The Council of Europe protects and promotes three core values<\/a><\/em><\/strong>: human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, democracy and the rule of law. It is, therefore, often called Europe’s “human rights watchdog”.<\/div> The establishment of democratic structures based on the rule of law as well as the political culture that goes with it is a time-consuming process which requires patience. Often, it takes more than a single generation to familiarise people thoroughly with the values behind these structures and the behavioural patterns which sustain them. For this reason, the Council of Europe is considered to be Europe’s “School of Democracy”.<\/p>\n Today, the Council of Europe has 46 member States. It counts all European countries among its members as well as countries from the outer edges of the continent like Turkey or Azerbaijan. Belarus could not be accepted as a member State because of its continuing violations of human rights; the Russian Federation had been a member State for 26 years but was excluded from the organisation in March 2022 due to the war on Ukraine. All member states have equal rights; they can each cast one vote when balloting and take turns chairing the Committee of Ministers<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the organisation’s decision-making body, for six months at a time.<\/p>\n Beside the Committee of Ministers as the decision-making body, the Council of Europe has several consultative bodies<\/a><\/em><\/strong> at its disposal: The Parliamentary Assembly<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is seen as the organisations “engine”. Its delegates come from all member states and are elected members of parliament in their respective countries. The delegates in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities<\/a><\/em><\/strong> come from all member states and are elected members of local or regional political bodies there. The Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations<\/a><\/em><\/strong> unites more than 400 internationally operating non-governmental organisations from all areas of civil society. The Commissioner for Human Rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> works independently towards protecting human rights and raising public awareness for them in all member states. Lead by a Secretary General, a Secretariat<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, made up of more than 2\u2019500 in part highly specialised professionals from all member states, coordinates all activities of the organisation.<\/p>\n The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> is an international treaty<\/a><\/em><\/strong> created by the Council of Europe. It entered into force in 1953 and protects the human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and fundamental freedoms of every person in every member state of the Council of Europe. All member states have ratified<\/a><\/em><\/strong> the ECHR and are, therefore, legally bound by this treaty. The ECHR is a unique legal instrument. In terms of civilisation, it is considered one of the most important achievements in Europe after the Second World War.<\/p>\n In order to make sure that any violation of the demands specified in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> could be brought up before a court, the Council of Europe established a unique instrument in 1959: The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. Every human being within the jurisdiction of a Council of Europe member state who considers his human rights<\/a><\/em><\/strong> violated by the state is free to lodge a complaint, after having exhausted all national remedies.<\/p>\n With the purpose of protecting and promoting its core values<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, the Council of Europe has created more than 200 treaties & monitoring mechanisms<\/a><\/em><\/strong> as well as partial agreements<\/a><\/em><\/strong> and further instruments<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. The organisation’s activities include campaigns<\/a><\/em><\/strong>, on-topic action<\/a><\/em><\/strong> as well as the publication of information documents<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. Furthermore, the Council of Europe provides its member states with platforms<\/a><\/em><\/strong> for discussion.<\/p>\n The ordinary annual budget of the Council of Europe for the year 2026 is \u20ac 418.4 million. The organisation is funded by its member states. Their respective annual contribution is based on a formula that takes into account population and Gross Domestic Product. The biggest contributors are France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. In addition to the ordinary budget there are extra budgetary resources, including voluntary contributions by the member States as well as contributions to Joint Programmes with other organisations or institutions such as, for example, the European Union.<\/p>\n The Council of Europe and the European Union are two different institutions: The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organisation with 46 member States, founded in 1949; the European Union is a supranational union of 27 member States, which traces its roots back to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) an exists in its current form since 1993. <\/p>\n
\nThe Council of Europe – an intergovernmental organisation for the protection of human rights<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europewatchdog.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/COE01.jpg\")
<\/a><\/div><\/div>
\nMember states<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nStructure<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nThe European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR)<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nFurther instruments<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nBudget and Financing<\/b><\/p>\n
\nCouncil of Europe and European Union<\/strong><\/p>\n