Newsroom
Canada and Japan sign Council of Europe’s first ever global treaty on AI
Canada and Japan have signed the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of law, joining the eleven signatories that have already signed this international treaty. The signing ceremony took place prior to the Council of Europe’s...
Celebrating 'Council of Europe Days' in Greek schools
A video on the history of the Council of Europe and Greece's relationship with the organisation will soon be distributed to high schools in Greece and Greek schools abroad. Its aim is to raise awareness and understanding of the activities of the Council of Europe and its pertinence and influence...
MONEYVAL calls on Guernsey to step up efforts against money laundering
The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body, MONEYVAL, has published a report urging Guernsey to improve the investigation, prosecution and conviction of money laundering offences whilst also highlighting Guernsey’s good understanding of the risks of money laundering/terrorist financing...
Secretary General expresses his concerns about Georgian Government’s reversal on the ‘foreign influence’ law
On 3 February, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, spoke by telephone with the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, to discuss the status of the joint working group aimed at amending the so-called ‘foreign influence’ law. The decision to set up the group had...
New publication on how to use conflict zone information in terrorism trials
For more than forty years, the Council of Europe has helped to develop and reinforce key legal standards to prevent and suppress acts of terrorism, Now the organisation’s Committee on Counter-Terrorism (CDCT) has published a guide on the use of information collected in conflict zones as evidence...
Bulgaria: anti-corruption body assesses implementation of recommendations to prevent corruption in central government and law enforcement agencies
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published the first report assessing Bulgaria’s compliance with its recommendations to prevent corruption and promote integrity in central government and law enforcement agencies, addressed to Bulgaria in 2022. GRECO concludes...
A new chapter for youth participation and the revitalisation of democracy – European Youth Conference kicks off in Braga
The European Youth Conference “Young people in local and regional life: Democracy in action!” has opened at the Braga Youth Centre, bringing together 150 youth leaders and representatives of local and regional authorities from across Europe. The event is dedicated to updating the European...
Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine appointed
Secretary General Alain Berset has appointed Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir (Iceland) as his Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine. She will raise awareness of the challenges faced by the children of Ukraine and of the Council of Europe’s standards and initiatives to...
Bosnia and Herzegovina urged to strengthen efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing
The Council of Europe’s anti-money laundering body MONEYVAL has released a report urging Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to improve its measures to combat money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF). The assessment highlights moderate effectiveness in nine of eleven areas, including risk...
Secretary General welcomes major step towards creating a Special Tribunal for Ukraine
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has welcomed a major step forward in Brussels today towards creating a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, within the framework of the Council of Europe. The 13th meeting of the international Core Group* of senior legal...
European films and TV content accounted for 51% of all TV content in the EU in 2023
The European Audiovisual Observatory has published a new report on TV content broadcast by European television channels. This new study reveals that over 138,000 different films, TV programmes and series (all origins) were broadcast in the EU in 2023 (works considered : films and made-for-TV...
Press Conference 2025 by the President of the ECHR
The President of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Marko Bošnjak, held a press conference on 31 January 2025. After presenting the results of the Court’s activities and statistics for 2024, he took questions from journalists alongside Marialena Tsirli, Registrar of the Court. The press...
Council of Europe consolidates action on migration and refugees
On 15 January, Secretary General Alain Berset informed the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers about his decision to consolidate and intensify the Organisation’s efforts to tackle one of the most pressing issues facing the continent today. Recognising the need for stability and...
Liechtenstein urged to improve identification of trafficking victims and step up efforts to combat trafficking for labour exploitation
In a new report the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) calls on Liechtenstein to improve the identification of victims of human trafficking and to step up efforts to prevent and combat trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation. While nine presumed...
Parliamentary Assembly gives green light to new Council of Europe treaty which protects the profession of lawyer
Parliamentary Assembly has warmly welcomed the draft Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, pointing out that lawyers play a key role in administering justice and ensuring public confidence in the law. Approving an opinion based on a report by Vladimir...
Council of Europe Pays Tribute to Former German President Horst Köhler
The Council of Europe pays tribute to former German President Horst Köhler, a distinguished statesman and committed European. Throughout his career, he demonstrated remarkable leadership and integrity, serving as head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and governor of the European Bank for...
‘No grounds for recognising the legitimacy of Lukashenka as President of Belarus' says Assembly
“The so-called elections organised in Belarus on 26 January 2025 do not meet the minimum international standards for democratic elections and lack any democratic credibility, and there are no grounds for recognising the legitimacy of Aliaksandr Lukashenka as president,” the Parliamentary Assembly...