Working together for freedom
A changing composition and role
The
Council of Europe in the European institutional landscape
How the Council of Europe works
Practical activities
with tangible results
Priorities for co-operation
Special
programmes of co-operation with the new democracies
The 40 member states of Council of Europe
European Convention on the Legal Status of
Migrant Workers
European Convention on Social Security
Protocol to the European Convention on
Social Security
Supplementary Agreement for the Application
of the European Convention on Social Security
European Interim Agreement on Social
Security Schemes Relating to Old Age, Invalidity and Survivors
European Interim Agreement on Social
Security Other than Schemes for Old Age, Invalidity and Survivors and Protocol Thereof
European Social Charter
European Code of Social
Security
Protocol to the European Code of Social
Security
Statute of Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation based in the French city of Strasbourg. Its main role is to strengthen democracy, human rights and the rule of law throughout its member states. The defence and promotion of these fundamental values is no longer simply an internal matter for governments but has become a shared and collective responsibility of all the countries concerned.
The Council of Europe is also active in enhancing Europe's cultural heritage in all its diversity.
Finally, it acts as forum for examining a whole range of social problems, such as social exclusion, intolerance, the integration of migrants, the threat to private life posed by new technology, bioethical issues, terrorism, drug trafficking and criminal activities.
The Council of Europe was established by 10 countries in the wake of the Second World War, with the signing of its Statute in London on 5 May 1949. For the first forty years of its life it remained a west European institution. In this regard, its history reflects that of the continent as a whole. At the end of this period, which was marked by the return to the European democratic fold of a number of countries which had formerly had authoritarian regimes, the institution numbered 23 members. It had established a significant body of standards and co-operation agreements. At a time of great stability in Europe, its political role remained fairly modest.
Since 1989, the Council of Europe has become the main political focus for co-operation with the countries of central and eastern Europe, as and when these have opted for a democratic form of government. It now has 40 members. It was given an increased role by the Vienna summit in October 1993, where the member states recognised how important it was for security and stability in Europe that all its countries should accept the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Under that general concern for democratic security, the Council of Europe has laid down a series of common principles governing the protection of national minorities, actively supported the democratic transition process and strengthened its machinery for monitoring its members' respect for their undertakings. The Strasbourg Summit of October 1997 fixed new priorities for co-operative efforts which will now benefit some 800 million Europeans. Fostering social cohesion and protecting citizen security more effectively are two of the main emphases. Others include promoting human rights - the establishment of a single, permanent Court on 1 Novembre 1998 will be an important part of this - strengthening democracy and responding to the major cultural and educational challenges which Europe faces today.
The Council of Europe was the first international organisation to be founded in Europe after the Second World War, but has since been joined by numerous other institutions. As far as possible, their activities complement and mutually reinforce each other. The main organisations the Council is required to work with are the European Union and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe - the OSCE (*).
Its Assembly Chamber also accommodates sessions of the European Parliament and will continue to do so until 1998. In practice, the Council of Europe and the European Community, known since the Treaty of Maastricht as the European Union in order to emphasise its political as well as economic role, are profoundly different institutions, even though the Union's fifteen members are also part of our organisation, where they play a leading role.
The OSCE comprises all the Council of Europe's member states, together with the United States, Canada and the Asian republics which were formally part of the old Soviet Union. Its main field is preventive diplomacy, though it is also concerned with the functioning of democracy and institutional reform.
Regular high level contacts, joint initiatives and even common programmes with one or other of these institutions have become standard practice.
The Council of Europe comprises:
- a decision making body: the Committee of Ministers
- a deliberative body: the Parliamentary Assembly
- a voice for local democracy: the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
In exceptional circumstances, political impetus for the organisation may come from a summit of its member countries' heads of state and government. This occurred with the Vienna summit in 1993 and the Strasbourg Summit in 1997.
The various bodies are assisted by an International Secretariat of some 1500 officials from all the member countries. They are headed by a Secretary General whose is elected by the Parliamentary Assembly for a five year term.
The Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers is made up of the ministers for foreign affairs of the 40 member states. It meets twice a year in ordinary sessions and may hold special or informal meetings. Its Chair changes every six months according to the member countries' alphabetical order.
The Ministers' Deputies meet at least once a month. They draw up the Council of Europe's activities programme and adopt its budget, which today amounts to some 1 300 million French francs. It also decides what follow-up should be given to proposals of the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the specialist ministerial conferences that the Council of Europe regularly organises.
The Parliamentary Assembly
The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly is made up of 286 representatives and the same number of substitutes from the parliaments of the member states. Each delegation's composition reflects that of its parliament of origin.
The Parliamentary Assembly hold four plenary sessions a year. Its debates on a wide range of social issues and its recommendations to the Committee of Ministers have been at the root of many of the Council of Europe's achievements.
The Parliamentary Assembly has instituted a special guest status, which has enabled it to play host to representatives of the parliaments of non-member states in central and eastern Europe, paving the way to these countries' eventual accession.
The Assembly plays a key role in the accession process for new members and in monitoring compliance with undertakings entered into.
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe
The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe, like the Parliamentary Assembly, has 286 representatives and 286 substitutes. It is composed of two chambers, one representing local authorities and the other regions. Its function is to strengthen democratic institutions at the local level, and in particular to assist the new democracies.
The Council of Europe sets out to harmonise its member states' policies and encourage the adoption of common practices and standards. To achieve this, it brings together at various levels parliamentarians, ministers, government experts, local and regional elected members, representatives of youth movements and international non-governmental organisations - INGOs (*), thus enabling them to share their expertise and experience.
More than 160 European conventions (*) - the equivalent of more than 10 000 bilateral treaties - serve as a basis for reforming and harmonising member states' legislation on such diverse subjects as protecting computerised data, spectator violence at sports events, nature conservation, the media, cultural co-operation, preventing torture and protecting minorities.
For issues that do not lend themselves to conventions, the Committee of Ministers adopts recommendations (*) to governments on what line of action to take.
The Council of Europe has also established a range of authorities and institutional machinery, arising from its international treaties. The European Court of Human Rights is the most noteworthy example.
The following are worthy of particular mention:
The European Convention on Human Rights is designed to protect individuals' fundamental rights and freedoms. The Council of Europe has instituted a judicial procedure which is unique in the world and which allows individuals to bring actions against governments, if they consider that they are the victims of a violation of the Convention.
The existing two level system, in which complaints are dealt with first by the European Commission and then by the European Court of Human Rights will shortly be replaced by a single and permanent Court; this will be more rapid and effective and complainants will have direct access to the Court.
The European Social Charter has led to legal reforms in such areas as the family, the protection of young workers, trade union rights and social insurance. It lays down twenty-three fundamental rights.
The Convention for the Prevention of Torture provides for an independent committee with the power to make unannounced visits to places of detention throughout Europe.
The European Cultural Convention forms the basis for intergovernmental co-operation in the fields of education, culture, Europe's heritage, sport and youth activities.
The Council of Europe also adopts partial agreements (*) - a more flexible form of co-operation which allow a number of member states, with the agreement of the others, to undertake a particular activity in which they have a shared interest or concern. There are partial agreements in such areas as the prevention of drug trafficking, the establishment of a European Pharmacopoeia and the prevention of major disasters. One agreement has set up a Social Development Fund which grants significant loans to member states, particularly for low rent housing and infrastructure projects.
The Council of Europe's activities have an impact on all aspects of its citizens' lives. Its programme of activities focuses on a number of crucial social issues:
- Human Rights: extending the safeguards provided by the European Convention on Human Rights, speeding up the judicial procedure and adding to the list of rights, particularly those of persons belonging to national minorities;
- The media and communication: encouraging freedom of expression and the free circulation of information;
- Social and economic issues: establishing guidelines for achieving greater social justice in Europe and better protection for the most vulnerable members of the community and the socially excluded;
- Education: transmitting democratic values to young people and preparing them for life in a multilingual and multicultural Europe;
- Culture and heritage: developing a European cultural identity and drawing up heritage protection policies;
- Sport: promoting sport for all and drawing up rigorous ethical principles;
- Environment: helping to defend the natural environment and organising information campaigns such as "1995: European Nature Conservation Year";
- Local and regional authorities: strengthening the democratic process and organising local and regional co-operation;
- Legal issues: modernising and harmonising national legislation; recent topics include how to combat corruption, the law on nationality and bioethics.
The Council of Europe has instituted programmes of co-operation and assistance for the countries of central and eastern Europe carry through their democratic reforms, bring their legislation into line with , to help them the European Convention on Human Rights and become full partners in the organisation's activities. These programmes give priority to work on the ground.
Certain programmes receive partial joint funding from the European Union.