News
Advancing data protection and AI governance in the Southern Mediterranean region
The Council of Europe and the ICT Academy of the Office of the Commissioner of Communications of Cyprus brought together high-level representatives of data protection authorities and national authorities responsible for AI governance from across the Southern Mediterranean and Europe on 23-24 June...
Council of Europe workshop sheds light on religion-based intolerance in the digital environment
Strasbourg, 19 June 2026 - The fight against intolerance and discrimination is a cornerstone of the Council of Europe’s mission, reinforced by decades of European Court of Human Rights case law, binding treaties, Committee of Ministers’ recommendations, and ECRI standards. Addressing intolerance...
Albania Signs the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
Albania signed the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225) on 15 June 2026. This brings the total number of signatories up to 21, to date. The Framework Convention is the first-ever international legally...
Council of Europe at the 2026 European Dialogue on internet governance
The Council of Europe has participated in the 2026 European Dialogue on internet governance (EuroDIG), an open, multi-stakeholder platform for exchanging views on regulating and governing the digital world. The event took place on 26 and 27 May in Brussels. Discussions focused on democratic...
CDNET Chair participates in PACE Committee hearing on AI and human rights
Mr Mario Fernandez Ramos, Chair of the CDNET and Professor of Constitutional Law at the Complutense University of Madrid, participated in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee hearing on “Safeguarding human rights in the AI-driven public sector”, held at the...
Council of Europe contributes to EuroDIG 2026 discussions on the future of Internet governance
Brussels, 26-27 May 2026: Following its hosting of the 2025 edition, the Council of Europe contributes to the 2026 European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG), an open multi-stakeholder platform to exchange views about the Internet and how it is governed. The 2026 edition will focus on...
European Union ratifies the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
On 15 May 2026, on the occasion of the 135th Session of the Committee of Ministers held in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, and in the presence of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the European Union ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and...
Council of Europe HELP course on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights launched for Ukrainian public servants
On 15 May, the Council of Europe HELP course "Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights" was launched for Ukrainian civil servants. The launch was organised within the Second international conference "Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration: Challenges, Opportunities, Perspectives". The...
North Macedonia Signs the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
North Macedonia signed the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225) on 8 May 2026, during the official visit of Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset to Skopje. This brings the total number of...
Digital Development Unit participates in Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship Conference on Anticipating Technologies
Digital Development Unit represented the Council of Europe in Swiss OSCE Chairpersonship Conference “Anticipating Technologies – for a safe and humane future”, held in CERN Science Gateway in Geneva on 7-8 May 2026. The conference brought together representatives of governments, international...
Call for tender: Study on the use of AI in policing, justice and migration
The Council of Europe, through its European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ), has launched a call for tender for consultancy services to prepare a feasibility study on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in policing, the administration of justice, and border control/migration. The study...
Council of Europe side event at Geneva Cyber Week 2026 on AI, cybercrime and electronic evidence
The Council of Europe Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC) will hold a side event at Geneva Cyber Week 2026 on Friday, 8 May 2026, entitled “Artificial Intelligence, cybercrime and electronic evidence: risks, opportunities, and global cooperation”. The event will provide a strategic and...
Council of Europe Contributes to the Privacy Symposium 2026
Mr Mario HERNÁNDEZ RAMOS, the newly elected Chair of the Steering Committee for New and Emerging Digital Technologies (CDNET) intervened on AI governance during the High-Level Addresses session at the Privacy Symposium, calling for a firmly rights-based approach to the regulation and deployment...
Council of Europe contributes to Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 2026
Digital Development Unit, Council of Europe, participated in the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region 2026, held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. The Forum brought together representatives from governments, international organisations, civil society and the private...
CDNET holds its first plenary meeting in Strasbourg
The first plenary meeting of the Steering Committee for New and Emerging Digital Technologies took place on 16-17 April 2026 at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, bringing together member States, participants, observer States, civil society organisations holding observer status and invited...
Thematic Conference : Algorithmic Age: Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law
15 April, Strasbourg – The Council of Europe will organise a conference to examine how, in the “algorithmic age”, emerging digital technologies create new challenges to human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and to discuss ways to address them. Experts from academia, policy, technology and...
Council of Europe highlights the importance of human rights-compliant digital transformation at the ITU Regional Development Forum
Mr Daniel Pap, Legal Advisor at the Council of Europe’s Digital Development Unit, took part in the ITU Regional Development Forum, which brought together governments, industry, academia, civil society, the UN system, and regional and international development agencies to tackle regional...
Updated HELP Online Course on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights is now available and Opened for Enrolment to Interested Participants
The updated HELP online course on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights has been officially published and is now opened for enrolment to interested participants. The course was initially developed in 2024 and updated in 2025 by the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP)...
EU Parliament backs EU conclusion of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence
On 11 March 2026, the European Parliament approved the conclusion by the European Union of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. The vote marks an important step in the EU’s internal procedure for concluding the...
New Council of Europe recommendations to European countries
4 March 2026 - Strasbourg The Committee of Ministers has adopted two new recommendations relevant to AI and gender equality. CM/Rec(2026)1 – Equality and Artificial Intelligence provides guidance to member States and stakeholders to promote equality, including gender equality, and prevent...
