Documents of the Council of Europe
On behalf of the Council of Europe’s various bodies, experts from different fields of expertise are constantly drawing up a multitude of reports, studies, recommendations, etc.
These documents are meant to offer European societies relevant insights regarding topical issues. In the hope of making living together easier for everyone, they also provide standards of conduct, regarding the issues in question.
Purpose: Promoting Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law
Entity: Intergovernmental Organisation
Founding year: 1949
Member states: 46
Based in: Strassburg/France
Working languages: EN, FR
Secretary General: Alain Berset
Decision-making body: Committee of Ministers (=Foreign ministers of the member states)
Consultative bodies: Parliamentary Assembly; Congress of Local and Regional Authorities; Conference of INGOs; Commissioner for Human Rights
Main legal instrument: European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)
Legal basis: European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) plus more than 200 Conventions, Additional Protocols and Partial Agreements
Ordinary annual budget: € 385mio
(of which Court: € 85 mio)
