
The Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe’s statutory decision-making body. Its role and functions are broadly defined in Chapter IV of the Statute. It is made up of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of member States. The Committee meets at ministerial level once a year and at Deputies' level (Permanent Representatives to the Council of Europe) weekly. The conduct of meetings is governed by the Statute and Rules of Procedure. The Ministers’ Deputies are assisted by a Bureau, rapporteur groups, thematic coordinators and ad hoc working parties.
- Ministerial level
Sessions of the Committee of Ministers - Deputy level
Meetings of the Ministers' Deputies - Deputy level: Execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
Human Rights (DH) meetings of the Ministers' Deputies

Bureau of the Ministers' Deputies
The Bureau assists the Ministers' Deputies. It consists of six members in the English alphabetical order: the present Chair, the two previous Chairs and the three future Chairs. The Bureau has no decision-making power on questions of substance and may not substitute itself for the full Committee.

Subsidiary groups
Rapporteur groups, thematic coordinators and ad hoc working parties are informal working structures of the Ministers' Deputies and have no decision-making power. They prepare decisions for adoption by the Committee of Ministers.

Rapporteur Groups

GR-C - Education, Culture, Sport, Youth and Environment
Main activities: Education for democratic citizenship - Exchanges on the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue - Youth for Democracy - Sport and integrity - Valuing Culture, Nature and Heritage - Conferences of Ministers - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations


GR-DEM - Democracy
Main activities: Fulfilment of statutory obligations and commitments - Cooperation activities/Action plans/Pre-electoral assistance/Confidence building measures - Democratic governance - Strengthening democratic dialogue - Conferences of Ministers - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations


GR-EXT - External Relations
Main activities: Co-operation with the EU - Co-operation with the OSCE - Co-operation with the UN - Co-operation with neighbouring regions - Co-operation with observer states - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations


GR-H - Human Rights
Main activities: Enhancing the effectiveness of the ECHR system at national and European level - Implementation of the Brighton Declaration and of the Brussels Declaration - Prevention of Torture: CPT elections - Equality and diversity - Racism and intolerance: ECRI elections - Minorities - National Minorities - Bioethics - Media and Information society - Conferences of Ministers - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations


GR-J - Legal Co-operation
Main activities: Regional or Minority Languages - Independence and efficiency of Justice - Prisons and Police - Development and Implementation of common standards and policies - Corruption and threats to the rule of law - Conferences of Ministers - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations - Requests of non-member States to accede to Council of Europe conventions/partial agreements


GR-PBA - Programme, Budget and Administration
Main activities: Programme, Budget and Administration - Financial statements of the Council of Europe; annual reports of the External Auditor, Oversight Advisory Committee, Internal Auditor - Reports from technical bodies: Budget Committee, Management Board of the Pension Reserve Fund - Financial regulations - Staff regulations, Co-ordinating committee on remuneration - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations

GR-SOC - Social and Health Questions
Main activities: European Social Charter and European Code of Social Security - European Social Cohesion Platform - Promoting social inclusion and respect for human rights: Roma, Migrants - Rights of persons with disabilities - Children’s rights - Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking - European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare - Conferences of Ministers - Replies to Assembly and Congress recommendations

Thematic Co-ordinators

TC-INF - Information Policy
Mandate: to follow the Council of Europe Strategy on Internet Governance
