The Council of Europe and the European Union: different roles, shared values

 


The Council of Europe and the European Union share the same fundamental values – human rights, democracy and the rule of law – but are separate entities which perform different, yet complementary, roles.

Focusing on those core values, the Council of Europe brings together governments from across Europe – and beyond – to agree minimum legal standards in a wide range of areas. It then monitors how well countries apply the standards that they have chosen to sign up to. It also provides technical assistance, often working together with the European Union, to help them do so.

The European Union refers to those same European values as a key element of its deeper political and economic integration processes. It often builds upon Council of Europe standards when drawing up legal instruments and agreements which apply to its 27 member states. Furthermore, the European Union regularly refers to Council of Europe standards and monitoring work in its dealings with neighbouring countries, many of which are Council of Europe member states.

The Lisbon Treaty increased the scope for European Union action in many areas where the Council of Europe already has significant experience and expertise. This has led to increased cooperation on issues such as fighting human trafficking, the sexual exploitation of children and violence against women. It has also opened the way for the European Union itself to sign up to the European Convention on Human Rights, and to other Council of Europe agreements.

Relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union are set out in the:

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News

Back Mladen Ivanić: joining the EU ‘is the only hope for Bosnia and Herzegovina’

Joining the European Union “is the only hope for our country”, said Mladen Ivanić, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, speaking today in an address to the Parliamentary Assembly. “If we remain isolated, our internal differences will be more relevant. If we are part of something broader, we will immediate relax the whole political situation and the internal differences will be less relevant,” he added.

“This is the plan. I do not want to create a too-optimistic perception. There will be a lot of challenges, but for the first time I think we are both serious, the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leadership, to do something. I do not want to even think about the alternatives, because stability is still very fragile,” he said.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia not only chair the Council of Europe and the OSCE, but have a close and straightforward co-ordination of our activities, all in order to have the best possible response to the emerging crisis our continent is faced with today,” Mr Ivanić underlined.

“The problems we face today transgress international borders, meaning they cannot be solved by countries individually. Only by working together – the member States of the Council of Europe, in close co-operation with the Parliamentary Assembly, the Committee of Ministers and the Congress – can we successfully tackle these challenges,” he said.

See also:
Igor Crnadak presents the priorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Chairmanship

Parliamentary Assembly Session Strasbourg 24 June 2015
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References Sites
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Budget contribution

The Annual Receipts on EU contributions under Joint Programmes between the Council of Europe and the European Union in 2019, amounted to €206.1 million. Co-funded by EU at 85%, by CoE at 15%

29 new Joint Programmes negotiated in 2019 for a total of €111.7 million.

Multimedia

Global Action on Cybercrime (GLACY), video report on a joint project between the Council of Europe and the European Union