cuentas es más importante que nunca. Debemos estar listos...
El Consejo de Europa abre a la firma el primer tratado global sobre Inteligencia Artificial
El Convenio Marco del Consejo de Europa sobre Inteligencia Artificial y derechos humanos, democracia y Estado de derecho (CETS No. 225) se ha abierto a firma durante la conferencia de los ministros de Justicia del Consejo de Europa en Vilna. Es el primer tratado internacional legalmente...
PACE President welcomes opening for signature of new AI and human rights convention
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has welcomed the opening for signature of the new Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, which he hailed as “a major step forward” and a springboard for ongoing discussion about the...
La secretaria general transmite su pésame ante la pérdida de vidas en el canal de la Mancha
En respuesta a la tragedia más mortífera de este año en el canal de la Mancha, la secretaria general del Consejo de Europa, Marija Pejčinović Burić, ha transmitido su pésame a las familias de las víctimas. «Ayer, seis niños, una mujer embarazada y otras cinco mujeres y hombres perdieron su vida...
