15 years Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog

Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog is celebrating its 15th anniversary, but we are not really in a festive mood after the Russian Federation had to be expelled from the Council of Europe a few weeks ago: the photos of the Russian flag in front of the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg being taken down are too…

Council of Europe excludes Russia

A comment on the exclusion of the Russian Federation Today is a sad day: after 26 years, the people in Russia lose the protection of their most basic human rights, as guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights ECHR, as well as access to the European Court of Human Rights. The Council of Europe…

New Secretary General

Today Marija Pejčinović Burić (Croatia) starts her five-year term as Secretary General of the Council of Europe. She is only the second woman after Catherine Lalumière (France, 1989-1994) to hold this position in the history of Europe’s oldest and largest intergovernmental organisation, founded 70 years ago to protect and promote the three core values: human…

10 years Europe’s Human Rights Watchdog

When I checked the internet in 2005 for information on the Council of Europe within the framework of a research project, I was in for a surprise: There was very little info available in English & French (and virtually none in German) on Europe’s oldest and largest intergovernmental human rights organisation! Of course, to a…

Quiz: Champ or chimp?

Are you comfortably committed to the European Committee – or do you need counselling on the Council of Europe and the European Council? Test yourself and find out if you can follow a discussion on “foreign” judges or if your knowledge makes you fit for the regular’s table at best. Twice the number of questions…

“Ida” wins Academy Award

Once again, a film supported by Eurimages – the Council of Europe’s film fund – wins an Academy Award for best foreign language film. In this Polish-Danish co-production in black and white, Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski tells a story of religion, ideology and persecution: Anna, an orphan, lives in Poland in the Sixties and is…