Discover the latest news from the Council of Europe on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Browse news and updates by country, theme and institution.
Croatia should strengthen intercultural dialogue and lower thresholds for minority-language use
Despite positive steps, further measures are needed to promote tolerance, including addressing discrimination against Roma says Council of Europe expert body
Publication: Factsheet on preventing and combating racism and intolerance in and through sports
The Secretariat of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published a factsheet bringing together ECRI’s key recommendations on preventing and combating racism and...
First Council of Europe Strategy for equal rights of LGBTI people adopted, new report on anti-LGBTI hate speech released
The 2027-32 strategy sets a common direction for ensuring that LGBTI people fully enjoy their human rights
Asan City Advances Intercultural Inclusion with Practical Action
Asan City, Korea, is making measurable progress since joining the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme in 2024. ...
How can we detect AI systems contributing to discrimination?
New Council of Europe funded tool to detect algorithmic discrimination and find redress launched
EU, Council of Europe and OSCE partnership in action: tackling racism through co-operation
As many as 100 representatives of institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, international organisations, academia, civil society and religious communities gathered in Sarajevo on 8 and 9...
Austria committed to minority language protection, but challenges remain
The Council of Europe welcomes progress made by Austria in protecting and promoting regional or minority languages, while calling for further action in areas...
Inclusive societies, stronger democracies: Council of Europe to launch 10 Principles in Madrid
How can Europe strengthen democracy in increasingly diverse and rapidly changing societies? How can inclusion, participation and a sense of belonging contribute to more resilient and cohesive...
Promoting equality and inclusion through communication
Before it becomes a matter of policy or law, discrimination begins with words - a comment, an assumption, a label. This was a the starting point for a two-day Workshop on Equality and...
Austria committed to minority-language protection, including accessing state services and the media
Education in Styria and Vienna highlighted as a challenge by Council of Europe committee
Same law, different habits - A study on inclusive elections in the Republic of Moldova shows what accessibility should really be
A new Council of Europe study finds that persons with disabilities in the Republic of Moldova continue to face significant barriers to exercising their voting rights. While recent reforms have...
Diasporas can strengthen social cohesion and democratic engagement, says PACE committee
“The future and legitimacy of European democracy depend on involving everyone, including diasporas and migrants, in democratic processes,” PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons said today, adopting a draft resolution based on a report by Lord Leslie Griffiths (United Kingdom...
New Council of Europe study provides recommendations for more accessible and inclusive elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Council of Europe has prepared a comparative study on the participation of persons with disabilities in electoral processes, providing practical and actionable recommendations to improve...
New communication toolkit launched at World Pride 2026 in Amsterdam
At World Pride, on 6 August 2026, the SOGIESC Unit of the Council of Europe, together with the European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups, presents their new communication toolkit, “Countering...
Coalition on Roma Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Recognition launches work under Phase II of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme "RomaMemory"
The Coalition on Roma Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Recognition convened in Kraków, Poland, on 1 August 2026, ahead of the European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations held annually on 2 August. The meeting marked the fifth gathering of the Coalition since its establishment in 2024...
Enforced disappearances: Parliamentary Assembly President calls for universal commitment to UN Convention
On the occasion of the International day of the victims of enforced disappearance (30 August), and twenty years after the adoption of the United Nations International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, PACE President Petra Bayr is urging the 18 Council of...
Roma and Sinti Holocaust: Parliamentary Assembly General Rapporteur calls for memory to be 'taught, not just marked'
Ahead of the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma, Georgios Stamatis (Greece, EPP/CD), PACE General Rapporteur on Roma and Travellers, made the following statement: “On 2 August, we honour the memory of the 4,300 Roma and Sinti men, women and children murdered in a single night at...
Council of Europe Congress Rapporteur: “Combating discrimination against Roma and Travellers today must be rooted in awareness of their history”
Ahead of this year’s European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma (2 August), and his participation, on behalf of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, in the official Commemoration Ceremony in Auschwitz, Peter Drenth (Netherlands, EPP/CCE), Congress Standing Rapporteur on Human...
Calls for Norway to strengthen protections, as Sami languages remain in precarious situation
Six minority languages in Norway are protected by the Council of Europe’s charter
*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.