The Council of Europe stands out in providing technical assistance to member states and partner countries in its neighbourhood based on its unique convention system and its specialised monitoring and advisory bodies. Since about 1990 its targeted co-operation programmes have supported those countries in implementing European standards and carrying out reforms guaranteeing the rights of their citizens. 

Much of the Council of Europe’s day to day work involves technical co-operation. Around 600 staff work on it directly, with more than 450 of them being placed in the sixteen Council of Europe Offices and Programme Offices from which most projects are run. At present, there are more than 300 projects covering 400 different national reforms and initiatives. They cover a broad range of areas including strengthening justice; fighting corruption and money laundering; combatting cybercrime; protecting human rights; promoting anti-discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups; promoting and protecting freedom of expression and freedom of the media, and strengthening local governments, participatory democracy and independent electoral bodies. These co-operation projects are mainly funded by voluntary contributions from member and observer states and the European Union, and through the Council of Europe ordinary budget. The European Union is the largest financial contributor and an important partner.

 How co-operation works

The methodology for change used by the Council of Europe follows a specific logic which starts with setting standards – often those contained in the Council of Europe’s conventions and other legal texts - monitoring how those standards are being met and providing technical assistance. It is an ongoing process, a ‘dynamic triangle’, with each step feeding into the next to ensure continual improvement. 

Because of the complexity of co-operation projects, the Council of Europe has developed a project management methodology to strengthen the link between the co-operation programmes and overall Council of Europe values.

Council of Europe co-operation work is set out in documents referred to as action plans, mostly tailored to specific countries to support reform agendas.  They are designed in close collaboration with national partners to address their priorities and ensure that the country’s legal framework, policies and practices are aligned with European standards. Action plans also take into account recommendations by different Council of Europe monitoring bodies.

The Council of Europe's Action Plan for Ukraine: Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction, which runs from 2023 to 2026, is the largest and most important action plan, providing Council of Europe support to the country in the wake of the ongoing Russian aggression.
It heightens the resilience of public institutions through strengthening democratic governance and the rule of law and protecting citizens’ human rights. 

Field office websites:

 Partnership

The European Union is the main institutional partner for the Council of Europe in political, legal and financial terms. The importance of this co-operation in providing targeted support to beneficiaries on the ground was recognised by European leaders at the Council of Europe’s 2023 Reykjavik Summit when they committed the organisation to further strengthening work in this area, underscoring the importance of joint programmes between the European Union and the Council of Europe as a key expression of their strategic partnership and commitment to promoting common values.

The two organisations jointly run programmes specifically tailored to support domestic reforms in various areas, including human rights, justice, equality and the fight against economic crime.

This work includes large-scale co-operation frameworks, such as the  Partnership for Good Governance, which aims to promote stronger governance and rule of law and to improve the lives of citizens in countries of the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine); the EU/Council of Europe Joint Programme Horizontal Facility , which covers Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye to help them meet European  standards with reforms in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy  - a priority for the EU enlargement process, and the Joint Programme South Programme, which supports democratic reforms in the Southern Mediterranean through the establishment of a common legal space between Europe and this region.

 


 

*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.