Newsroom
Montenegro: good progress on national minorities, but situation of Roma and Egyptians must be improved
Montenegrin society is characterised by a general climate of tolerance, a good legal anti-discrimination framework has been set up and very welcome progress has been made on resolving the issue of displaced persons who arrived in Montenegro from Kosovo* in the late 90s. However, urgent efforts...
Emmanuel Macron: "The Council of Europe is where the divisions in our continent can be healed"
In his address to the Assembly today, the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the “70 years of battles and conquests that are all part of the Council of Europe’s wealth of experience”. “The Council of Europe has advanced respect for fundamental rights, democracy and...
Amélie de Montchalin: 'Uniting our European family around common values'
Amélie de Montchalin, France’s Secretary of State in charge of European Affairs, addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today on behalf of the French Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. After paying a heartfelt tribute to the former President of France Jacques...
2019 Václav Havel Prize shared by Ilham Tohti and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights
The seventh Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights – has been awarded jointly to imprisoned Uyghur intellectual Ilham Tohti from China and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), which brings together young people from...
President makes plea for constructive dialogue and maintaining order in ‘'our common home’'
In her opening address at her last plenary session, the PACE President made a fervent plea for maintaining order in what she described as “our common home” and for “constructive dialogue, even in the gravest crisis situations”. “Whenever the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law...
Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Session
On the occasion of the Autumn Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg (30 September-4 October), the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will address PACE and answer questions from parliamentarians on Tuesday 1 October. French Secretary of...
ECRI adopts a roadmap to effective equality
Following a conference to mark its 25th anniversary, the Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission (ECRI) stressed the need for joint efforts to contain the threats that racism and intolerance pose to society, guarantee respect for human dignity and lay the ground for greater equality in Europe....
[Podcast] What motivates the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe?
In her first podcast, Marija Pejčinović Burić outlines her priorities for making Europe a more tolerant and inclusive place for its citizens, and identifies new challenges to human rights, such as Artificial Intelligence. The Secretary General was interviewed by Daniel Holtgen, the Council of...
Hungary: more help needed for child and migrant victims of human trafficking
The Hungarian authorities should strengthen efforts to prevent child trafficking, particularly by sensitising and training staff working with children and raising awareness of trafficking and online safety among children, including those in residential care institutions, the Council of Europe’s...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the 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 29 decisions concerning 17 member states at the end of its quarterly human rights...
Statement by the Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, following the death of Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac, a dedicated European and a great Frenchman, is no more. His commitment to peace, respect for international law and tolerance have left their mark on the history of France and Europe. Our enduring image of him will be that of an exceptional, humanist statesman, who was close to...
The Council of Europe marks 25 years of the fight against racism and intolerance
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), a high-level conference will be organised on 26 and 27 September in Paris to take stock of its action and of the progress achieved in Europe in the fight against racism...
Strasbourg railway station to be decorated to mark 70th anniversary
Speaking on the occasion of the inauguration of the decoration on the glass facade of Strasbourg railway station marking the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, the Deputy Secretary General, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, highlighted the importance of this project, which is both a “work of...
MONEYVAL: swift action needed to combat money laundering and terrorist financing risks
In its annual report for 2018, published today, the Council of Europe anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing body MONEYVAL calls on states to ensure that they have appropriate measures in place to combat “dirty money”. The impact by economic crime, organised criminal groups and...
Liechtenstein: professionals to be trained and victims to be better protected
In a report published today, The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) welcomes the steps taken by Liechtenstein to combat trafficking in human beings, through the adoption of legislation, guidelines and a coordinating mechanism, and calls on the authorities to...
Anti-torture Committee publishes report on Russian Federation
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today the report on its ad hoc visit to the Russian Federation, which took place from 19 to 29 October 2018, together with the response of the Russian Government....
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 23 to 25 September. Information on the cases to be examined in detail during the meeting is available...
Conference on the fight against domestic violence: the role of the police
The Council of Europe is organising a Conference of high-ranking representatives of Ministers of Internal Affairs in Strasbourg on 24 and 25 September to highlight new measures enabling the police to fight domestic violence more effectively. Bringing together police officers, associations and...
Secretary General welcomes Maltese announcement to set public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
In a statement today, Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has welcomed the announcement of the Maltese Government to set up a public inquiry into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017. “It is a positive development that the Maltese...
