The European Court of Human Rights has described freedom of thought, conscience and religion, set out in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as one of the foundations of a democratic society. It is of fundamental value not only for believers, but also for atheists, agnostics, sceptics and the unconcerned. The pluralism, which characterises a democratic society, depends on it.

This compilation is the first publication to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing Council of Europe standards relating to the principles of freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the links to other rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights interpreting these rights. The legal standards set by the Convention are supplemented by those of other relevant treaties. There are also recommendations and guidelines adopted by other bodies, which although not legally binding, nevertheless are considered to form part of the Council of Europe compendium of standards.

These standards are presented in a non-hierarchical manner and under a number of themes, so as to stress the complementary role of the various Council of Europe bodies. The compilation is complemented by a compendium of national good practices published on the website www.coe.int/cddh. A selection of good practices from member states is appended to the compilation.