First Summit (8 - 9 October 1993, Vienna)

The Council of Europe gathered a new momentum in the 90s as countries that had once been members of the Soviet Union took on new constitutions that embraced concepts of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Vienna Summit was the first to bring together country leaders to set new directions for the organisation as it grew and spread its influence both geographically in terms of adapting to new challenges and changed situations worldwide.

Second Summit (10 - 11 October 1997, Strasbourg)

Heads of the Council of Europe’s states and governments gathered in Strasbourg for the second summit to focus on how to strengthen the Council of Europe’s work to meet the realities of a wider Europe and build a freer, more tolerant and just European society. They called for increased human rights protection, abolition of the death penalty worldwide, an end to torture, stronger action against racism and greater efforts to ensure balanced representation of men and women in all sectors of society.

Third Summit (16 - 17 May 2005, Warsaw)

The third Council of Europe Summit took place with nearly all the continent now members of the organisation. Presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers gathered in Warsaw to renew their commitment to Council of Europe values with an action plan to boost the long term effectiveness of the Human Rights Court; strengthen the role of the Human Rights Commissioner; intensify the fight against racism and discrimination; work to combat criminal acts such as terrorism, trafficking and violence against women, and boost monitoring to ensure that Council of Europe members live up to the promises they made when they joined the organisation.