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Václav Havel Human Rights Prize 2019: call for nominations
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), in partnership with the Vaclav Havel Library and the Charta 77 Foundation, has today issued a call for nominations for the 2019 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. The Prize, created in 2013, aims to reward outstanding civil society action...
Statement by the President of the Congress: “All European Democrats are in mourning after the death of the Mayor of Gdańsk.”
"I have been shaken and deeply shocked by the assassination of Paweł Adamowicz, the mayor of the city of Gdańsk, who was stabbed on Sunday night in front of thousands at a charity concert and who has just succumbed to his injuries. On behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and...
Demonstrations in France – Council of Europe condemns attacks on journalists
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, today condemned in the strongest possible terms the threats and attacks against journalists at recent demonstrations by the “yellow vest” protesters in France, noting that working conditions for the press have been steadily...
Election of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe: Candidatures received
At the expiry of the deadline for member States to propose candidates for the election of the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the following candidatures have been received by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers: Mr Didier REYNDERS, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign...
Tackling ill-treatment by police in Greece
The Council of Europe and the Greek authorities are organising a round table event on professional policing and how to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment in Athens on 10 and 11 January. The event, which is the first of its kind, aims to help bring Greek laws and practices into line...
Lithuania should improve legislation, prevent discrimination at school and promote the social inclusion of Roma
The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities today urged the Lithuanian authorities to adopt a comprehensive legal framework, prevent discrimination against students from minority language schools and address negative stereotypes against Roma. In...
Winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly
At its winter session in Strasbourg (21-25 January 2019), PACE will hold a joint debate on public service media in the context of disinformation and propaganda and media freedom as a condition for democratic elections. It will also discuss Internet governance and human rights. On 22 January, the...
Council of Europe Bank loan to Nuremberg for education and refugee integration
The governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) Dr Rolf Wenzel and the Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees, Ambassador Tomáš Boček, are taking part in a signing ceremony in Nuremberg today, between the CEB and the city of Nuremberg, of a...
Children in migration must be informed about their rights
Children in migration have the right to be informed about their rights. Such information is crucial for having their voice heard and enabling them to participate in procedures affecting them. These children, despite being one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe today, face barriers in access...
Paris Principles at 25: Strong National Human Rights Institutions Needed More Than Ever
“25 years after the international community first formally embraced the idea of creating national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights through the endorsement of the Paris Principles, it is obvious that independent and effective national human rights institutions are...
International Migrants Day
Mayors of intercultural cities programme join voices for inclusion and diversity
Albania should step up its efforts to combat money laundering
In a report published today, the Council of Europe anti money laundering body MONEYVAL calls on the Albanian authorities to step up their efforts in pursuing launderers and confiscating their assets connected to significant proceeds-generating offences, and in tackling terrorist financing related...
Albania, Hungary, Malta and Turkey among key opinions adopted by the Venice Commission
The final plenary session of the year for the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission included several high profile opinions, including for Albania, Hungary, Malta and Turkey. The Venice Commission legal experts find that the power of the prime minister in Malta widely overshadows that of other...
Turkish train crash: Council of Europe extends condolences and solidarity
The Council of Europe has expressed its sadness and solidarity with Turkey concerning those killed and injured in the train crash in Ankara. Secretary General Jagland has written a letter of condolence to President Erdogan. Letter to the President of the Turkish Republic, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
European states must respond to school violence based on sexual orientation - new CoE/UNESCO report
Violence at schools based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or sex characteristics occurs everywhere in Europe and is acutely underreported. The efforts of the European education authorities to address the problem must be stepped up in order to create safe environment for...
GRECO: Italy should speed up reforms to prevent corruption among MPs, judges and prosecutors
In a report publish today, the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) concludes that Italy has made progress to prevent corruption in respect of the judiciary, but significantly more is still needed to comply with all its recommendations, in particular those concerning...
CPT calls on the Republic of Moldova to put an end to informal power structures among prisoners
The Republic of Moldova should take determined action to eradicate informal prisoner hierarchies in prisons, which expose inmates to intimidation and inter-prisoner violence, says the Council of Europe anti-torture committee (CPT) in a report published today. The CPT visited the country from 5 to...
Adoption of a new recommendation for better governance in sport
How to promote good governance in sport? In a Recommendation adopted today, the Committee of Ministers invites European governments to take measures, aimed in particular at better fighting corruption in sport. In order to foster a culture of good governance at all levels, the 47 member States of...
Terrorist attack in Strasbourg
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland
Shooting at the Strasbourg Christmas Market
Statement by Timo Soini, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Special Representative on migration and refugees supports UN Global Compact at conference in Morocco
On 10-11 December 2018, in Marrakech, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Ambassador Tomáš Boček, is representing the Council of Europe at the Intergovernmental Conference to adopt the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. The...
Preview exhibition “Human rights – still some way to go”
Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and Cartooning for Peace present a preview of the exhibition “Human rights – still some way to go”
The Council of Europe calls on Switzerland to further strengthen the rights of national minorities and to combat hate speech
The Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has called on the Swiss authorities to do more to protect the rights of persons belonging to national minorities, at a time when there is a growing intolerance, including in political discourse and on...
Human Rights Day 10 December 2018
Statement by Timo Soini, Chair of the Committee of Ministers and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland
International Anti-Corruption Day
“We must never lower our guard in fighting corruption”, said Marin Mrčela, President of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), ahead of the International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December. “Perception of low levels of corruption must not lead to complacency. No...
Secretary General backs UN migration pact
“The human rights of refugee and migrant children deserve special protection,” says Thorbjørn Jagland
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 and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights have been published by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The committee adopted 37 decisions concerning 20 member states at the end of its quarterly human rights...
North-South Prize 2018 honours fight to end female genital mutilation and to promote sustainable cities
Jaha Mapenzi Dukureh, founder and CEO of the Non-Governmental organisation “Safe Hands for Girls”, and Damien Carême, Mayor of Grande-Synthe, are the laureates of the North-South Prize of the Council of Europe 2018. Through “Safe Hands for Girls”, Jaha Dukureh provides support to African women...
States’ duty to protect human rights defenders
Ahead of Human Rights Day, Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, calls on member states to halt the attacks against human rights defenders and improve their safety and working environment. “In spite of an international declaration and clear standards protecting the...
Anti-torture committee welcomes improvements in Northern Ireland
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has welcomed recent improvements in various places of detention in Northern Ireland, whilst underlining that further progress is needed in certain areas. In a report published today, the committee highlighted the “enormous...