8/8/2019 Presentation of Council of Europe

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8/8/2019 Presentation of Council of Europe

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WHO we are

The Council of Europe, based in the Palais de l’Europebuilding in Strasbourg, France, is the rst and most widelybased European political organisation.

Established in 1949 by 10 founding members, it nowcovers virtually the entire European continent with its 47member states, and has thus become a unique forumfor voicing the concerns, hopes and aspirations of 800million Europeans.

Our primary goal has always been to guarantee thedignity of the nations and citizens of Europe by enforcingrespect for our fundamental values: democracy, humanrights and the rule of law. We believe these values arethe foundations of a tolerant and civilised society andindispensable for European stability, economic growthand social cohesion.

On the basis of these fundamental values, we try to ndshared solutions to major problems such as terrorism,organised crime and corruption, cybercrime, bioethicsand cloning, violence against children and women,and trafcking in human beings. Co-operation betweenall member states is the only way to solve the majorproblems facing society today.

WHAT our goals are

The Council of Europe’s wide range of initiatives oftentake the form of conventions designed to bring memberstates’ laws into closer harmony with one another andwith the Council’s standards. There are 200 at present.The best known of these is the European Convention onHuman Rights, which outlines the rights and freedoms thatmember states are obliged to guarantee to all individualswithin their jurisdiction.

These conventions are supplemented by the manyresolutions and recommendations addressed to memberstates which play a vital role in nding solutions to ourcommon problems.

WHAT we do

HOW we work

The Committee of MinistersThis is the Council’s decision-making body and is madeup of the ministers of foreign affairs of each memberstate or their Strasbourg-based deputies. Its policies arethe basis of European conventions or agreements andrecommendations to member states.

The Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)This is the deliberative body and the driving force of theCouncil of Europe. Parliamentarians from member statesdebate policies for adoption which are submitted togovernments for action. Its members are appointed by thenational parliaments of each member state.

The Congress is the voice of Europe’s 200 000regions and municipalities and provides a forum whereelected representatives can discuss common problems,pool their experiences and develop policies. It works tostrengthen democracy and improve services at local andregional level.

The Conference of INGOs includes some 400international NGOs. It provides vital links betweenpoliticians and the public and brings the voice of civilsociety to the Council. The Council’s work benetsextensively from the INGOs’ expertise and their outreachto European citizens.

The European Court of Human RightsThis is the judicial body that guarantees human rightsfor all Europeans. It is open to states and individuals,regardless of nationality, and its jurisdiction is compulsoryfor all contracting parties.

The Commissioner for Human Rights is anindependent body responsible for promoting education,awareness and respect for human rights in member statesand ensuring compliance with the Council of Europe’sconventions and recommendations.

The Secretary General , elected by theParliamentary Assembly for a ve-year term, isresponsible for the strategic planning and direction of theCouncil’s work programme and budget and oversees theday-to-day management of the Organisation.

Our SYMBOLS

The European ag was chosen by the Council ofEurope in 1955. It displays a circle of 12 gold stars ona blue background. The number of stars is invariable,twelve being a number symbolic of per fection. The sameag was adopted by the European Community (nowEuropean Union) in 1986.

The European anthem , adopted by the Council in1972 and later by the EU, is a musical arrangement byHerbert von Karajan of the prelude to the Ode to Joy fromBeethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

But there is a difference!Although the Council of Europe and the European Unionnow both share a common ag and an anthem, their roles,functions and aims are quite distinct.The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisationwhich today has 47 member states. It is concerned primarilywith protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law.

The European Union currently has 27 members that havedelegated some of their sovereignty so that decisions onspecic matters of joint interest can be made democraticallyat European level.

No country has ever joined the European Union (EU)without rst belonging to the Council of Europe.

…the Council of Europe is a death penalty-free zone? Thanksto the determination of the Parliamentary Assembly since1985, abolition of the death penalty is now a precondition formembership of the Council of Europe.

…from the simple pill to the most sophisticated medicines,pharmaceutical products manufactured and sold in Europe aresubject to strict standards, thanks to the work of the EuropeanDirectorate for the Quality of Medicines at the Council?

…the Council of Europe was the rst organisation to enactlegislation in many elds, including the Convention on theprohibition of cloning human beings and the Convention on thesuppression of terrorism?

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