About Council of Europe

Membership is open to all European states that recognize the rule of law and guarantee fundamental human rights and freedoms to their citizens.

The goal of the Council of Europe (hereinafter the CoE) is to achieve greater unity between its members in order to protect and implement the ideals and principles which are their common heritage and to promote their economic and social progress. The Council of Europe addresses issues that are important to its members, including crime prevention, drug abuse, the environment, bioethics and migration.

CoE is not institutionally linked to the European Union, although they both use the same flag and anthem. The Council of Europe should also not be confused with the European Council and the Council of the European Union (Council of Ministers).

The Council of Europe was established in London on 5 May 1949 by the Treaty of London and signed by the ten founding countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom). This makes it the oldest political organization in Europe.

The main statutory condition for the accession of countries to the CoE is the recognition by the candidate country of the principle of human rights, its cooperation in ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms to all persons under its jurisdiction and cooperating with other states to achieve the CoE goal.

The Council of Europe is a forum for debate on pan-European issues. It provides for intergovernmental legally binding agreements (Council of Europe conventions) to preserve the common heritage and promote economic and social progress.

One of the CoE’s greatest successes is the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which forms the basis of the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court of Human Rights is not a member of the Council of Europe, but only acts within it. The ECtHR was established through the adoption of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

The Federal Republic of Germany joined the Council of Europe in 1951, Spain in 1977, Poland in 1991, and Ukraine in 1995. On November 9, 1995, a solemn ceremony of Ukraine’s accession to the Council of Europe took place, in which a delegation of Ukraine headed by the Prime Minister of Ukraine took part.

The official languages ​​of the Council of Europe are English and French, but German, Italian and Russian are also used as working languages ​​during the sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly. Under certain conditions, translations may also be translated into other languages.

The Council of Europe Office in Ukraine officially opened on October 6, 2006. The Office promotes the Council of Europe’s mission in the country to protect human rights, support for democracy and the rule of law, and coordinates and ensures the implementation of cooperation projects and programs.

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