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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...
Pompidou Group adopts new Guidelines to strengthen member States' response to drug-related organised crime (OC-DT)
The Permanent Correspondents of the Pompidou Group have adopted new Guidelines designed to strengthen member States’ response to Organised Crime linked to Drug Trafficking, while ensuring full respect for human rights.
Romania: legislative initiative prompts concerns from the President of the Conference of International NGO (CINGO) and its Expert Council on NGO Law
In a letter dated 28 May sent to the Permanent Representative of Romania to the Council of Europe, the President of the Conference of International NGO and the President of its Expert Council...
CINGO’s Expert Council invites Bulgaria to revise its Law on Interest Representation
The Expert Council on NGO Law – a body of the Conference of INGOs – is publishing its Opinion on the Compatibility of the Bulgarian Law on Interest Representation with European Standards. The...
World Environment Day 2026 - Council of Europe Congress Spokesperson: Local and national authorities must work together on innovative solutions - now
“Following record-breaking May temperatures, it is very clear that we need a step-change in climate action, with local, regional and national governments working together on innovative new solutions to the climate crisis,” stated Meropi Ydraiou (Greece, EPP/CCE), Spokesperson on the Environment...
Final day for registration: Hack the Hate, Renew Democracy!
Second edition of Council of Europe Hackathon seeks technological solutions to combat online hate speech
Review of electoral administration training with Central Election Commission trainers in Albania
The analysis “Electoral Administration Trainings: Challenges and Practical Solutions - Dialogue with Trainers” was concluded on 30-31 May 2026, bringing together certified electoral trainers...
Democratic culture is the answer to authoritarianism in Belarus, says Congress Rapporteur
On 2 June 2026, the Congress Rapporteur for a Democratic Belarus, Belinda Gottardi (Italy, SOC/G/PD), participated in the second Kościuszko Forum in Gdansk, co-organised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland and the European Solidarity Centre. Speaking on a panel alongside Sviatlana...
Strengthening election reporting in the age of disinformation and AI
Strengthening professional, accurate and balanced reporting during elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the focus of a two-day training for media professionals dedicated to reporting on...
Parliamentary Assembly to observe the parliamentary elections in Armenia
A 22-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by Damien Cottier (Switzerland, ALDE), will travel to Armenia from 5 to 8 June to observe the parliamentary elections alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the European Parliament and...
Advancing electoral training and education in Albania
On 25 May 2026, national stakeholders and international partners gathered in Tirana at the consultative roundtable co-organized by the Council of Europe and the Central Election Commission,...
BRIDGE: Advancing excellence in Albanian elections
On 18-19 May 2026, members and senior staff of the Central Election Commission took part in the BRIDGE Showcase on Building Institutional Excellence in Elections. The workshop aimed to...
Congress President meets Council of Europe Secretary General
Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset held a bilateral meeting in Strasbourg on 28 May. President Helgesen welcomed the Secretary General’s leadership on the New Democratic Pact for Europe and outlined the Congress’ contribution to the Pact,...
Türkiye: Council of Europe Congress calls to uphold opposition rights and respect the will of voters
Marc Cools (Belgium, ILDG) and Bryony Rudkin (United Kingdom, SOC/G/PD), Rapporteurs on the situation of local democracy in Türkiye of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, have made the following statement: “We deplore the recent developments affecting...
Equality bodies are essential safeguards against democratic backsliding, says Parliamentary Assembly
PACE has adopted a resolution stressing that “equality and non-discrimination are cornerstones of democratic societies and essential elements of the rule of law”, while warning that “regressions in women’s rights may serve as an early warning sign of broader democratic backsliding”. The adopted...
Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee meeting opens in Monaco with reminders of the need to uphold the Council of Europe’s founding ideals
[En cours de traduction] A meeting of PACE’s Standing Committee opened in Monaco today, with a series of opening speeches which focused on the urgent need to uphold the founding ideals of the Council of Europe in ever more worrying times – and on the concrete steps which the organisation is...
Serbia: a committee raises concerns about respect for the principles of democracy, rule of law and public freedoms
The Monitoring Committee, meeting in Sarajevo on 19 May, welcomed the progress made by Serbia as regards the reform of the judiciary and prosecution services since its accession to the Council of Europe in 2003, in particular the adoption of amendments to the Constitution in February 2022 and of...
Committee warns of risks but highlights democratic potential of AI
PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy has adopted a draft report stressing that artificial intelligence (AI) brings both major opportunities and serious risks for democratic systems, while warning that “efforts to ensure that AI systems are safe and regulated by democratic governance...
Lasting peace and stability in Iran cannot be achieved in the absence of respect for human rights, committee says
The Committee on Political Affairs, meeting in Paris on 20 May, strongly condemned “the brutal, murderous and systematic repression of the protests” that began in Iran in December 2025 and the intensification of this repression since the beginning of the armed conflict in February 2026 with...
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