We closely follow the situation ahead of the 30 June local elections in Albania, which should be conducted in line with all the relevant international obligations and standards for democratic elections, as well as with national legislation. More...

In its report on corruption prevention in respect of top executive functions and law enforcement agencies in North Macedonia, Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) calls on the Government to increase transparency of its work and to de-politicise the country’s police force (see also the Macedonian version of the report). More...

PACE has listed a series of “serious concerns” over the investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and demanded the setting up of an independent public inquiry into her death within three months. More...

The Assembly today elected Marija Pejčinović Burić (Croatia) Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 2019. More...

PACE has voted to ratify the credentials of the Russian delegation after they were challenged on substantial grounds on the second day of its plenary session in Strasbourg, declaring that it remained “committed to dialogue as a means of reaching lasting solutions”. More...

“Portugal has owed the Council of Europe a permanent inspiration since 1976, on which our democratic consensus has largely been based, which requires a long-term commitment, a permanent requirement of institutions and citizens,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, speaking today before the Assembly. More...

My experience as your Human Rights Commissioner has only confirmed these findings and the vicious circles caused by a coercion-based mental health approach. More...

PACE today reaffirmed “its firm support” for the Istanbul Convention, “the most advanced and comprehensive international legal instrument on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence”. According to the Assembly, this Convention – entered into force on 1 August 2014, ratified by 34 member States and signed by 11 others and the EU – has already had a tangible impact, as higher legislative and policy standards have been introduced in national law in several member States, and it has raised awareness among victims and society in general. More...

In its annual report, GRECO reviews action taken by its 49 member states against corruption in 2018, notably in respect of MPs, judges and prosecutors, as well as its most recent evaluation round focusing on preventing corruption in central governments and law enforcement agencies. More...

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided that its members’ “rights to vote, to speak and to be represented in the Assembly and its bodies shall not be suspended or withdrawn in the context of a challenge to or reconsideration of credentials”. More...