Poland and the Council of Europe - bringing human rights from the conference table to your kitchen table

The Council of Europe works for you. We want to give visibility to the role, standards and work of the Council of Europe in its member states, to show how Council of Europe membership has helped achieve particular results or changes. Our aim, through a variety of events and actions, is to highlight ways in which the Council of Europe’s action has helped improve the life of individuals and contributed to improving people’s enjoyment of fundamental rights.

 

Jerzy Baurski,  Ambasador, Stały Przedstawiciel Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej przy Radzie Europy


Whether it is the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights at national level, or the Council of Europe's work in many fields, such as working to abolish the death penalty or to ensure freedom of expression and freedom of the media, or to adress online and technology-facilitated violence against women through the Istanbul Convention and Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, the Council of Europe has achieved a lot since 1949. View achievements »

Events

16-18 March 2026

  • The Minister of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Poland, Mr Andrzej Domański hosted the 59th annual Joint Meeting of the Governing Board and the Administrative Council of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) in Warsaw, Poland. The event coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Bank’s establishment. As part of the celebrations marking the Bank’s 70th anniversary, a series of panel discussions were held, focusing on the implementation of innovation and investment in social projects. The topics covered in these panels provided food for thought on the importance of social investment in Europe. During the Joint Meeting, on March 16th, Minister Domański emphasised in his speech the significance of cooperation with the CEB for Poland and for Europe.

17 November 2025

  • The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with domestic and foreign partners organised the 16th edition of the Warsaw Human Rights Seminar. This year’s edition had a focus on migration and asylum. The seminar combined reflection with action: honouring the Convention’s legacy while navigating today’s human rights challenges. By placing human rights and migration at its centre, the event accentuated the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights as essential actors in guiding states through difficult decisions. Read more:

Warsaw Human Rights Seminar: Protecting human rights and democracy in challenging times

Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski opens 16th Warsaw Human Rights Seminar

4 November 2025

  • On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Ministry of Justice published an information regarding significance of this document of the paramount significance for all Europeans. The information included answers on the common asked questions: Why Poland acceded to the Convention? What is the impact of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights on the Polish legal system?
  • The publication is accompanied by a social media campaign.

13 October 2025

International Conference „Parliamentary democracy and legislation in the era of artificial intelligence. A European perspective.”

  • The event brought together representatives of the Polish parliament, experts and delegates from European institutions i.a. President of PACE, Theodoros Rousopoulos and members of the Polish delegation to PACE. 
  • The panel discussion covered topics such as the use of artificial intelligence for the public good in the context of innovation, the labour market, the digital society, public administration, medicine and parliamentary work. The debate focused on combating hybrid threats and strengthening social resilience.

2025 Articles in the Polish parliamentary journal on current affairs in the Council of Europe (Kronika Sejmowa).

  • The articles concerned mainly PACE and Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’ sessions as well as other important issues related to work of the Council of Europe. This publication is addressed not only to parliamentarians, but also reaches central offices and many state institutions. It is also sent to embassies in Poland and abroad, press agencies, magazine editors, foundations, universities, public libraries and schools.

18-19 November 2024

July-August 2024

  • Information campaign in Polish language on the X platform on important Council of Europe conventions.

14-16 April 2024

  • « 75 years of influence of the Council of Europe on shaping the European legal space in the areas of democracy, rule of law and protection of human rights»  international human rights conference at the Sejm of the Republic of Poland: The inaugural ceremony of the conference will include addresses by: Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Poland, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska; Deputy Ombudsman of Ukraine, Dr Valeri Vachev; Secretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski; Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice, Dr Krzysztof Śmiszek; Chairman of the Committee on Legal Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Robert Grzeszczak (University of Warsaw). Main sessions will be devoted to: The influence of the Council of Europe on shaping the European legal space in the area of human rights protection; The influence of the Council of Europe on shaping the European legal space in the area of democracy and the rule of law; The influence of the Council of Europe on the process of European integration; The evolution of the role of the Council of Europe in the system of European international organisations. See Call for papers.

22 November 2023

  • The resurgence of Polish city of Łódź honouring its industrial heritage. The Polish city of Łódź hosted the 12th Annual Advisory Forum of the Council of Europe´s Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, and took the opportunity to show its transformation as a city on the European Route of Industrial Heritage.  A post-industrial town, Łódź has become a colourful example of how to harness history to secure investment, modernise infrastructure and build new attractions to the benefit of people who live in the city and those who visit it.  Read more.

 

 

 Telling the story