Newsroom
Anti-Corruption Day: “States must take determined action to protect democracy against corruption”
To mark International Anti-Corruption Day, held every year on 9 December, the President of the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO), Marin Mrčela, has issued the following statement: “Corruption is at the core of many of the challenges democracies face today, from...
Secretary General Alain Berset visits Ukraine, confirms next steps in support
The Secretary General Alain Berset has concluded a three-day visit to Ukraine (4-6 December), during which he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and discussed next steps in the Council of Europe’s support for Ukraine. He also restated that support for Ukraine remains the Council of Europe’s top...
Implementing ECHR judgments: Latest decisions from the Council of Europe’s 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 3 to 5 December to supervise the implementation of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights. The Committee of Ministers adopted 42 decisions...
Venice Commission holding plenary session
During its final plenary session of 2024, the Council of Europe's Venice Commission is set to examine with a view to adoption in particular: Five draft opinions concerning : Albania on the implementation of Constitutional Court decisions by Parliament; Haiti on possible legislative solutions to...
Addressing violence and discrimination against LBQ women in Europe
A conference co-organised by the Parliamentary Assembly’s Parliamentary Platform for the rights of LGBTI people and the Council of Europe’s SOGIESC Unit has focused on the invisibility of LBQ women, and the challenges they face from lesbophobia, which can lead to them suffering from violence and...
Death of Ukrainian Mayor in Russian prison: Statement by the Congress President
The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement: “I am saddened and dismayed to learn about the death of Yevhen Matvieiev, mayor of the temporarily occupied town of Dniprorudne in Ukraine, in Russian captivity....
Observatory on History Teaching in Europe mobilises to fight increasing instrumentalisation of history
A conference on the topic “History in Crisi(e)s?” organised by the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE) opens on 5 December 2024 with interventions by several high-level guests, including Ministers of Education from Luxembourg, Montenegro, and Slovakia, as well as the deputy Ministers...
Experts in safe sport highlight trauma-informed approaches to child safeguarding
On 3 December 2024 in Strasbourg and online, a seminar on trauma-informed child safeguarding practices in sport was organised in collaboration with the Luxembourg Presidency of the Committee of Ministers. The event, which took place during the Council of Europe’s Pool of International Experts on...
Council of Europe trains Belarusian democratic forces and civil society in Vilnius on strengthening equality and anti-discrimination
A two-day seminar on “European Standards on Equality and Anti‑discrimination” has started in Vilnius, Lithuania. The event is organised as part of the European Union (EU) and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance” and the Council of Europe’s “Activity on co-operation...
Situation in Georgia: Secretary General exchanges views with President Salome Zourabichvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze
Secretary General Alain Berset is closely following the current developments in Georgia. Over the past 24 hours, he spoke by phone with President Salome Zourabichvili and Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze. In light of the tense situation and on-going confrontations, the Secretary General expressed...
Commissioner for Human Rights: Georgian authorities must fulfil their obligation to uphold the right of peaceful assembly
"I am following with serious concern the reports of disproportionate use of force by the police against predominantly peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering the ongoing protests in Georgia. The authorities must uphold their human rights obligations to respect freedom of peaceful...
Euskararen Etxea (House of the Basque Language) in Bilbao wins 2025 Council of Europe Museum Prize
The 2025 Council of Europe Museum Prize has been awarded to Euskararen Etxea (the House of the Basque Language) in Bilbao, Spain. The museum was selected by the Culture Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting on 3 December 2024. The House of the Basque...
Bern Convention Standing Committee approves EU proposal to modify wolf protection
The Council of Europe’s Bern Convention Committee has adopted an EU proposal to modify the status of wolf (Canis lupus) protection from “strictly protected fauna species” (Appendix II) to “protected fauna species” (Appendix III). The final decision will be published on Friday 6 December. The...
Violence against women: Finland hosts GREVIO's report event
The Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) is presenting its monitoring results on Finland at an event in Helsinki, jointly organised with the country’s authorities. The event marks the 10th anniversary of the entry into force of...
Implementing European Court of Human Rights judgments
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers is holding its quarterly meeting to oversee the execution of judgments and decisions from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg from 3 to 5 December. Cases proposed for detailed examination concern Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium,...
Hungary: Prison overcrowding, ill-treatment by staff and inter-prisoner violence highlighted in anti-torture Committee report
A new report by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) concludes that physical ill treatment by staff, including punches and truncheon blows to the head and body, and inter-prisoner violence appeared to be “particularly...
HUDERIA: New tool to assess the impact of AI systems on human rights
A new Council of Europe tool provides guidance and a structured approach to carry out risk and impact assessments for Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. The HUDERIA Methodology is specifically tailored to protect and promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law. It can be used by both...
Europe’s homelessness crisis: Council of Europe and Council of Europe Development Bank join forces to find solutions
Around 1.3 million people are currently homeless in Europe. The homelessness crisis is deepening due to increasing economic challenges, housing shortages, social exclusion, migration and other systemic issues. To address these pressing concerns, policymakers, social leaders, experts and financial...
Congress President condemns continued persecution of local elected representatives in Russia
President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe Marc Cools, has issued the following statement in response to the trial of the former Moscow city councillor Alexei Gorinov on charges of "justifying terrorism" in conversation with his fellow prisoners: “I...
Shaping a Democratic Future: European Year of Digital Citizenship Education 2025
How to empower learners for a democratic future? How to equip all learners with the necessary skills, values, attitudes and knowledge to navigate effectively in the digital environment? The Council of Europe is organising the launch conference of the European Year of Digital Citizenship Education...
