Read more about the Committee of Ministers at Deputy level

The Committee of Ministers (CM) is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. Its role and functions are described in Chapter IV of the Statute. The CM meets at ministerial level and at Deputy level (the Ministers' Deputies).

In accordance with Article 14 of the Rules of Procedure of the CM, each Minister for Foreign Affairs appoints a Deputy to act on his behalf outside the meetings held at the level of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs.

The Committee of Ministers meeting at Deputy level is empowered to deal with all matters within the competence of the Committee of Ministers and to take decisions on its behalf. Decisions taken by the Deputies have the same force and effect as decisions taken by the Committee of Ministers meeting at the level of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs. The Deputies do not, however, take decisions on any matter which, in the view of one or more of them, should by reason of its political importance be dealt with by the Committee of Ministers meeting at ministerial level.

Meetings of the Deputies are organised along the following lines, whilst maintaining some flexibility:

  • 3 Deputies’ meetings per month, in principle on a Wednesday;
  • the Deputies’ Human Rights (DH) meetings, devoted to the supervision of the execution of judgments of the Court in compliance with Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights, take place at least 4 times a year for a duration of two or three days;
  • extraordinary meetings may be convened by the President on urgent matters.

The Deputies are assisted by the Bureau and by their rapporteur and working groups.

Next meeting (except DH)
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1496th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies
24 April 2024 09:30 - 18:00

Place : CM Room

List of documents :
Previous meetings

Back Meeting of the Ministers' Deputies on 6 and 7 February 2019

The Ministers' Deputies held their 1336th meeting on 6 and 7 February 2019.

During their meeting on 6 February, the Deputies held an exchange of views with Mr Duro Sessa, President of the Consultative Council of European Judges (CCJE), and took note of the CCJE's Opinion No. 21 (2018) on “Preventing corruption among judges” (more …).

The Deputies also took note of the European Ethical Charter on the use of artificial intelligence in judicial systems and their environment, which was adopted by the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ) in December 2018 (more …).

On 7 February, the Deputies held an exchange of views on relations with the United Nations on human rights questions, with the participation of experts from capitals. The main items of discussion were:

  • the major themes for the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2019, introduced by Ambassador Coly Seck, President of the United Nations Human Rights Council;
  •  a thematic discussion on new technologies and freedom of expression, introduced by Mr Moez Chakchouk, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information of the UNESCO, and Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and
  • the Resolution on a Moratorium on the use of the death penalty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 17 December 2018.

On the occasion of his official visit to the Council of Europe on 7 February, the President of the Government of the Kingdom of Spain, H.E. Mr Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, addressed the Committee of Ministers (more …).

The other items examined by the Deputies appear in the Agenda and the decisions adopted are available in the meeting file.

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