Country profiles
All the 46 member States of the Council of Europe have signed one of the two versions of the European Social Charter. 42 of them have ratified either version and 16 have accepted the Additional Protocol providing for a system of collective complaints.
The Charter, known as the Social Constitution of Europe, guarantees a broad range of everyday human rights related to employment, safety at work, health, social protection and welfare, housing and education, with a specific emphasis on the protection of vulnerable groups such as older persons, children, persons with disabilities and migrants. The enjoyment of these rights must be guaranteed without discrimination.
The respect of the Charter’s provisions by States Parties is monitored by the European Committee of Social Rights through two monitoring mechanisms: the collective complaints procedure and the reporting procedure. In addition, the European Committee of Social Rights meets State authorities to discuss acceptance of additional provisions of the Charter under the procedure provided for by Article 22 of the European Social Charter on non-accepted provisions.
You can find information available for each of the States Parties to the 1961 Charter and the Revised Charter in the country profiles below, including third party organisation comments concerning the Ad hoc reports on the cost-of-living crisis (2024).
General comments 2024 on the cost-of-living crisis
General comments 2022
By a decision of the Council of Europe Committee of Minuisters (CM/Res(2022)2) from 16 March 2022, the Russian Federation ceased to be a member of the Council of Europe.
The European Committee of Social Rights publishes its Conclusions on Labour Rights
Department of Social Rights
Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law
Council of Europe
1, quai Jacoutot
F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex
Tél. +33 (0)3 90 21 49 61
www.coe.int/socialcharter