News
Statement of the Secretary General on the situation in the Republic of Moldova and the Venice Commission
I am extremely concerned by the latest developments in the Republic of Moldova. I call on the democratically elected Parliament, the legitimate Government and all political forces to act with restraint and responsibility. Recent decisions of the Constitutional Court are difficult to understand...
Statement concerning Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has made the following statement with regard to the situation of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov in Russia: “I am very much concerned and saddened by reports coming from Moscow alleging that investigative journalist Ivan...
Council of Europe to send experts to Yerevan
Telephone conversation between Secretary General Jagland and Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan
Ground-breaking international treaty on match-fixing to enter into force in September
The Council of Europe Convention on the Manipulation of Sports Competitions, also known as the Macolin Convention, will enter into force on 1 September. Switzerland today became the fifth Council of Europe member state to ratify the convention – following Norway, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova...
All lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex persons must be protected from discrimination in law and practice
Ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia marked on the 17th of May, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland urged for justice and full protection against discrimination for all persons, irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity and...
Secretary General Jagland: statement on Turkish Supreme Election Council’s decision on re-run of local elections in Istanbul
“With regard to the Turkish Supreme Election Council’s decision on a re-run of the local elections in Istanbul, I refer to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the only international body who had been invited to observe the local elections on 31 March. We...
Secretary General Jagland meets President Emmanuel Macron
Secretary General Jagland today met with President Emmanuel Macron for an exchange on the current challenges facing the organisation ahead of the French presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which begins on 17 May. Addressing the press alongside President Macron,...
70th Anniversary of the Council of Europe
Joint statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly Liliane Maury Pasquier and the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Timo Soini
The Council of Europe at 70: Milestones and achievements
On the occasion of the Council of Europe’s 70th anniversary on 5 May 2019
Secretary General Jagland’s meeting with Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Secretary General Jagland today met with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. They discussed the increasing cooperation between the Council of Europe...
Secretary General: Decision by Turkey’s Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) to bar elected candidates from taking office raises questions of rule of law
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has written to the President of the Supreme Electoral Board of Turkey, Mr Sadi Güven Letter
Ready for future challenges: Thorbjørn Jagland urges member states to reinforce the Council of Europe
In his last annual report after ten years as Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland has urged the Council of Europe’s 47 member states to reinforce the organisation, to make sure that it is properly financed and to develop new legal standards on emerging challenges to human rights and democracy....
Meeting of Secretary General Jagland and Human Rights Commissioner Mijatović with Tatiana Moskalkova, High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation
Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland and Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatović met in Strasbourg today with Tatiana Moskalkova, High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, to discuss cooperation with the Council of Europe and Human Rights Commissioner Mijatović’s contact...
Secretary General Jagland to attend NGO conference in Warsaw, meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz
Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland will open an international conference on the role of NGOs at Warsaw University, Poland, on Friday 22 March, together with Polish Foreign Minister Mr. Jacek Czaputowicz. The conference, organised by the Polish Foreign Ministry, the Council of...
Secretary General Jagland condemns the deadly mosques attack in New Zealand
On behalf of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland has made the following statement: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, that has left so many people dead and seriously wounded. Our deepest...
Secretary General calls on Albanian opposition to remain in parliament, warns against violence
Expressing concern about the decision of the opposition to withdraw from Parliament, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland said: “In a democracy the legislature is the first instance where political issues affecting the whole country should be debated and solutions...
Statement by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland on the anti-Semitic acts committed last night in Alsace
I unreservedly condemn the anti-Semitic, barbaric and disgusting acts of desecration of the Jewish cemetery in the Alsatian town of Quatzenheim, not far from Strasbourg, where the Council of Europe has its headquarters. I express my complete solidarity with the Jewish community, which has once...
Statement by the Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland about Tomi Ungerer
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, today expressed his deep sorrow at the news of the death of the Alsatian illustrator Tomi Ungerer. "Today we have lost a great artist, and a committed European. The values of justice and humanism for which Europe is a vehicle were...
Greek parliament vote over "Republic of North Macedonia" welcomed by Secretary General
The Secretary General of the 47-nation Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has welcomed the vote in the Greek parliament today that promises to bring an end to the 27-year dispute over its northern neighbour's name. “The vote in Greece to approve the name "Republic of North Macedonia" is both...
Holocaust memorial ceremony
The President of Finland Sauli Niinistö has attended a ceremony in front of the Council of Europe’s headquarters in Strasbourg, to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. In his address Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland underlined the importance of...
Speeches
EU/CoE Joint programme information event, on the occasion of Europe day
Carlos V European Prize Award Ceremony - Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe
Letters
