The assassination of a mayor who was so close to his fellow citizens, devoted to his city and to his country is tragic. Unfortunately, this crime is but an extreme example of the difficulties faced by an increasing number of local elected representatives in Europe today. More...

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, today condemned in the strongest possible terms the threats and attacks against journalists at recent demonstrations by the “yellow vest” protesters in France, noting that working conditions for the press have been steadily deteriorating over recent weeks. More...

At the expiry of the deadline for member States to propose candidates for the election of the next Secretary General of the Council of Europe, the following candidatures have been received by the Chair of the Committee of Ministers. More...

The event, which is the first of its kind, aims to help bring Greek laws and practices into line with international standards following a series of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and critical reports from the Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee (CPT). More...

Much has changed in Irish society, classrooms and educational policy over the last two decades, and the skills that today’s children need to develop have transformed, as well. Ireland’s review and redevelopment of the primary curriculum, marks an important opportunity for the country to consider how the curriculum for this phase of education can best prepare children for an uncertain future – and, importantly, build on what they learned in preschool. More...

Technology has changed the way societies function, and schools will need to adapt in order to prepare students for the technology-rich environments they will face. But the gadget-filled modern world is still relatively new, and understanding how education should respond to it is still a work-in-progress. The influence of artificial intelligence, in particular, deserves serious consideration from educators. More...

This month’s PISA in Focus takes a closer look at two components of student well-being: motivation and anxiety. Motivated students consider themselves ambitious, want top grades and want to have a broad choice of opportunities when they graduate from school. Such students tend to perform better in class, according to findings from PISA, but for some, academic success comes at the expense of greater anxiety. More...