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PACE committee recommends that Kosovo* be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe
The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has recommended that Kosovo* be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe. Approving a draft Opinion during a meeting held today in Paris, based on a report by Dora Bakoyannis...
Support for Ukraine, need to halt democratic backsliding top US visit agenda
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge has concluded a three-day working visit to the United States (25-27 March), where he found widespread support for Ukraine, concern about democratic backsliding around the world, and a hunger for working together to find solutions. Starting in Washington DC,...
Secretary General meets Minister of Justice of Moldova
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Moldova, Veronica Mihailov-Moraru. The meeting focused on the close co-operation under the Council of Europe Action Plan for the Republic of Moldova 2021-2024, especially in the...
Secretary General marks Council of Europe 75th anniversary at Congress session
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has marked the importance of the Council of Europe 75th anniversary in her speech at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities session, coinciding with its 30th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its youth initiative. “I am very pleased with the...
Secretary General election: Committee of Ministers submits candidatures to Parliamentary Assembly
The Committee of Ministers has decided to submit to the Parliamentary Assembly, for appointment to the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe, with effect from 18 September 2024, the following candidatures: Alain BERSET (Switzerland) (Curriculum vitae) Indrek SAAR (Estonia)...
Azerbaijan should end the intimidation and harassment of journalists and civil society activists
“The increasing repression faced by journalists and civil society members in Azerbaijan is reason for deep concern”, says the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, referring to the arrests, detentions and judicial harassment that are stifling freedom of expression in...
President of the Committee of Ministers and Secretary General visited Ukraine
President of the Committee of Ministers Dominique Hasler and Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić have inaugurated the Kyiv office of the Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, during a working visit to the country. "The Liechtenstein...
Survey finds “widespread and concerning pattern” of NGO stigmatisation
A survey prepared by the Expert Council on NGO Law of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe indicates serious stigmatisation of NGOs across Europe, based on 55 responses to a questionnaire by NGOs operating in 31 Council of Europe member states[1] plus Russia, as well as from two...
GRETA triggers positive changes in the fight against human trafficking: celebrates 15 years of its monitoring work
The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has taken stock of its 15 years of monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention, on the occasion of its 50th plenary meeting. Its latest publication on “The practical impact of GRETA’s...
PACE President: ‘Russian and Belarusian athletes should not compete in the Paris Olympic Games’
Following yesterday's decision by the International Olympic Committee not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and responding to a call by Ukraine’s Olympic Champions* urging PACE’s continued support for a total ban on...
Making justice for and with children in Europe: the goal of a new EU-Council of Europe joint project
The new European Union-Council of Europe joint project on Child-friendly Justice has been launched in Strasbourg. Co-funded by the EU and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe's Children's Rights Division in close co-operation with Belgium, Poland and Slovenia as focus...