L'Agenda

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish its annual report for 2022. Based on the CPT’s findings during visits to member states, the report examines the prevention of ill-treatment of foreign nationals deprived of their liberty in the context of forced removal at borders, so called “push-backs”, and issues specific recommendations to governments. The report also contains an overview of the CPT’s work to prevent torture and ill-treatment in places where persons are deprived of liberty across Europe over the last year.

The President of the CPT Dr Alan Mitchell and its Executive Secretary Régis Brillat will present the report at a hybrid press conference at the Council of Europe office in Brussels from 10 am.

Contacts: (Strasbourg) Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42; (Brussels) Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02

The Standing Committee (*) of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), will bring together around 60 of the Assembly’s members.

After the opening of the meeting by PACE President Tiny Kox, the President of the Senate (Eerste Kamer) Jan Anthonie Bruijn and the Vice-President of the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) Tom van der Lee will deliver welcoming addresses.

A special event will commemorate 75 years since the Congress of Europe in The Hague, with an exchange of views with Franc Weerwind, Minister for Legal Protection in the Netherlands, and Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić. Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge will also take part in the session.

On the #RoadToReykjavik: ahead of the Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government that will take place in the Icelandic capital on 16-17 May, the participants will hold an exchange of views on the future of the Organisation with President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Leendert Verbeek and other guest speakers (to be confirmed).

During the meeting, parliamentarians are also due to debate reports on European solidarity in the context of asylum and international protection; on Cultural Routes as platforms for intercultural dialogue; on promoting online education and research across national borders; and on innovative approaches to sexual and reproductive health and rights.

(*) The Standing Committee, which acts on the Assembly’s behalf between plenary sessions, is made up of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly, the chairpersons of political groups, the chairpersons of national delegations and the committee chairpersons, totalling some 60 parliamentarians from the Council of Europe’s 46 member States.

Special page - More information - Draft agenda

Contact: Estelle Steiner, tel. +33 3 88 41 33 35

17-20 March, Montenegro

– A 20-member PACE delegation, led by Joseph O’Reilly, will travel to the country to observe the conduct of the presidential election on 19 March, alongside observers from the European Parliament and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

A joint press conference is scheduled on Monday 20 March at 2.30 pm at the Hotel Ramada by Wyndham Podgorica (74 Bulevar Save Kovačevića, Lesendro conference room).

More information

20-23 March, Budapest

The Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), Leyla Kayacik will carry out a fact-finding mission to Hungary focusing on persons in vulnerable situations fleeing Ukraine, such as women, children and elderly.

The visit aims to identify the possibilities for the Council of Europe to support the authorities in coping with the challenges. Meetings are scheduled with the relevant state authorities, the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights of Hungary, representatives of international organisations and NGOs. The Special Representative will also visit a border crossing with Ukraine.

Contacts: Panos Kakaviatos, tel. +33 3 90 21 50 27; Dušan Vojnović, tel. +33 3 90 21 56 99

20-24 March, Strasbourg

– In its plenary meeting, the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) will examine, with a view to their adoption, evaluation reports assessing measures to prevent corruption and promote integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies on Azerbaijan and Portugal. It will also examine follow-up reports on the prevention of corruption among parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors on Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Poland and Ukraine.

Contact: Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 6 89 99 50 42

21 March, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 13 judgments concerning Armenia, Croatia, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania and Türkiye.

More information - ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

21-22 March, Strasbourg

The Council of Europe and the Strasbourg Group of Friends on the Safety of Journalists and Media Freedom will organise a workshop to examine ways to strengthen the support provided to Belarusian journalists in exile. It will bring together Belarusian journalists, representatives of mechanisms and professional associations supporting Belarusian journalists in exile in European countries, and partners to the Safety of Journalists Platform.

Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro and General Secretary of the European Federation of Journalists Ricardo Gutiérrez will be among the speakers at the opening.

The workshop is the first action of a list of several activities agreed in the framework of Council of Europe Contact Group on Belarus established to develop co-operation between the Council of Europe and the Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. The opening and closing sessions are open to the media.

Contacts: Jaime Rodriguez, tel.+33 3 90 21 47 04, Tatiana Baeva, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41

22 March, Paris

PACE President Tiny Kox will make a working visit to France. He will meet the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Speaker of the Senate, the Secretary of State to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for Europe, as well as the French delegation to PACE.

More information

22 March, Paris

The PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights will organise a hearing on “Allegations of systemic torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in places of detention in Council of Europe member States”, in the context of the report being prepared by Constantinos Efstathiou. The participants are Vladimir Osechkin, President of the New dissidents Foundation, founder of the Gulagu.net project; Siarhei Savelyeu, Hotline Coordinator for Gulagu.net; and Alan Mitchell, President of the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT).

The hearing, which begins at around 3 pm, will be streamed live in English via the Assembly’s YouTube channel, and a recording made available on the same link shortly after it ends.

23 March, Strasbourg

The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 38 judgments and/or decisions concerning Albania, Andorra, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Türkiye, and Ukraine.

More information - ECHR Website, tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08

23 March, Belgrade (French Embassy)

On the occasion of the second edition of the Belgrade History Education symposium “History and memory culture for Europe: 60 years of Franco-German co-operation”, participants will be discussing 60 years of Franco-German cooperation as a contribution to European unity and identify how far it can be an inspiration for multilateral cultural cooperation in South-Eastern Europe.

Ambassador of France Pierre Cochard, Ambassador of Romania and President of the Group of Francophone Ambassadors in Belgrade Silvia Davidoiu and Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade Tobias Flessenkemper will give introductory remarks.

The event will begin at 1.30 pm and the introductory part of the Symposium will be open to media upon registration no later than Wednesday, 22 March at 2 pm.

Statements to media by the seminar participants can be arranged upon request.

French-English simultaneous interpretation will be provided.

Programme - Contacts: (Strasbourg) Tatiana Baeva, tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41, (Belgrade) Marija Simić, tel. +381 63 601 337