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Safe digital environments: Pompidou Group’s advancing action on the mental health and wellbeing of children and youth online
Policymakers, researchers and practitioners from the Pompidou Group member States and internationally gathered in Vienna and online on 2–3 June 2026 for a thematic seminar dedicated to the topic of online and digital addictions....
Europe strengthens co-operation on drug policy and addictions at Pompidou Group meeting in Vienna
How can Europe respond more effectively to organised crime linked to drug trafficking, protect human rights, and tackle emerging forms of addiction in an increasingly digital world? These questions were at the centre of the 98th meeting of the Pompidou Group of the Council of Europe, held in...
Conference addresses growing involvement of youth in terrorism and violent extremism
Digital spaces like gaming platforms can allow radicalisation to grow
Council of Europe Commissioner alerts to human rights risks in upcoming EU Returns Regulation
Observations - As the European Union moves toward adopting a new Regulation on the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the EU, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human...
European TV fiction production slows as streamer commissioning declines
The European Audiovisual Observatory, part of the Council of Europe, has just published a new report on the production of audiovisual fiction in Europe. This new study analyses the number of TV films and series produced for broadcasters and streaming services, the share of international...
Congress supports Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership
“The Congress and its Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance will continue assisting Ukraine in strengthening its multilevel governance system. We remain committed to further work hand...
European and World Day against the Death Penalty, 10 October 2025: Joint statement by the High Representative of the European Union and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe
The European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe strongly reaffirm their unequivocal opposition to the death penalty, in all cases and in all circumstances. More than two-thirds of all countries have abolished the death penalty in law or in practice. In 2024, we welcomed the abolition of the...
New report explores the status of artists and creative professionals in Europe
The European Audiovisual Observatory has just published a new in-depth legal analysis of the social rights and mobility of Europe’s cultural and creative workforce. The Observatory, part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, has just released its latest legal study: The status of artists and...
Gender inequality persists in the European film industry according to new report
The European Audiovisual Observatory has just published a new report on the presence of women working in European film. This new study reveals that women represented only 27% of all professionals involved in European feature film production between 2015 and 2024. Gender imbalances remain marked...
One third of spending on European original films and series is made by global streamers
The European Audiovisual Observatory has just published a new report on investment in original European films and series made by the main media players in Europe. This new study reveals that total spending on European original works (excluding news and sports rights) amounted to EUR 25.1 billion...
European Union-Council of Europe Senior Officials’ Meeting
On 8 July Senior Officials from the European Union and the Council of Europe convened in Brussels for their annual Senior Officials Meeting (SOM). The meeting reinforced the strategic and values-based nature of the partnership, highlighting ongoing cooperation and shared commitments. The...
Open Day at the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine: sharing values and achievements
The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine opened its doors for the Open Day to showcase its work dedicated to supporting reforms in human rights, democracy, and the rule of law as part of Ukraine’s path to European Union accession. The event, held on 27 February 2025 in Kyiv, brought together...
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...
Protecting child victims of sexual violence: taking stock of the Barnahus project in Ireland
A final conference of the European Union – Council of Europe joint project “Support the Implementation of Barnahus in Ireland” took place in Dublin on 29 January 2025. he event gathered key stakeholders to showcase project’s main achievements and reflect on next steps in implementing the Barnahus...
53 years of the European Anthem
On 12 January 1972 the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, the fourth movement of the German composer’s 9th Symphony, as the European Anthem. Fourteen years later, in 1986, the Europe Community (now the European Union) adopted the same music for its own...
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...
European Union delegation visits the European Court of Human Rights
On 18 November 2024 a delegation from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), headed by its President, Koen Lenaerts, paid a visit to the European Court of Human Rights, to attend the two Courts’ annual meeting. The delegation was received by the President of the European Court of...
Marietta Karamanli: faced with ‘growing destabilisation of the world order’, values-based organisations must work together
Marietta Karamanli (France, SOC), the Chair of PACE’s Sub-committee on External Relations, speaking at the end of a three-day visit by the sub-committee to the UN in New York (11-13 November 2024), made the following statement: “Faced with the growing destabilisation of the world order...
Congress President outlines Congress assistance for Ukraine's EU accession
Addressing the 8th meeting of the Working Group on Ukraine, organised by the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels on 21 October 2024, Congress President Marc Cools underlined that the Council of Europe and its Congress remained one of Ukraine’s strategic advisers on multilevel governance...
*All references to Kosovo, whether the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.