Newsroom
Cyprus: police abuse, prison overcrowding and poor conditions in psychiatric and social care establishments among critiques in anti-torture committee report
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) raises concerns over persistent allegations of police ill-treatment in Cyprus in a new report published today. During a visit last year to Cyprus, a CPT delegation logged...
Barbershop about how to involve more men in promoting gender equality and combatting sexism
Members of the Parliamentary Assembly, Ambassadors of the 47 member states to the Council of Europe and Judges of the European Court of Human Rights are meeting in Strasbourg on 26 April to discuss how to involve more men in promoting gender equality and combatting sexism. The conference is...
Anders Samuelsen: "The Court must be in a position to ensure the highest protection of fundamental rights"
Addressing the Assembly today, Anders Samuelsen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers underlined the importance of the political declaration adopted on 13 April in Copenhagen by the 47 member States, on continued reform of the European system of human...
Secretary General to PACE: any attempt to divert attention from the corruption report is intolerable
Answering questions from members of the Parliamentary Assembly, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland said he was very sad that at a time when he and the Committee of Ministers were struggling to gain the release of a prisoner in Azerbaijan, in line with a judgment delivered by the European Court...
Nikola Dimitrov: "we are determined to make it"
Nikola Dimitrov, Foreign Minister of “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, has told parliamentarians in Strasbourg of a “new positive momentum” in his country as it emerges from political crisis and seeks EU membership. “I can say with strong confidence that we have achieved a real...
'PACE is not a battlefield', says PACE President calling for conflict prevention and settlement through law
“Our Assembly is not a battlefield to confront national agendas. On the contrary, it is a place where bridges between peoples and governments are built and where parliamentarians from all over Europe defend the common good – the fundamental values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law as...
Allegations of corruption in PACE: Independent External Investigation Body publishes its report
The Independent External Investigation Body looking into allegations of corruption in PACE today presented its report to the Bureau of the Assembly. At the end of the meeting, the Bureau made the report public. Independent External Investigation Body report Background paper
Strengthening the system of protection of migrants and refugees in Bulgaria
In a report, published today, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees, Tomáš Boček, recognises the efforts made by Bulgaria to cope with the challenges of a high number of arrivals of migrants and refugees, but highlights concerns about difficulties they face...
Spring session: states of emergency, hybrid war, editorial integrity, corruption
At its spring session (Strasbourg, 23-27 April), the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will look at states of emergency and derogations from the European Convention on Human Rights. It will also discuss fighting organised crime through the confiscation of illegal assets, the funding of the terrorist...
Democratic Culture - from Words to Action
“Democratic culture - from words to action' is the headline of the international conference taking place from Monday 23 to Tuesday 24 April in Copenhagen. The conference is organised as part of the Danish Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and will be opened by...
Anti-torture committee: effective complaints mechanisms should be available to detainees across Europe
European states should ensure that persons deprived of their liberty have access to effective complaints mechanisms in prisons, police stations, immigration detention centres, psychiatric institutions and other places of detention. This is a fundamental safeguard against torture and inhuman or...
Secretary General Jagland on official visit to Croatia on 17 April
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, is on official visit to Croatia on 17 April, where he met Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Marija Pejčinović-Burić, and Deputy Speaker of the Croatian...
Copenhagen Declaration adopted
The Copenhagen Declaration on the reform of the European Convention on Human Rights system has been formally adopted by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe following a high-level conference in Copenhagen attended by more than 20 Ministers of Justice. Full declaration Statement by Danish...
Meeting of Ministers of Justice on the European human rights system: speech of Secretary General
The Danish Government made clear from the outset of its Chairmanship that strengthening our Convention system would be a priority. And I thank them for that. I was equally clear from the beginning of my first mandate that strengthening that system – and the European Court of Human Rights – would...
Iceland needs effective tools to preserve integrity in government and the police
In an evaluation report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) called for Iceland to strengthen its systems to limit risks of corruption and improper conduct in government functions and law enforcement agencies. The Icelandic society has become over...
High-Level Conference on reform of Human Rights Convention system
The Danish Minister of Justice, Søren Pape Poulsen, will from 11 to 13 April 2018, as part of the Danish Chairmanship of the Council of Europe, be hosting a High-Level Conference titled: “Continued Reform of the European Human Rights Convention System – Better Balance, Improved Protection”. The...
Deputy Secretary General on official visit to Morocco
The Deputy Secretary General, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, will pay an official visit to Rabat on 11-12 April. She will have an exchange of views with the state authorities on the progress of cooperation with Morocco and the prospects for partnership for the period 2018-2021. The Kingdom of...
Romania: Group of States against Corruption deeply concerned about certain justice and criminal law reforms
In a report on Romania published today, the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO) expresses serious concern about certain aspects of the laws on the status of judges and prosecutors, on the judicial organisation and on the Superior Council of Magistracy recently...
Anti-Torture Committee calls for a co-ordinated European approach to address mass migratory arrivals in Italy
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published today a report on an ad hoc visit conducted in Italy to examine the situation of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the so-called “hotspots” and immigration detention...
No Hate Speech Movement: first broad international initiative that helped recognise hate speech as human right abuse
Hate speech continues to poison public debate, and the urgency to counter it has not diminished over the past years. The youth campaign No Hate Speech Movement (NHSM) conducted by the Council of Europe in 2012-2017 as the first broad international initiative in this field has contributed to...
New reports on protection of regional and minority languages in Austria, Cyprus and Romania
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 4 April 2018 examined the implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and provided recommendations to Austria, Cyprus and Romania, based on the country-specific reports of the Committee of Experts under the...
8 April, International Roma Day: Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland
With the number of elected Roma and Traveller women 'close to zero', the Secretary General urges political parties to fast-track Roma women in politics
Child sexual abuse in sport: Council of Europe calls for action to break the silence
The Council of Europe today made a call on public authorities and the sports movement to take determined action to prevent sexual abuse of children. Under the theme “Start to talk”, it launched in Madrid an international awareness-raising initiative urging governments, sports clubs, associations...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Record number of cases closed in 2017, but challenges remain
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which oversees the implementation of European Court of Human Rights judgments, closed a record number of 3,691 cases last year, leading to a 24% decrease in the total number of outstanding cases. There were 7,584 pending cases at the end of 2017,...
Council of Europe issues policy guidelines to protect children of imprisoned parents
The Council of Europe today issued policy guidelines to its 47 member states aimed at safeguarding the rights and interests of children of imprisoned parents. Some 2.1 million children in Europe have one of their parents in prison, according to estimates based on the number of inmates in prisons....
Council of Europe adopts new recommendation on terrorists acting alone
As Europe is confronted with returning terrorist fighters and lone-wolf terror attacks, the Council of Europe has recommended a set of measures to combat these dangers. In a recommendation adopted today, the Council’s Committee of Ministers reviews measures for preventing radicalisation, better...
21st century slavery: European anti-trafficking experts raise the alarm over labour exploitation
Trafficking for labour exploitation is on the rise across Europe. In several countries, it has overtaken sexual exploitation as the main form of human trafficking. Official figures underestimate the true scale of the problem and there have been few successful prosecutions and convictions. These...
Dunja Mijatović takes up office as Commissioner for Human Rights
Today, Dunja Mijatović takes up the post of Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. National of Bosnia and Herzegovina, she has been elected last January by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. She is the first woman to hold this post, succeeding Nils Muižnieks...
What common challenges do smallest European states face?
Reports on local democracy and draft recommendations for Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and San Marino were adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe on the 28th of March at its 34th Session in Strasbourg. The discussions were followed by the debate on...
Poland: Judicial reforms violate anti-corruption standards, say Council of Europe experts
Amendments passed late last year to Poland’s judiciary, including laws on the National Council of the Judiciary (LNCJ), to the Supreme Court (LSC) and to the Law on Ordinary Courts, do not comply with Council of Europe anti-corruption standards, concludes a report published today by the Council...
Local and regional democracy in Latvia
An overall positive situation of local self-government in Latvia, together with the extensive autonomy of local authorities were welcomed in a report adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, during its 34th Session, on 27 March 2018 in Strasbourg,...
The Congress adopts a recommendation following the fact-finding mission in the Republic of Moldova
On 27 March 2018, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, holding its 34th Session in Strasbourg (France), adopted a recommendation on the fact-finding mission on the situation of local elected representatives in the Republic of Moldova that was carried out in...
Michele Nicoletti: “If democracy dies at the local level, it will also die at the national level”
“The success of democracy is not possible without the participation of our citizens in civic life,” stated. Michele Nicoletti, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe addressing the Congress members at the 34th Session, in Strasbourg, on 27 March 2018. He outlined the...
Gudrun Mosler-Törnström: “Given the current challenges, we must preserve the voice of local and regional authorities”
“Together, we are all entering a serious period in the life of our organisation and of our Congress,” said Congress President Gudrun Mosler-Törnström at the opening of the 34th session of the Congress in Strasbourg, France, on 27 March 2018. In her communication, the President gave an update on...
Finland encouraged to boost anticorruption policy in central governments and law enforcement agencies
In an evaluation report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) called for Finland to strengthen its systems to prevent and detect corrupt behaviour in central governments (including the top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies. Finland...
Qatar signs co-operation agreement with Council of Europe in view of FIFA World Cup 2022
The State of Qatar signed today a bilateral agreement (2018-2020) of technical co-operation with the Council of Europe, in the framework of the European Convention on Integrated Safety, Security and Service Approach at Football Matches and Other Sports events (CETS No. 218), known as "St Denis...
Terrorist attack in Trèbes (France): The Chairman of the Committee of Ministers expresses his sorrow and solidarity with the French authorities
Following the deadly terrorist attack in Trèbes (France) earlier today, Minister Anders Samuelsen, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, conveys his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and his sympathy for those...
Le Secrétaire Général condamne les attaques de Carcassonne et Trèbes, en France
Le Secrétaire Général Thorbjørn Jagland a fait la déclaration suivante aujourd'hui : « Je condamne fermement les attaques perpétrées sur le sol de notre pays hôte, la France. Ces attaques ont lâchement ciblé des civils ainsi que des représentants des forces de l’ordre. Je salue l’action...
Preventing ill-treatment during police custody and pre-trial detention
The Danish Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is organising a seminar in Copenhagen on 22 and 23 March to discuss ways to strengthen the prevention of torture and ill-treatment during police custody and pre-trial detention, the time when persons are most at risk from...
34th Session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
The members of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will meet in Strasbourg, France, from 27 to 28 March 2018 for their 34th Session placed under the theme “rights-based governance at local and regional level”. Congress members will discuss in particular the...
Russia : Anti-corruption watchdog calls for more transparency and public accountability amongst parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors
In a new report published today (in English and Russian), the Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) says corruption has long been a serious pervasive problem in Russia. Whilst acknowledging some important legislative and policy steps, GRECO identifies a number of...
Stronger, more independent equality bodies needed to combat intolerance and discrimination in Europe, says anti-racism commission
To better protect and support people exposed to discrimination, states should put in place strong equality bodies established by constitutional or parliamentary legislation, set up as separate legal entities with a wide mandate, enjoying political, financial and operational independence, and...
Intercultural Cities in Action : International Day Against Racial Discrimination
Fighting discrimination and upholding human rights is not only a legal obligation of Council of Europe members states but a moral, social, and economic necessity for inclusive and well-functioning European societies. Cities and local authorities are key in this regard. In a European context more...
European prisons are almost full, according to latest Council of Europe survey
European prisons are on average close to full capacity, with inmates occupying over 9 out of ten available places, according to the Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE) for 2016, published today. The survey shows that the incarceration rate grew from 115.7 to 117.1 inmates per...
Tackling challenges in protecting athletes’ human rights in the fight against doping in sport
“The Council of Europe has pioneered the fight against doping at international level, with a first Resolution adopted already in 1967 by our Committee of Ministers. The Anti-Doping Convention that followed was the first legally-binding text on this subject”, said Deputy Secretary General...
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Imralı Prison (Turkey)
The Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has published a report on its April 2016 visit to the high-security prison on the island of Imralı in Turkey, where Abdullah Öcalan and three other prisoners are being held. The report says that, compared to the CPT’s previous...
Abolishing limits on presidential re-election is a step back in democratic development, says Venice Commission
In its new report on presidential term limits, the Venice Commission says re-election is not a human right as such, but a modality of the right to be elected. The Venice Commission is in favour of presidential term limits in presidential and semi-presidential regimes. They help prevent the abuse...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers
The latest case-by-case decisions on the implementation of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The committee adopted 24 decisions concerning 15 member states at the end of its regular three-day meeting in...
Ukraine: new financial disclosure requirements for NGOs and activists likely to have chilling effect on civil society, should be fully reconsidered
Stringent financial reporting and disclosure requirements for public activists, coupled with severe sanctions, are likely to have a chilling effect on civil society in Ukraine and should be removed in their entirety or significantly narrowed down, said the Venice Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR in...
Slovak Republic: adopt a bolder approach to ensure inclusive education and strengthen the safety of journalists
Today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, concluded a visit to the Slovak Republic which focused on inclusive education of children with disabilities and Roma children. At the same time, since the visit took place shortly after the murder of investigative...
