The Council of Europe´s annual Conference of Directors of Prisons and Probation Services is discussing in Lillestrøm (Norway) on 20 and 21 June ways to improve the recruitment, training and professional development of their staff. More...

The Lanzarote Committee of the Council of Europe has embarked on a new monitoring round under its Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“the Lanzarote Convention”). The new round will focus on protecting children against sexual exploitation and abuse facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICTs). More...

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) today published an assessment of the Code of Conduct for Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in which it identifies significant shortcomings and points out the need for a number of improvements. More...

A strong surge of nationalistic populism, continued efforts to integrate migrants, and the response of European states to the continued Islamist terror attacks that struck Europe in 2016 were the main developments identified by the Council of Europe’s anti-racism commission (ECRI) in its annual report published today. More...

The prevention and suppression of smuggling of migrants in Europe and its severe implications for human rights pose complex legal challenges. Facilitated by criminal networks, the smuggling of migrants generates huge profits for the offenders involved. The life, freedoms and safety of smuggled migrants are put at risk. More...

On the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, the Council of Europe’s drug policy experts, The Pompidou Group, highlight the vulnerability  and the role of women in the drug trade at a two-day seminar in Rome. More...

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, has decided to amend its Rules of Procedure and to institute a procedure to bring into play the institutional accountability of holders of elective offices within the Assembly and “to dismiss them during their term of office”. More...

In its annual report, published today, GRECO provides a review of its 49 member states action against corruption in 2016, and points out that countries too often over-rely on the repressive aspects of fighting corruption and underestimate the effectiveness of preventive mechanisms, which often do not exist or are too weak. More...

A new institute committed to establishing the artistic and cultural presence of Europe’s 12 million Roma people was launched today in Berlin – dedicated to the principle that Roma themselves should present the image of who they are, and who they are not. More...

The Decisions adopted in cases subject to more detailed examination concern Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovenia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. More...