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Venezuelan President's bid for new constitution lacks "credibility": Venice Commission
Venice Commission constitutional experts today have determined that attempts by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to prepare a new constitution have many shortcomings that “undermine democratic credibility.” The Council of Europe’s experts replied to a request last month for an opinion from the...
Belarus death sentences: Secretary General reiterates disappointment
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland reacts to two death penalty sentences pronounced today in Belarus “I am deeply concerned by the decision of the Mogilev regional court in Belarus to pronounce two death penalty sentences today,” said the Secretary General. “I reiterate our disappointment and...
Secretary General expresses concerns over situation in Turkey in call to Prime Minister
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has released the following statement: "Yesterday evening, I had a phone conversation with Mr Binali Yıldırım, Prime Minister of Turkey, to discuss the latest developments in the country. One year after the attempted coup, I told him that this event should be...
Human trafficking: new reports published on Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Norway
The Council of Europe’s expert group against human trafficking (GRETA) has recently published its new monitoring reports on Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Norway, outlining progress and outstanding issues, and providing recommendations to the countries’ authorities. The report on...
Secretary General raises concerns over Polish draft law on Supreme Court
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has sent a letter to the Speaker of the Sejm, Mr Marek Kuchciński, concerning the new parliamentary draft law on the Polish Supreme Court. Highlighting the crucial role played by Supreme Courts in democracies, he wrote that he was particularly concerned by the...
Migrants can contribute to preventing, preparing for and responding to disasters in Europe, says new EUR-OPA/IOM study
The Council of Europe’s EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement and the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) are to publish a joint study on the benefits of involving migrants in disaster risk reduction initiatives. The study, entitled Migrants in Disaster Risk Reduction: Practices for...
Council of Europe calls on Bosnia and Herzegovina to improve protection of child victims of trafficking
In a report published today, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) welcomes the legislative changes that have been made since the publication of its first report on Bosnia and Herzegovina in May 2013. The introduction of the criminal...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee issues public statement on Belgium
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has issued a Public Statement on Belgium today. This Statement, which is made in application of Article 10 (2) of the ECPT*, addresses the ongoing failure of the Belgian authorities to put in place a minimum level of service to guarantee...
GRECO calls on Monaco to strengthen anti-corruption measures in parliament and the judiciary
In its report on Monaco published today, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) concludes that although the management of anti-corruption policies has continued to evolve in the right direction in recent years and anti-corruption mechanisms have gradually been strengthened, progress...
The Russian Federation’s Law on Foreign Agents contravenes human rights
“The Russian Federation’s legislative framework on non-commercial organisations is incompatible with international and European human rights standards”, writes the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, in his observations submitted to the European Court of Human Rights...
Slovenia should pursue its efforts to protect vulnerable people
“Slovenia has undertaken a number of initiatives in recent years to address major human rights issues concerning migrants, Roma, the “erased” and people living in poverty. It is crucial to reinforce these efforts to ensure that no one is left behind and the human rights of all are upheld”, said...
G20 Hamburg summit demonstrations
"I am saddened by the images of the demonstrations in Hamburg. Freedom of assembly is one of the core rights enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights," said the Secretary General. It is accepted by all 47 member states of the Council of Europe and must be protected by the authorities....
Hungary: Visit to transit zones to evaluate sexual abuse risks faced by migrant children
Council of Europe children’s rights experts concluded today a three-day visit to Hungary to evaluate risks of sexual abuse and exploitation faced by migrant children placed in transit zones. Their report is expected in October. Hungarian authorities invited Lanzarote Committee Chair Claude...
Human Rights and Biomedicine: new HELP course 2018
Legal professionals (judges, lawyers and prosecutors) and health professionals will be trained in the main principles of protection of human rights in the field of biomedicine from 2018, as part of a course developed and implemented by Bioethics Unit and European program of Human Rights Education...
“Turin Process”: film on the European Social Charter
The Council of Europe has produced this film with the aim of promoting the European Social Charter. This is a new way of communicating about human rights. The film implies that the implementation of the Charter contributes to the quality of people’s everyday life. It shows this through images of...
Secretary General welcomes Norway’s ratification of the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence
“It’s good news that Norway has now ratified the Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe. More and more countries realise the need for legally binding standards to help states put an end to the scourge of violence against women, and to commit themselves to co-operating with our monitoring...
Children’s rights and biomedicine
The Council of Europe’s Committee on Bioethics has published a new study on children’s rights challenges in biomedicine.
EU High Representative Mogherini in exchange of views with Committee of Ministers, Secretary General Jagland
Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission today attended the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe for an exchange of views on relations between the two organisations. Prior to the exchange...
Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize 2018
Since 2014, the Council of Europe Raoul Wallenberg Prize is awarded every two years in order to reward extraordinary humanitarian achievements by a single individual, a group of individuals or an organisation. The prize consisting of 10 000 € will be awarded at a ceremony to be held at the...
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice of Morocco met the Deputy Secretary General
On the occasion of the plenary meeting of the European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice of Morocco, Mr Abdelilah Lahkim Bennani, met with Ms Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in the...
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