How to better respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child in the digital environment is at the core of the new Recommendation adopted today by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. Building on international and European legal instruments, the text provides comprehensive guidelines for action by European governments. More...

European states’ current approach to the arrivals of refugees and migrants has transformed a manageable issue into an extremely divisive topic, in particular within EU member states. And it has caused immense suffering and hardship to thousands of people who sought our protection. It is time that European states put the human rights of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, as well as the principle of responsibility sharing, at the centre of their migration and asylum policies. More...

The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) has urged the Irish authorities to step up their efforts to ensure judicial independence in respect of appointments and promotion of judges. More...

The use of artificial intelligence in our everyday lives is on the increase, and it now covers many fields of activity. Something as seemingly banal as avoiding a traffic jam through the use of a smart navigation system, or receiving targeted offers from a trusted retailer is the result of big data analysis that AI systems may use. More...

From 11 to 13 July, the Council of Europe will bring together ministers and other high-ranking government representatives, criminal justice experts, and representatives from the Internet industry, civil society and data protection organisations from all over the world to step up international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime. More...

In a report published today, the Council of Europe´s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) acknowledges the progress made by Albania in implementing its recommendations to prevent corruption in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors, but it also calls for a number of improvements and for the pending reforms to be completed. More...

In a preliminary opinion published today and requested in May this year by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission commented on three legislative drafts amending existing judiciary legislation. More...

At its 30th plenary meeting, the CEPEJ completed the list of existing Council of Europe instruments in the field of mediation, in particular the Council of Europe Recommendations (Recommendation (98) 1 on family mediation; Recommendation (99) 19 concerning mediation in criminal matters ; Recommendation (2001) 9 on alternatives to litigation between administrative authorities and private parties and Recommendation (2002) 10 on mediation in civil matters) and the CEPEJ Guidelines on civil, family, penal and administrative mediation by adopting a series of concrete tools to help member states to develop the use of mediation, as well as to support mediation actors in their daily practice. More...

The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published today reports on six of its visits to Azerbaijan – in 2004, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 – together with the responses of the Azerbaijani Government. More...

The Office of the Special Representative on migration and refugees is looking for examples of good or promising practices of migration-related procedures that are child-friendly. Selected examples will be published in a compilation of good practices being prepared under the Council of Europe Action plan on protecting refugee and migrant children (2017-2019). More...