Ten years in partnership for human rights, democracy and the rule of law
The European Union and the Council of Europe share a mutual commitment to human rights, the rule of law and democracy. 2017 marks the 10th anniversary of their Memorandum of Understanding.
With Europe facing many challenges – populism, extremism, terrorism, xenophobia, the refugee crisis – the European Union and the Council of Europe reach out to one another on these issues and more as never before. More...
Anti-torture committee: fact sheet on immigration detention standards
The Council of Europe´s anti-torture committee (CPT) has published today a fact sheet compiling its standards on immigration detention, one of the issues where it has regularly found shortcomings during its visits to member states. More...
GRECO calls on Switzerland to develop ethical rules applicable to federal members of parliament, judges and prosecutors
In a report published today, the Council of Europe anti-corruption body (GRECO) highlights the specificities of Switzerland’s institutions which enjoy considerable public confidence. It underlines, however, that the very organisation of the system allows subtle pressure to be exerted on politicians and the judiciary. More...
Committee of Ministers reviews the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
On 7-10 March, representatives of the 47 member States of the Council of Europe held their first “Human Rights” meeting of 2017, during which they examined the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in keeping with the supervisory role of the Committee of Ministers, under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights. More...
Europe’s prison population falls, but there is no progress in tackling overcrowding, says annual Council of Europe survey
The number of people held in European prisons decreased by 6.8% from 2014 to 2015, although prison overcrowding remained a problem in 15 countries, according to the latest Council of Europe Annual Penal Statistics (SPACE), published today (SPACE I: report and summary ; SPACE II: report). More...
Venice Commission: Critical analysis of amendments to Spain’s Constitutional Court
In an opinion that has been adopted on Friday, the Council of Europe’s constitutional law experts, the Venice Commission, conclude that Spain should improve certain amendments to the Organic Law on its Constitutional Court, which attribute to the Court the task to execute its own judgments, although it also notes that these amendments do not contradict European standards. The new powers attributed to the Court include the suspension of officials refusing to implement judgments. More...
Venice Commission: Proposed constitutional amendments in Turkey would be a “dangerous step backwards” for democracy
The Council of Europe’s constitutional law experts, the Venice Commission, warn against a one-person regime in Turkey in a definitive, as-adopted, opinion on proposed constitutional amendments to be put to a referendum next month. More...
Parliamentary Assembly Monitoring Committee calls for monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened
The Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has today called for the monitoring procedure in respect of Turkey to be re-opened in order to strengthen its co-operation with the Turkish authorities and all forces in the country and thus ensure respect for fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and democracy. More...