Newsroom
May 6: Online international Conference on Civil participation in Decision Making
The City of Tbilisi and the Council of Europe under the aegis of the Georgian Presidency of its Committee of Ministers are organising an online international conference on "Civil Participation in Decision Making". The opening session will include contributions by Irakli Giviashvili, the Georgian...
Kristiansand conference to mark the 70th anniversary of the ECHR
The Norwegian city of Kristiansand is hosting an online conference on Tuesday 5 May to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The conference will include an anniversary address from the President of the European Court of Human Rights, Linos-Alexandre...
Europe Day 5th May: Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
“This Europe Day, we are all thinking about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout our continent and around the world. Every individual has been touched by this crisis, but our greatest sympathies are with those who have lost friends or loved ones. At an institutional level, we are...
New initiative to help Roma families face COVID-19
A joint Council of Europe/European Union initiative has helped vulnerable Roma communities in Europe to face challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus. By the end of April this year, approximately €60,000 has been allocated in 34 municipalities reaching some 1,900 families. This action includes...
Secretary General: Governments must protect essential role of journalists in democracy, especially in times of crisis
New report lists 142 serious attacks on journalists in 2019 In a statement issued ahead of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić calls on governments to avoid unduly restricting media freedom during the COVID-19 crisis. “Governments are...
UK prison system in deep crisis says anti-Torture Committee
The United Kingdom’s prison system is in deep crisis, according to a report published by the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) following a targeted visit to the country in May 2019. (see executive summary). The CPT delegation found that the three male prisons...
Council of Europe NGO platform calls on Hungarian parliament to drop legal provisions on gender
The Standing Committee of the Conference of international NGOs, which is part of the Council of Europe, has addressed the Hungarian authorities calling on the Hungarian Parliament to drop Article 33 of the draft omnibus Bill T/9934, because it would make it impossible for transgender and...
COVID-19 tracing apps: side effects on personal data protection should be avoided
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 warned of the possible side effects of digital contact tracing applications used to help...
COVID-19 crisis: Council of Europe Bank supports Comunidad de Madrid health sector with €200 million loan
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and Comunidad de Madrid have signed an agreement for a 200 million euros loan to support the latter’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and reinforce the level of medical services provided to its citizens. Spain has been particularly hard hit by the...
Robert Spano elected President of the European Court of Human Rights
Icelandic judge Robert Spano has been elected President of the European Court of Human Rights. Judge Spano, who is currently a Vice-President of the Court, has been the judge in respect of Iceland since November 2013. He studied law in Iceland and the United Kingdom and has worked in a range of...
Secretary General: acquittal of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov is to be welcomed
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić: "The acquittal today of Ilgar Mammadov and Rasul Jafarov by the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan is to be welcomed. As the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers has repeatedly emphasised, the execution of the European Court...
PACE President on COVID-19: 'Let’s not normalise the abnormal'
Rik Daems, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, spells out the red lines no democracy should cross, even in a crisis – and warns that the COVID-19 emergency measures fast-tracked by governments around Europe should not become “the new normal”: There’s an old proverb...
Fighting COVID-19: Council of Europe values and standards must be upheld
David Zalkaliani, President of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, has expressed his satisfaction following the Committee of Ministers’ adoption of a Declaration on the COVID-19 pandemic. "During this very difficult time we are living through, I am pleased that...
European Committee of Social Rights: the right to protection of health in times of pandemic
In a statement of interpretation on the right to protection of health (Article 11 of the European Social Charter) in times of pandemic, the European Committee of Social Rights endorses many measures adopted by states in response to COVID-19: “testing and tracing, physical distancing and...
Challenges to human rights in Europe intensified in 2019
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has published her annual activity report covering 2019. The report provides an overall picture of the main problems, challenges and opportunities that European countries are facing in the field of human rights. “The image I get...
Council of Europe Bank approves € 300 million loan to Czech Republic to combat the COVID-19 pandemic
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has approved a € 300 million loan to the Czech Republic to finance health expenditure to combat the spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Czech Republic was quick to undertake COVID-19 protective measures in January before any confirmed cases...
COVID-19 pandemic: GRECO warns of corruption risks
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published guidelines addressed to its 50 member states aimed at preventing corruption in the context of the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The guidelines, issued by GRECO’s president, Marin Mrčela, underline...
COVID-19 pandemic: tackling the dramatic increase in cases of violence against women
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, a dramatic increase has been reported in recorded cases of violence against women and domestic violence, both worldwide and in Council of Europe member states. The Committee of the Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence...
Council of Europe Bank approves € 300 million COVID-19 healthcare loan to Italy
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has approved a € 300 million loan to Italy to finance health expenditure associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a decree issued on 23 March 2020, Italy defined a set of extraordinary immediate term measures aimed at managing the COVID-19 pandemic,...
During virus crisis states should ensure rescue at sea and allow safe disembarkation
Statement by Commissioner for Human Rights “Despite the unprecedented challenges European countries face due to COVID-19, saving lives at sea and disembarking survivors in a safe port must continue”, stated today Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. The...
COVID-19: Human rights principles must guide health decisions
A statement published by the Council of Europe's Committee on Bioethics recalls the fundamental principles, based on the respect for human dignity and human rights, which must guide medical decisions and practices in the context of the current crisis. Health care systems are under extreme...
Council of Europe and UNHCR support member states in bringing refugee health workers into the fight against COVID-19
As many European countries continue to struggle with the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis, the Council of Europe and UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, are encouraging states to benefit from the support that refugee health professionals can provide to national health systems at this critical...
Greece: Reforming prison system and ending police ill-treatment are urgent priorities, says CPT
After a visit to prisons in Greece last year, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) recommends that the Greek authorities remedy structural problems that have led to enduring ill-treatment of detainees, prison...
Algorithms and automation: new guidelines to prevent human rights breaches
The Council of Europe today called on its 47 member States to take a precautionary approach to the development and use of algorithmic systems and adopt legislation, policies and practices that fully respect human rights. In a Recommendation on the human rights impacts of algorithmic systems, the...
Coronavirus: guidance to governments on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić, has issued a toolkit for governments across Europe on respecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law during the COVID-19 crisis. The Information Document was sent to all 47 Council of Europe member states yesterday....
COVID-19: How to protect against falsified medical products?
At a time when the Covid-19 epidemic is posing unprecedented challenges to the health sector, the Council of Europe calls on governments to be extremely vigilant against counterfeit or falsified medicines and medical products. Faced with this threat, states can rely on the MEDICRIME Convention to...
CEB issues social inclusion bond in response to COVID-19 pandemic
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) has issued a €1 billion seven year maturity COVID-19 Response Social Inclusion Bond. The funding will be used to support CEB member countries in mitigating the social and economic impact of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 Response Bond is...
Mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 crisis: Council of Europe to provide funding to youth organisations
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is calling on youth organisations to apply for funding for activities which respond to needs at local or national level arising from the COVID-19 crisis. Priority will be given to activities that demonstrate solidarity and support to people affected by the...
8 April, International Roma Day: “Step up human rights protection for Roma and guarantee their access to vital services during COVID-19 pandemic”
Joint Statement by Marija Pejčinović Burić, Council of Europe Secretary General, and Helena Dalli, European Commissioner for Equality Many of the 10-12 million Roma in Europe still suffer from poverty and exclusion. The existence of widespread anti-Gypsyism reinforces and aggravates their...
COVID-19 confinement: States must step up protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse says Lanzarote committee
For far too many girls and boys, strict confinement in times of the COVID-19 risks increasing their vulnerability to violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation. Council of Europe member states must step up protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse, offline and online,...
New survey: Europe’s rate of imprisonment remained stable in 2019
Secretary General Pejčinović Burić calls on states to resort to alternatives to deprivation of liberty and to protect both the prison population and prison staff. The overall imprisonment rate – the number of inmates per 100,000 inhabitants- remained stable in Europe from 2018 to 2019, according...
Stopping violence against women: welcome progress but obstacles remain
A new report from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) finds that while gender-based violence is now at the “forefront of public debate”, many Council of Europe member states should do more to end such violence. GREVIO,...
Anti-trafficking experts note 44% rise in identified victims since 2015
The number of people across Europe identified as being victims of human trafficking rose by almost half between 2015 and 2018, according to the latest annual report from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). According to information...
Human rights under quarantine: debate at St Petersburg Legal Forum
The Council of Europe’s Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law will co-chair an online debate on human rights under quarantine at the special digital session of the St Petersburg Legal Forum on 10 April 2020. The ongoing sanitary catastrophe and the measures taken by states in response...
Persons with disabilities must not be left behind in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic
Statement by the Commissioner for Human Rights As governments in Europe react to the rapid spread of the coronavirus through wide-reaching measures, they must not forget that a large proportion of their population is living with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are not only often at...
Supervising execution of ECHR judgments – 2019 report shows significant progress, but challenges remain
Ten years of reforms, known as the Interlaken Process, have “strengthened the system of the European Convention of Human Rights” according to the Chairs of the “Human Rights” meetings of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in their introduction to the Committee’s 2019 annual report on...
European Convention on Human Rights: new free online training course
The 47-nation Council of Europe has launched an updated version of its free online “Introduction to the European Convention on Human Rights”, a 5-hour interactive training course aimed at legal professionals, public authorities, civil society and students. “Europe has the strongest system of...
COVID-19 crisis: Secretary General concerned about increased risk of domestic violence
Summary of interview with Deutsche Presse Agentur (DPA) Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has expressed concern about an increase in domestic violence during the lockdowns due to the corona virus. Reports from member countries in the past few weeks already have shown...
COVID-19 crisis: vital that authorities also communicate in regional and minority languages
Most countries in the world, including the Member States of the Council of Europe, are facing an unprecedented pandemic, the so-called coronavirus, or COVID-19. For a few weeks now, governments have been introducing, gradually and at different paces, a wide range of measures, ranging from basic...
Fundamental rights of refugees and migrants at European borders
Joint publication from Council of Europe and Fundamental Rights Agency (EU) The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees of the Council of Europe, together with the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) have published a note on the main fundamental rights...
Commissioner calls for release of immigration detainees during Covid-19 crisis
Statement by Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović “I call on all Council of Europe member states to review the situation of rejected asylum seekers and irregular migrants in immigration detention, and to release them to the maximum extent possible. In the face of the...
Ukraine lagging in reform efforts to prevent corruption of MPs, judges and prosecutors
The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO has published its conclusions on Ukraine’s progress in enacting recommendations that were made by GRECO in 2017, on preventing corruption of MPs, judges and prosecutors. Out of 31 recommendations, Ukraine has satisfactorily enacted five, with...
Secretary General writes to Viktor Orbán regarding COVID-19 state of emergency in Hungary
Letter from Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, for the attention of Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary “The COVID-19 pandemic legitimately prompted Council of Europe member states to take drastic measures to protect public health. These measures are restricting a...
Croatia: anti-corruption group calls for more integrity in government and law enforcement
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published its fifth round evaluation report on Croatia dealing with preventing corruption in government (top executive functions) and the police. GRECO’s report recognises that Croatia has the tools in place to promote...
Social rights of children, families and migrants in danger across Europe
Social rights of children, families and migrants are in danger in Europe, according to the latest annual conclusions from the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR). The Committee has published 896 conclusions (289 cases of non-conformity, 453 cases of conformity and 154 “deferrals”: cases...
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on France
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report on its ad hoc visit to France from 23 to 30 November 2018, together with the response of the French authorities. The visit’s main aim was to examine the...
Venice Commission cancels meeting, adopts opinions by written procedure instead
Following the spread of the COVID-19 virus to northern Italy, the Enlarged Bureau of the Venice Commission has decided not to hold the scheduled 20-21 March plenary session or other scheduled meetings in Venice. Instead, only some opinions from the agenda have been adopted by written procedure,...
COVID-19: Anti-torture Committee issues statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a statement of principles relating to the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. “The...
International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
Statement by David Zalkaliani, President of the Committee of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia
Societies that stand together are more resilient in times of crisis, say human rights heads on International Anti-Racism Day
While ever more countries introduce measures to counter the current health risks, it is important to remember that societies based on solidarity and inclusion are more resilient to fast-changing circumstances, said the heads of three European human rights institutions on the eve of the...
