Newsroom
Journalist safety campaign: exploring ways of improving cooperation between journalists and police at public events
As part of the Council of Europe's Campaign for the Safety of Journalists "Journalists Matter", a special seminar in Strasbourg is bringing together representatives of governments, police forces, press freedom organisations and associations of journalists to discuss the role of the police in...
European Day of Languages: Greetings from Gitanas Nausėda, President of Lithuania
On the European Day of Languages, we can all better appreciate what it means to be European and celebrate our unity in diversity. It is no coincidence that as early as 1599, Mikalojus Daukša, the publisher of the first books in Lithuanian, wrote in his "Postilė" chapter The Preface Unto...
Smart, inclusive, fair policies needed to counter instrumentalisation and politicisation of minority rights in Europe, says expert committee
Over the past two years, from mid-2022 to mid-2024, despite some positive developments and good practices, very worrying trends against diversity and minority rights in Europe have been observed, says the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe’s Framework Convention for the Protection of...
Award of 2024 Václav Havel Prize a highlight of PACE autumn session
The award ceremony for the 2024 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which honours outstanding human rights defenders worldwide, will be among the highlights of the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), from 30 September to 4 October. An overall winner will be...
Drugs in prison: Ensuring humane treatment of incarcerated people with substance use disorders
A conference in Strasbourg this week highlighted promising practices for people in custody who have substance use disorders (SUD). It addressed public health challenges in the drugs field and provided guidance to practitioners and policymakers in Europe. The Council of Europe’s European Committee...
Languages for Peace: European Day of Languages 2024 highlights Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity
Every year since 2001 the European Day of Languages marked on 26 September celebrates the wealth of languages coexisting in Europe and beyond. Over 225 languages are native to Europe alone, not including languages that arrived on the continent through migration. The motto of this year’s day is...
New Book Release: History of the Council of Europe, 75 Years of European Co-operation
A new book tracing the remarkable history of the Council of Europe, from its creation in 1949 to its current challenges, has just been published. History of the Council of Europe, 75 Years of European Co-operation, by Professor Birte Wassenberg, offers an in-depth look at the development of this...
Spain’s system to protect regional and minority languages is well developed but gaps persist in justice, healthcare and public administration
In a new evaluation report the Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages concludes that while Spain has a well-developed system for the protection and promotion of its regional and minority languages, further efforts are needed to address...
Council of Europe evaluates anti-corruption progress in Ireland
The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has published a compliance report on Ireland, assessing the country’s progress in implementing recommendations from GRECO’s 2022 evaluation report on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top...
Young people and policy makers discuss democracy and the climate crisis
Climate justice and effective action to tackle the triple planetary crises of global warming, pollution and loss of biodiversity are key concerns of young people. From 24 to 26 September, 120 young people, members of non-governmental youth organisations, voluntary and professional youth workers,...
Poland needs to respect its international human rights obligations on the Belarusian border, says Commissioner O’Flaherty
Commissioner O’Flaherty visited Poland from 16 to 18 September 2024 for a mission focusing on the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border and the human rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants. The Commissioner’s mission was prompted by longstanding reports about incidents on the...
Albania and Monaco thematic reports highlight key measures to combat domestic violence
The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) has published thematic reports on Albania and Monaco's implementation of the Istanbul Convention. The findings acknowledge positive developments, such as legal reforms, but also stress...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Committee of Ministers
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has published the case-by-case decisions taken during the Committee’s meeting from 17 to 19 September to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers adopted 41 decisions...
The Bern Convention celebrates its 45th anniversary
The Bern Convention, a key international treaty for the protection of Europe's fauna, flora and natural habitats, celebrates its 45th anniversary today. Signed in 1979, it was the first treaty to provide a framework for cooperation on biodiversity conservation. Since its entry into force in 1982,...
Council of Europe experts call for measures to boost regional and minority languages in the UK
Experts from the Council of Europe have urged the United Kingdom to adopt language strategies for Irish and Ulster Scots, in particular, and to strengthen the teaching of all regional or minority languages in the UK – including Cornish, Scots, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh – as well as Manx Gaelic on...
Council of Europe experts give guidance on applying the recovery and reflection period for victims of trafficking
A new Guidance Note published by GRETA, the Council of Europe anti trafficking body, highlights the purposes and principles of the recovery and reflection period and its legal basis and procedures. Provided for in Article 13 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in...
Alain Berset, new Secretary General
Addressing the Ministers' Deputies, the Secretary General highlighted the vital importance of the Organisation's ongoing work and the importance of delivering results, saying: "In this, the Council of Europe’s 75th anniversary year, it is hard to quantify the amount of good that this Organisation...
New guidelines to protect voters' personal data
The Council of Europe has issued guidelines aimed at protecting individuals' personal data when registering as voters and when their identity needs to be authenticated to participate in elections. The guidelines, prepared by the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of...
ECHR Grand Chamber ruling against Spain
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights has found a violation of the human rights convention in the case of Pindo Mulla v. Spain, concerning blood transfusions given to a Jehovah’s Witness against her wishes. The Court found in particular that the authorisation to proceed with...