27 May, Strasbourg
The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) will publish a report evaluating Croatia’s compliance with its undertakings under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which concern measures to protect and promote the use of minority languages including Czech, Hungarian, Italian, Ruthenian, Serbian, Slovak and Ukrainian as well as Boyash Romanian, German, Istro-Romanian and Slovenian in different fields of public life.
Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04
27-28 May, Helsinki
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will open the Council of Europe Human Rights Day and will hold bilateral meetings.
Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89
27-28 May, Ankara
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will deliver a video message on the occasion of the international conference “Improving International Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters in Türkiye”.
Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89
28 May, Strasbourg
The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing one judgment concerning Russia.
More information – ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08
28 May, Strasbourg
The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) will publish follow-up reports on Bulgaria, the Holy See and San Marino evaluating their compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.
Contacts: Bulgaria: Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41; the Holy See and San Marino: Giuseppe Zaffuto, tel. +33 6 86 32 10 24
28 May, Sofia (Conference room “Four seasons”, 9 am-4.30 pm local time)
The Council of Europe’s Anti-Trafficking Division and the Office of the OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings will co-organise a conference, with the support of the Bulgarian National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, on “Strengthening the role of the private sector in combating human trafficking and labour exploitation in supply chains”.
The aim is to present an overview of policy and legal developments in human rights due diligence, and to exchange best practices and lessons learned on how to prevent and combat human trafficking and labour exploitation in supply chains.
Public and private sector actors dealing with combating human trafficking in Bulgaria will be participating, including business associations, chambers of commerce, labour inspectors, procurement practitioners, trade unions, academia, and experts on business and human rights.
Simultaneous interpretation services (English and Bulgarian) will be provided.
For press accreditation requests, please contact Ernesta Rousseva, Bulgarian National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.
More information - Contact: Bogumiła Warchalewska, tel. +33 3 90 21 44 84
28 May, Kyiv and online, (9 am)
Gathering together Ukrainian local authorities, their national associations and representatives of the Government and Parliament of Ukraine, the Platform for National – Local Dialogue will agree on the way forward to further strengthen collaboration between the local and central level on the implementation of the Ukrainian national Action Plan for Open Government Partnership (OGP).
Mathieu Mori, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, will open this one-day event, which will be livestreamed with interpretation in English and Ukrainian (registration link).
This event is organised jointly by the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, as part of the Open Gov Week, a global event held from 27 to 31 May 2024.
More information - Contact: Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41
28-29 May, Wroclaw (Poland)
The Council of Europe Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme will offer an anti-rumours training course for local authorities’ staff in Poland. The training will cover methodologies and tools that support local authorities in preventing and countering stereotypes and prejudices in order to manage diversity.
The training is part of an interagency initiative for cities to respond to challenges of integrating refugees and migrants in Poland.
The opening session from 9 am on 28 May will be open to the media.
More information - Agenda
Contact: Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41
28-30 May, Strasbourg
The Steering Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) will hold its plenary session in which it will review the progress of implementation of the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027).
CDENF is expected to approve a number of topical reports: Mapping Study on the rights of the child and artificial intelligence; Feasibility study on age-appropriate comprehensive sexuality education to strengthen responses for inter alia preventing and combatting violence against children, including sexual violence and harmful behaviour, and Mapping study on children’s access to quality mental health care.
In addition, the Committee will examine the concept and methodology for a thematic review of the Council of Europe Guidelines on child-friendly justice, to be completed by the end of 2027, and will hold an internal thematic exchange on “Safeguarding children from the risks of accessing online pornographic content”.
Draft annotated agenda - Contact: Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41
29 May, Strasbourg
Following Lithuania’s taking over the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers on 17 May, the Lithuanian flag will be raised in Strasbourg city centre (at 4 pm, Place Broglie). Prior to this, at 3.30 pm, a tram in the colours of Lithuania will be inaugurated at the station “Droits de l’Homme”.
Presidency website - Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 3 88 41 33 35
29 May, Madrid (5-7 p.m.)
The Centre of Political and Constitutional Studies of Spain (CEPC) and the Venice Commission will organise an event to present the Report on Bicameralism adopted by the Venice Commission in March 2024. The report analyses good practices on bicameralism based on information collected about the 61 Venice Commission member states. Co-rapporteurs Rafael Bustos (Spain) and Janine M. Otálora (Mexico) will participate in the event, which will be held in Spanish.
Registration - Contact: Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 3 90 21 47 04
29 May, online event (9 am)
Representatives of local authorities from Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine will meet in a collaborative effort to share experiences, strategies, and challenges of inclusive and human-rights approaches within government local initiatives.
This event is organised by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, as part of the Open Gov Week, a global event held from 27 to 31 May 2024.
Interpretation will be provided in English, Georgian, Romanian, and Ukrainian.
Registration - Contact: Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41
30 May, Strasbourg,
Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić will participate in the inauguration of the photo exhibition “Dream Paths - Dreaming of Croatia” on the occasion of the celebration of the Croatian Statehood Day, organised by the Permanent Representation of Croatia.
Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, tel. +33 6 86 32 10 24
30 May, Strasbourg
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will participate in a meeting of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS).
Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89
30 May, Strasbourg
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will hold a meeting with the Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity of Finland Sandra Bergqvist.
Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89
30 May, Strasbourg
The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing four judgments and/or decisions concerning Azerbaijan, Hungary and Italy.
More information – ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08
30 May, Helsinki (8 am)
Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Mathieu Mori, will open the final conference of the project “Delivering Good Governance and Balanced Local Economy in Finland”, co-funded by DG REFORM of the European Commission and the Council of Europe. The conference will present the results of the project, notably four Policy Advice on the current reform of the public administration in Finland. In addition, Finnish local authorities that have demonstrated compliance with the Principles of good democratic governance against a national benchmark will receive an ELoGE award.
More information - Contacts: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89; Tatiana Baeva-Frachon, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41
30 May, Ankara (JW Marriott Hotel)
An opening ceremony for the Cascade Trainings for Judges and Public Prosecutors on Right to a Fair Trial will be organised in the framework of EU/CoE Joint Project “Supporting the Effective Implementation of Turkish Constitutional Court Judgments in the Field of Fundamental Rights”.
Head of CoE Programme Office in Ankara William Massolin, Head of Section; Civil Society, Fundamental Rights, Judiciary and Home Affairs, Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye Alexander Fricke, President of the Justice Academy of Türkiye Muhittin Özdemir, Minister of Justice, Yılmaz Tunç and President of the Constitutional Court of Türkiye Kadir Özkaya will give opening speeches.
Contact: Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 217 202
31 May, Istanbul (Türkiye)
Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will participate in the 16th Istanbul Security Conference “Recoding Global Security”.
Contact: Päivi Suhonen, tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89
31 May, Hasselt (Belgium)
Congress Spokesperson on digitalisation and AI David Eray will participate in the 9th ICMA Europe Summit: AI and Technological Innovations in Local Government.
Contact: Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 217 202
+33 3 88 41 25 60