Newsroom
Secretary General’s report on the human rights situation in Crimea: Committee of Ministers gravely concerned
In a decision adopted in the light of a report by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Committee of Ministers has condemned human rights violations committed by the Russian occupying authorities, against ethnic Ukrainians, Crimean Tatars and other residents of...
Anti-torture Committee reiterates its recommendations to address inter-prisoner violence, informal hierarchy in Georgia’s “zonas”
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report on its May 2021 ad hoc visit to Georgia, together with the response of the Georgian authorities. The objective of the visit was to review the...
PACE session highlights: President of the Hellenic Republic and the King of the Netherlands
Addresses by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands are among highlights of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from 20-24 June 2022. There will...
Kazakhstan: corruption is a serious concern, more transparency and independence needed
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published its first evaluation report on Kazakhstan, focusing on issues such as independence, specialisation and means available to national bodies engaged in the prevention of and fight against corruption; extent and scope of...
Slovakia should improve education of Roma children and support to national minority cultures
The Council of Europe’s Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities has urged the Slovak authorities to eradicate discrimination of Roma children in education and to improve the mechanism for supporting national minority cultures. In an Opinion the...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Lack of co-ordination continues to hamper protection of regional and minority languages
In its third evaluation report on Bosnia and Herzegovina the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts states that a clearly detectable lack of co-ordination among multiple levels of authority continues to hamper the implementation of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages...
Germany: Improve education about national minorities and support for Sinti and Roma, says Council of Europe committee
National minority representatives in Germany are expressing concern over lacking education about their history, culture and contribution to German society among the majority population. This concern is raised prominently in an opinion published by Council of Europe experts on Germany's...
Domestic violence: Countries should improve child custody safety and victim protection
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) finds that many countries lack enough protection for children and domestic violence victims. GREVIO, which monitors implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and...
Brigitte Macron, guest of honour at the first forum for secondary school pupils
Four hundred youngsters had the opportunity to talk at length with Brigitte Macron today at the first-ever forum for secondary school pupils dedicated to living together. School bullying and cyberbullying were the focus of the discussion, during which Ms Macron mentioned the existence of the...
Portugal urged to enable trafficking victims to access legal aid and compensation, better identify victims among asylum seekers
The Council of Europe’s expert group on human trafficking, GRETA, has urged the Portuguese authorities to improve trafficking victims’ access to legal aid and to guarantee their effective access to compensation. These are among the main proposals for action included in the latest evaluation...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published the case-by-case decisions taken during the Committee’s meeting from 8 to 10 June to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee adopted 35 decisions concerning 17...
Statement by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić
“I firmly condemn the death penalty sentences issued today in the occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Death penalty is incompatible with human dignity and constitutes inhuman and degrading treatment. It has no place on the European continent. On behalf of the Council of Europe, I call for...
Estonia should intensify efforts to integrate national minorities
In its latest Opinion on Estonia the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) makes a series of recommendations aimed at improving the integration of society as a whole, and ensuring that persons belonging to national minorities can...
Anti-racism commission publishes reports on Denmark, Monaco and Estonia
The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) has published new monitoring reports on Denmark, Monaco and Estonia. In its report on Denmark, ECRI calls on the Danish authorities, as a matter of priority, to introduce a national action plan against racism, with a particular...
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 8 to 10 June. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina,...
Prison overcrowding remains a problem in prisons in French-speaking Switzerland: Anti-torture committee report
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published a report on the periodic visit to Switzerland carried out from 22 March to 1 April 2021. The visit focused on the situation of persons deprived of their liberty in...
Hungary: improvements in fighting money laundering and terrorist financing have led to upgraded ratings
Hungary has improved measures to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, demonstrating good progress in the level of compliance with the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) standards, according to a new follow-up report by the Council of Europe anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL. The...
Human trafficking in Norway: progress on legislative reforms, but should avoid rapid deportations of foreigners without screening them
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has published its third evaluation report on Norway focusing on human trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. The report also assesses developments since the publication of...
New report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship
The Council of Europe’s Steering Committee for Human Rights in the fields of Biomedicine and Health (CDBIO) has issued a new report on the impact of artificial intelligence on the doctor-patient relationship. The report examines AI systems regarding the doctor-patient relationship in relation to...
Informal exchange of views between Committee of Ministers and civil society representatives on participatory democracy
At an informal meeting on 3 June, delegations from the 46 Council of Europe member states held an exchange of views with representatives of civil society, other international organisations and experts on participatory democracy in Europe. The aim was to exchange views on how best to strengthen...
Council of Europe Congress President in Ukraine
At the invitation of the Association of Ukrainian Municipalities (AUC), the President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Leendert Verbeek, is visiting Ukraine from 1 to 4 June, accompanied by the Congress Secretary General Andreas Kiefer. This visit follows the adoption of a...
PACE President's statement on 100th day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine
In a statement on the 100th day of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, PACE President Tiny Kox has again called on the Russian authorities to immediately bring the war to an end, and issued a strong appeal for the restoration of peace with justice. “By this blatant violation of...
GRECO urges European governments to increase transparency and accountability of lobbying
European governments should increase transparency and accountability around lobbying to ensure that members of the public know which actors are seeking to influence political decisions so that the risk of corrupt practices can be reduced, says the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO in...
Adverse impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable groups, racism in policing, intimidation of LGBTI people: main trends in ECRI's annual report
The continuing Covid-19 pandemic that has further marginalised vulnerable groups, the ongoing problem of racism in police forces and the rise of anti-LGBTI public discourse were the main trends in 2021, said the Council of Europe’s Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) in its annual...
Congress President calls on member States to ratify the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government to strengthen citizen participation at local level
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek has marked the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of the Additional Protocol to the European Charter of Local Self-Government on the right to participate in the affairs of a local authority by urging States that...
Early intervention on intersex children and children’s rights
A seminar aimed at safeguarding the human rights of intersex children has taken place in Strasbourg. Medical practices applied to intersex children may have future long-term implications for them, and it is vital to safeguard children’s right throughout the process. Early intervention on intersex...
Armenia: despite legislative reforms, survivors of human trafficking face uphill struggle to access justice
The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) have published a new report on Armenia focusing on human trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. GRETA acknowledges improvements in the legislative and policy framework but asks...
Seminar on drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA): a challenge to gender-based violence
The phenomenon of Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) is closely linked to the issue of protecting and promoting women's fundamental rights and preventing gender-based violence, one of the priorities identified by the Italian Presidency at the Council of Europe (November 2021 - May 2022). A...
“Child and youth participation for Europe”- Cork conference looks at progress so far and challenges ahead
A conference focusing on the right of children to be heard and have their opinions taken seriously has opened in Cork, Ireland. “Child and youth participation for Europe” is the first event to be held under the Irish Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe which started...
Council of Europe committee deplores Russia’s usage of minority rights as a pretext for invading Ukraine
The Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) has condemned in the strongest possible terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and “deplores that the Russian authorities used issues of minority rights as a...
Solution to Kavala case lies in the hands of Turkey's judges, say PACE monitors
The co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Turkey by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have appealed to Turkey’s authorities to find a solution to the Kavala case which is in line with an earlier ruling of the European Court of Human Rights. Ending a three-day visit to Istanbul...
Condemnation of Russia, Council of Europe’s priorities, assistance for Ukraine - Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting concludes in Turin
At the end of a meeting where the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine figured high on the agenda, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 46 member States decided today that the organisation should not emerge weakened from the crisis but, on the contrary,...
Ireland takes over the Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
Ireland has taken over the rotating Chairmanship of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers from Italy at the annual meeting of foreign ministers from the organisation’s 46 member states. At the handover, the outgoing Chair of the Committee of Ministers – Italy’s Minister for Foreign...
PACE President calls for a summit to renew, improve and reinforce the Council of Europe
In his speech at today’s Committee of Ministers session in Turin, PACE President Tiny Kox called for a Summit of Heads of State and Government to renew, improve and reinforce the Council of Europe. "This summit should lead to a Council of Europe with new competencies and better equipped to...
Protecting rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls: Council of Europe recommendation adopted
The Committee of Ministers, meeting in Turin, has adopted a new recommendation to protect the rights of migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls providing measures to better respond to needs and challenges that they face. Drawing on Council of Europe treaties including the Istanbul...
Council of Europe proposes a comprehensive legal and policy framework to combat hate speech
The Council of Europe has issued a set of guidelines to its 46 member states aimed at preventing and combating hate speech, both online and offline. In a Recommendation adopted during its annual session held in Turin, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers calls on governments to develop...
Foreign ministers meet in Turin to discuss their response to Russian Federation aggression against Ukraine
Foreign Affairs Ministers of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states are holding their annual session today, Friday 20 May 2022 in Turin (Italy). The meeting takes place against the background of the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, which resulted in the exclusion of the...
Commissioner calls on UK government not to extradite Julian Assange
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović has called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel not to extradite Julian Assange. Writing in view of the impending decision on Mr Assange’s extradition, the Commissioner noted that the wider human rights implications of doing so had...
Financial support for national minorities in Norway ensured, but need to address rising intolerance
In its latest Opinion on Norway, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM), whilst acknowledging the positive legislative developments and the increasing financial support for the protection of its minority groups, calls on the authorities...
Finland makes €2 million voluntary contribution to support Ukraine
The Government of Finland has made a new voluntary contribution of €2 000 000 to support the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine 2018-2022 and its successor Action Plan, bringing their total support to the Action Plan to €3.57 million. Finland has also contributed €750...
Helga Pedersen Human Rights Moot Court Competition – 10th anniversary
Students from the University of Oxford (United Kingdom) were declared the winners of the tenth edition of the Helga Pedersen Moot Court Competition after beating a team from the University of Passau (Germany) in the final round. The prize for Best Orator of the Finals was awarded to Lorenz von...
IDAHOT: LGBTI persons fleeing war face specific risks and need protection
European states should pay attention to the specific challenges faced by LGBTI asylum seekers fleeing war, declared Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, the current President of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
LGBTI rights in Ukraine conflict in focus at Cyprus conference
The IDAHOT + Forum 2022 is taking place in Limassol, Cyprus, on 12-13 May, ahead of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Tuesday 17 May. Speaking during the discussion War in Ukraine: Challenges to our Common European Values Through the Experiences of LGBTI+...
Advancing gender equality and fighting stereotypes
A meeting of the Council of Europe’s main body for supporting gender equality has examined a wide range of issues affecting women. The plenary meeting of the Gender Equality Commission, held from 11-13 May in Strasbourg, discussed progress in advancing gender equality in Europe. The participants...
Enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence: 22 countries sign new Protocol to Cybercrime Convention
The Second Additional Protocol to the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention), aimed at enhancing co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence has been opened for signature at a conference organised under the Italian Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. The...
First Barnahus for child victims of sexual abuse launched in Slovenia
The first Barnahus (Children’s House) of Slovenia for child victims of sexual abuse has been launched in Ljubljana with the active support of the EU Reform – Council of Europe joint project “Support the implementation of Barnahus in Slovenia - phase II and the Norway Grants”. Barnahus is a...
Secretary General in Ukraine
Statement by Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić on her visit to Ukraine
Visit to Ukraine: Commissioner Mijatović calls for continuous support and justice for victims of the war
“The extent and gravity of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that have taken place as a result of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine are staggering. Providing redress and support for victims and their families and delivering justice will be an...
Reassembling the building blocks of democracy to respond to violent nationalism
European Conference on Democracy and Human Rights
Reassembling the Building Blocks of Democracy
Europe should respond to violent nationalism by “reassembling the core building blocks of democracy” to “construct something that is stronger and more resilient than ever before” Deputy Secretary General Bjorn Berge told delegates at the third annual European Conference on Democracy and Human...
Launch of website in Spanish
Today, coinciding with Europe Day of the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe has launched a Spanish-language website. The website will make available relevant content on the Council of Europe´s work to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law among Spanish speaking audiences. It...
Secretary General - Europe must remain resilient in the face of aggression and war
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has marked Europe Day 2022 by calling on European states to renew their investment in human rights, democracy and the rule of law in the face of “terrible violence and seismic change.” Launching her annual report, Moving Forward 2022, the Secretary...
Council of Europe experts release guidance to protect Ukrainian refugees from traffickers
New guidance from the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking body GRETA will give European countries the advice they need to protect Ukrainians refugees from traffickers and to detect potential victims. The move comes following reports of suspected trafficking cases as the war causes an...
Anti-money laundering experts MONEYVAL publish 2021 report
Governments need to step up their efforts and coordination to combat money laundering and terrorist financing by adopting stricter regulation and supervision of the virtual assets sector and the specialised “gatekeeper” professions, such as lawyers, accountants and other services providers who...
European Conference of Prosecutors in Palermo
In the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, the European Conference of Prosecutors (5-6 May) is taking place at the Palazzo dei Normanni, the Sicilian Regional Assembly’s headquarters. The conference is promoted by the Prosecutor-General’s Office of the Court of...
Support for “Strasbourg Principles” in inter-religious dialogue on religion and peace, religion and human rights
An international conference took place today within the framework of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers on the subject of “Inter-religious dialogue on religion and peace, religion and human rights”. The aim of the event was to relaunch within the Council of Europe a dialogue...
Press Freedom Day: Media and journalists need better protection
Statement by the Secretary General
Congress President meets representatives of Kyiv City Council in show of support for Ukraine
The President and Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe have met with a delegation of representatives from Kyiv City Council. During the meeting, held on 28 April, President Leendert Verbeek and Secretary General Andreas Kiefer held an...
PACE calls for an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to hold to account perpetrators of the crime of aggression against Ukraine
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on all the organisation’s member and observer states to urgently set up an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, with a mandate to "investigate and prosecute the crime of aggression allegedly committed by the political and...
The expulsion of Russia from the Council of Europe was inevitable, Di Maio tells PACE
“The expulsion of the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe was made inevitable by the atrocity of the crimes committed in Ukraine. Not only has Russia illegally and unjustifiably invaded another Member State, but it has continued its aggression in open violation of human rights and the...
Confiscated homes of Russian citizens should house refugees, Assembly says
Council of Europe member states should “identify and freeze” the homes of Russian citizens and state enterprises that have been targeted as part of sanctions in the war against Ukraine and transform them to receive Ukrainian refugees, the Parliamentary Assembly said in a resolution based on a...
Russian aggression must stop, Assembly urges
Russia must immediately and unconditionally cease aggression against Ukraine, and the international community must unite to defend the democratic world order, PACE has urged. Voting on a report by Frank Schwabe (Germany, SOC), the Assembly warned that a new dividing line was back on the map of...
“Guaranteeing security and peace is a responsibility of the entire international community” says President of Italian Republic Mattarella at PACE
“Guaranteeing security and peace is a responsibility of the entire international community and cannot be left to bilateral relations”, observed President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella while addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The Italian President...
Secretary General: Media should be able to report free from attacks and intimidation, including in times of war
A new report issued by 15 media freedom organisations partners to the Council of Europe’s Platform for the Protection of Journalism and Safety of Journalists shows that the number of alerts reported on the platform concerning serious threats to media freedom in Council of Europe member states in...
PACE President expresses shock at Kavala sentence and calls for his immediate release
Reacting to the conviction of Osman Kavala to an aggravated life sentence, Tiny Kox, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), made the following statement: “I am deeply disappointed by the life sentence handed to Osman Kavala yesterday by an Istanbul Court. The...
“We must do everything we can to support Ukraine” Secretary General tells PACE
Responding to questions from members of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić confirmed that the organisation had proposed adjustments to the Ukraine Action Plan to address the immediate consequences of the Russian aggression. “We must do...
More action needed by Lithuania to curb high-level corruption in politics and law enforcement
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has called for further measures to prevent corruption in Lithuania in respect of persons entrusted with top executive functions, including the President of the Republic, ministers, chancellors and political advisers, as well as...
Digital devices should have built-in adult content blockers to protect children
All digital devices should have easy-to-use parental controls and tools for filtering and blocking pornographic material built into them by default in order to combat children's exposure to adult content, advocates the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE). These control tools should...
PACE President urges members to help restore peace in Ukraine
At the opening of the PACE spring session in Strasbourg, President Tiny Kox urged members to help restore peace in Ukraine and the entire continent, and to assist Council of Europe member State Ukraine “to regain its national sovereignty and territorial integrity and rebuild its society, which is...
Anti-doping: Committee of Ministers adopts recommendation on fair proceedings in sport
The fight against doping in sport requires fair proceedings while respecting the need to protect an athlete’s private life including reputation and health-related information. The Committee of Ministers has adopted a Recommendation to Member States aimed at reinforcing the human rights principles...
PACE Spring Session: the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
A general policy debate on the consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine will be at the centre of the spring plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), to be held in hybrid format from 25 to 28 April 2022. In the context of this...
Prison overcrowding: Anti-torture committee calls for setting a limit to the number of inmates in every prison and promoting non-custodial measures
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) is calling on European states with persistent prison overcrowding to address this problem with determination by setting a maximum threshold to the number of prisoners in every penal institution - to be strictly respected - and...
Council of Europe expert advisory group starts its work supporting Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Office
The Council of Europe’s Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law has set up an expert advisory group to support the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. This initiative is part of its immediate assistance to Ukraine following Russia’s aggression, and follows initial consultations...
Cartoon mouse explains Council of Europe and six-month Italian Presidency of Committee of Ministers to children
The famous cartoon mouse Geronimo Stilton, created by Elisabetta Dami and loved by children all over the world, is the star of a new book to mark the six-month Italian Presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Welcome to the Council of Europe aims to allow children to discover...
Romanian prisons continue to face extensive challenges
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has called on the Romanian authorities to vigorously pursue the reform of the prison system to address some serious and persistent shortcomings. In its report on the ad hoc visit to Romania carried out from 10 to 21 May 2021,...
