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Key dates

Key dates
05/05/1949
Treaty of London establishing the Council of Europe signed by ten states (Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom)
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media/images/datescles/5mai1949_4.jpg08/08/1949
Accession of Turkey and Greece
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media/images/datescles/8august1949.jpg10/08/1949
First session of the Parliamentary Assembly in the Great Hall of the University of Strasbourg
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media/images/datescles/10aout1949_1.jpg04/11/1950
Signature in Rome of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, first international legal instrument safeguarding human rights
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media/images/datescles/4nov1950_4.jpg10/12/1951
Accession of Germany
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Signature of the European Cultural Convention, forming the Framework for the Council of Europe’s work in education, culture, youth and sport
media/images/datescles/culture1954.jpg08/12/1955
Adoption of the European flag, emblem of the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/8decembre1955_2.jpg16/04/1956
Creation of the resettlement Fund (which is now the Council of Europe Development Bank), intended to help member States finance social projects
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media/images/datescles/16avril1956_3.jpg12/01/1957
Creation of the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe called the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe since 1994
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media/images/datescles/12janvier1957_2.jpg20/04/1959
Inauguration of the European Court of Human Rights. The Court ensures that the States Parties to the Convention honour their commitments
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Signature of the European Social Charter in Turin, as the economic and social contrepart of the European Convention on Human Rights
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media/images/datescles/18octobre1961_2.jpg12/01/1972
Adoption of the European anthem
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media/images/datescles/12janvier1972_2.jpg01/06/1972
European Youth Centre opened in Strasbourg
media/images/datescles/youth_01.jpg28/01/1977
Inauguration of the Palais de l’Europe
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media/images/datescles/28jan1977_4.jpg27/03/1980
The Pompidou Group, a multidisciplinary co-operation forum to prevent drug abuse and illicit trafficking in drugs is incorporated into the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/ConfMin_402x259.jpg28/04/1983
Signature of the Additional Protocol concerning the abolition of the death penalty
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media/images/datescles/28-avril-1983_2.jpg28/04/1987
Signature of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment drawn up by the Council of Europe
media/images/datescles/torture.jpg08/01/1989
Introduction of the special guest status by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly to forge closer links with the parliaments of central and eastern Europe moving towards democracy
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Opening in Lisbon (Portugal) of the North-South Centre
media/images/datescles/30avril1990.jpg10/05/1990
Creation of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (''Venice Commission''), established to contribute to the development of common constitutional standards.
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media/images/datescles/10mai1990_3.jpg06/11/1990
Accession of Hungary, first country from the former Soviet Block to join the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/6novembre1990_5.jpg08/10/1993
First Summit of the Council of Europe heads of state and government in Vienna (Austria). The adopted Declaration confirms the paneuropean calling of the organisation and defines new political priorities, including the protection of national minorities and the fight against all forms of racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance
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media/images/datescles/8et9octobre1993_4.jpg26/05/1994
Establishment of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) which is responsible for publishing the European Pharmacopoeia and co-ordinates the European Network of Official Medicines Control Laboratories (OMCL)
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Opening of the new Human Rights building
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media/images/datescles/29juin1995_6.jpg15/12/1995
Inauguration of a second European Youth Centre in Budapest (Hungary)
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media/images/datescles/15-dec-1995_2.jpg29/02/1996
Russia’s accession to the Council of Europe confirmed the organisation’s pan-European dimension. Monitoring activities were stepped up and more attention became focused on action in the field
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media/images/datescles/28fevrier1996_4.jpg04/04/1997
Signature of the European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine
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media/images/datescles/10-et-11-oct-1997_4.jpg10/10/1997
Second Summit of the Council of Europe heads of state and government in Strasbourg (France)
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media/images/datescles/10-et-11-oct-1997_4.jpg12/01/1998
Signature of the Additional Protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine, on the Prohibition of Cloning Human Beings
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media/images/datescles/clonage_small.jpg01/11/1998
Set up of a single permanent European Court of Human Rights established in Strasbourg under Protocol No. 11 to the Council's European Convention on Human Rights, replacing the existing system
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50th anniversary of the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/5mai1999_2.jpg23/11/2001
Signature of the Convention on Cybercrime, open to signature by non-European states. An additional Protocol outlaws acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through computer systems
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Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 44th member state of the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/24avril2002_4.jpg03/05/2002
Signature of the Protocol No. 13 to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, concerning the abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances
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Adoption of the ''Guidelines on Human Rights and the Fight against Terrorism''
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Accession of Serbia and Montenegro, 45th member state of the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/3avril2003_3.jpg05/10/2004
Accession of Monaco, 46th member state of the Council of Europe
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media/images/datescles/5octobre2004_4.jpg03/05/2005
Adoption of three major conventions by the Council of Europe: The Convention on the prevention of terrorism, the Convention on laundering, search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime and on the financing of terrorism, and the Convention on action against trafficking in human beings
media/images/datescles/3mai2005.jpg16/05/2005
Third Summit of the Council of Europe heads of state and government in Warsaw (Poland)
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media/images/datescles/16et17-mai2005_6.jpg16/11/2005
Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the European flag
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media/images/datescles/16novembre2005.jpg20/03/2007
Inauguration par le Conseil de l’Europe du nouveau siège de la DEQM (Direction européenne de la Qualité du Médicament)
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media/images/datescles/20mars2007_3.jpg11/05/2007
Montenegro becomes the 47th member State of the Council of Europe
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Signature by twenty-three Council of Europe member states of the Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Lanzarote (Spain), which represents a major step in the prevention of sexual offences against children, the prosecution of perpetrators and the protection of victims
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media/images/datescles/25octobre2007_3.jpg17/04/2008
Inauguration of the Council of Europe’s new general building by Bernard Kouchner, French Minister for Foreign and European Affairs
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media/images/datescles/17avril2008_5.jpg18/09/2008
Delivery by the European Court of human rights of its 10 000th judgment, Takhayeva and Others v. Russia
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60th anniversary of the Council of Europe
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