47 states and oneorganisation...

...the Council of Europe

“The Council of Europe, whose goal has always been greater unity between Europe’s demo-cracies, was founded on certain basic values – democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Peace and democracy are things we can never take for granted. It is up to today’s youngpeople to protect and promote them.

The Council of Europe enables young people to find out for themselves what democracy andcitizenship mean, helps them care about freedom and justice, and teaches them to respectother people and the things which make them different.”

Terry DavisSecretary General of the Council of Europe

Freedom, respect and justice -

key values for Europe

CONSEILDE L'EUROPE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Finding out about the Council of Europe

BBuuiillddiinngg GGrreeaattee

rr EEuurrooppee

oonn sshhaarreedd vvaalluu

eess –– aa ffeeww

kkeeyywwoorrddss::

human rights

liberty

equality

social rights

justice

democracy

tolerance

respect

diversity

TThhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee iiss ttrryyiinngg ttoo ccoommee

uupp wwiitthh tthhee aannsswweerrss oouurr ssoocciieettiieess nneeeedd

ttooddaayy oonn::

racismdiscrimination against minoritieschild welfaresocial exclusionterrorismorganised crime and corruptiondrug addictionbioethics and cloningprotection of the environment

✎✎ YYoouurr ccoouunnttrryy iiss iinn tthhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee –– wwhhiicchh mmaakkeess yyoouu ppaarrtt ooff aa

vvaasstt ffaammiillyy ooff nnaattiioonnss,, ssttrreettcchhiinngg aallll tthhee wwaayy ffrroomm IIcceellaanndd ttoo AAzzeerrbbaaiijjaann..

IInn tthhaatt aarreeaa tthheerree aarree mmiilllliioonnss ooff ootthheerr yyoouunngg ppeeooppllee wwiitthh eexxppeerriieenncceess aanndd

iinntteerreessttss ssiimmiillaarr ttoo yyoouurrss,, bbuutt wwiitthh ccoommpplleetteellyy ddiiffffeerreenntt ccuullttuurreess..

What is the Council of Europe?The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental political organisation, which was founded in 1949 and has 47member states. Its job is to guarantee democracy, human rights and justice for Europeans everywhere.The Council’s approach is based on co-operation and dialogue between the four official bodies it comprises:the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ofthe Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights.

u

t

ne

€Budget: The Council of Europe’s work is fundedby its member states, whose contributions aredetermined by their population and wealth. Thebudget for 2007 comes to 197,2 million euros.

vThe Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe’s decision-making body.The ministers concerned are the member states’ foreign ministers, who meettwice a year, while their permanent representatives in Strasbourg meet at leastonce a month. The Committee decides Council of Europe policy, draws up the workprogramme, and discusses proposals put to it by the Parliamentary Assembly andthe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. Its policydecisions are embodied in European conventions or agreements and recommen-dations to the member states.

The Parliamentary Assembly is the Council of Europe’s deliberative body (i.e.it discusses texts for adoption) and the driving force behind it. It has 636 members(318 representatives and 318 substitutes) drawn from the forty-seven memberparliaments and the guest delegations of non-member states. The politicalcomposition of each delegation reflects the balance in its home parliament. TheAssembly holds four yearly sessions in Strasbourg and a spring session in amember state. Its recommendations to the Committee of Ministers are behindmany of the Council of Europe’s achievements, and its debates play a major partin shaping the Organisation’s policy.

The Council of Europe’s

q q✎✎ TThhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee iiss,, aabboovvee aallll,, aa ssttrruuccttuurree wwhhiicchh ccaann

bbee uusseedd ttoo ttaacckkllee ssppeecciiffiicc pprroobblleemmss hheeaadd--oonn aanndd eeffffeeccttiivveellyy..

structures at a glance

Keeping pace with progressChange and innovation are important features of the social, scientificand cultural life in Europe today. However, with these changes alsocome dangers. The Council of Europe tackles these dangers bycoming up with rules and conventions to protect Europeans, as wellas adjusting its own priorities where necessary.Conventions are vital legal instruments – international treatiesbinding states to co-operate in specific areas – and the Counciluses them to make life better for Europeans everywhere.

Deciding and doingThe Council of Europe’s work relies on texts agreed between its member states – conventions,recommendations, etc. – which are used to put its ideas into practice.

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ofthe Council of Europe is the voice of local and regionaldemocracy. Its 318 representatives and 318 substitutesspeak for local and regional authorities in the member states.It has two chambers – one for local and one for regionalauthorities – and holds annual plenary sessions inStrasbourg. Its aim is to strengthen democratic structuresat local level, particularly in the new democracies.

The Council of Europe’s current Secretary General isTerry Davis (United Kingdom), elected in 2004 for a five-year term. He determines the direction of its activities andleads its 2000 staff.

q

Human rights

✎✎ IIff tthhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee iiss ffaammoouuss ffoorr aannyytthhiinngg,, iitt iiss ffaammoouuss ffoorr iittss wwoorrkk oonn hhuummaann

rriigghhttss..

Defending human rights, and trying every day to do it better, is one of the Council of Europe’s prime functions. This is what makesthe European Convention on Human Rights, adopted in 1950, so important. Its unique protection system covers the individualrights of some 800 million Europeans.

If you feel that a right guaranteed you by the European Convention on Human Rights has been violated, you can take your complaintto the European Court of Human Rights. But you must try to get justice in your own country first, using all the remedies its legalsystem provides for that purpose.

CChhiieeff aammoonngg tthhee rriigghhttss pprrootteecctteedd bbyy tthhee CCoonnvveennttiioonn aarree::

● the right

to life

● the right to

freedom

and security

● the right

to a fair

trial

● respect

for

family life

d

c

● freedom

of thought,

conscience and

religion

une

in action

TThhee EEuurrooppeeaann SSoocciiaall CChhaarrtteerrpprrootteeccttss tthhee ffoolllloowwiinngg rriigghhttss,,aammoonngg ootthheerrss::

● the right to work● the right to vocational guidance● freedom from discrimination

at work● prohibition of forced labour● the right to organise (trade unions)● equality between women and men● protection against poverty and

social exclusion

? q q

q

TThhee EEuurrooppeeaann CCoouurrtt ooff HHuummaann RRiigghhttss,, which is permanently based in

Strasbourg, has one judge for every member state. Judges sit in a personal

capacity, and not as their countries’ representatives. Applications to the Court

are initially examined by a panel of three judges, which decides whether they

are admissible. The Court sits as a seven-member chamber on most cases,

and as a grand chamber of seventeen judges on special ones.

The Commissioner for Human Rights is responsible for promotinghuman rights education and awareness, and ensuring that the memberstates respect the Council of Europe’s standards.

The European Convention against Torture protects the rights of prisoninmates, minors in special education centres, people in police or militarycustody, patients in mental institutions, etc. The members of theEuropean Committee against Torture (CPT) carry out inspections in themember states to ensure that prisoners’ rights are respected – and par-ticularly to guard against torture or degrading treatment.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance engagesin ongoing dialogue with national authorities, assessing the quality ofmember states’ anti-racist policies.

Education - key to your

✎✎ DDeemmooccrraattiicc cciittiizzeennsshhiipp,, hhuummaann rriigghhttss,, ttoolleerraannccee aanndd mmuuttuuaall rreessppeecctt -- tthheessee aarree jjuusstt

ssoommee ooff tthhee iissssuueess ccoovveerreedd iinn tthhee mmaannyy eedduuccaattiioonnaall pprrooggrraammmmeess tthhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee rruunnss

iinn iittss mmeemmbbeerr ssttaatteess..

Education for democraticcitizenshipTo live in the community, peopleneed to know their rights, face upto their responsibilities and acceptthat others are different.

The education for democraticcitizenship project helps them toapply these vital principles.

q

✎✎

● to improve

and promote ed

ucation for

everyone

● to publicise

experimental

schemes, ideas and

research pro

jects

● to promote ed

ucational li

nks and exch

anges

between member st

ates

● to secure re

cognition of

diplomas bet

ween

countries

● to disseminate

information

Goals

future! marugLLaanngguuaaggeess ffoorr eevveerryyoonnee

The Council of Europe helps its memberstates to set up new language programmesand encourages new approaches to languageteaching and teacher training.Its work in this area is co-ordinated by theModern Languages Division and theEuropean Centre for Modern Languages inGraz (Austria).

Over 200 languages

European Language Day (26 September)helps to focus public attention on themany languages spoken in Europe(over 200!) and the value of this richlinguistic heritage. It also serves toemphasise the importance of life-longlearning.

TTeeaacchhiinngg EEuurrooppeeaann hhiissttoorryy

The Council of Europe has produced a seriesof books on teaching history in Europe, givingteachers ideas for research and the class-room – plus a new approach to teaching thehistory of the twentieth century – the aimbeing to make pupils “feel European”, whilestaying open to the rest of the world.

q

rr r

Secondary school exchanges

Under this programme, uppersecondary pupils can receive grantsto cover three months’ study inanother European country. East-Westcontacts are particularly encoura-ged, and cultural exchange is theunderlying concept.

EExxppoorrttiinngg yyoouurr ddiipplloommaass

If you want to work abroad, then you need tobe sure your diplomas will be recognised.Equivalence is the key concept here, andthe Council of Europe works to make sure itis respected.

Flags, dates of accession,

member states and capitals

1949

5 M

ay

Bel

gium

, B

russ

els

Den

mar

k, C

open

hage

n

Fran

ce,

Par

is

Irel

and,

Dub

lin

Italy

, R

ome

Luxe

mbo

urg,

Lux

embo

urg

Nor

way

, O

slo

Net

herla

nds,

Am

ster

dam

Uni

ted

Kin

gdom

, Lo

ndon

Sw

eden

, S

tock

holm

9 A

ugust

Gre

ece,

Ath

ens

Turk

ey,

Ank

ara

1950

7 M

arc

h

Icel

and,

Rey

kjav

ik

13 J

uly

Ger

man

y, B

erlin

1956

16 A

pri

l

1991

26 N

ove

mber

Pol

and,

War

saw

1992

7 M

ay

Bul

garia

, S

ofia

1993

14 M

ay

Est

onia

, Tal

linn

Lith

uani

a, V

ilniu

s

Slo

veni

a, L

jubl

jana

30 J

une

Cze

ch R

epub

lic,

Pra

gue

Slo

vak

Rep

ublic

, B

ratis

lava

7 O

ctober

Rom

ania

, B

ucha

rest

1994

10 N

ove

mber

And

orra

, And

orra

-la-V

ella

1995

10 F

ebru

ary

Latv

ia,

Rig

a

13 J

uly

Alb

ania

, Tira

na

Mol

dova

, C

hisi

nau

Aus

tria

, Vie

nna

1961

24 M

ay

Cyp

rus,

Nic

osia

1963

6 M

ay

Sw

itzer

land

, B

ern

1965

29 A

pri

l

Mal

ta, V

alle

tta

1976

22 S

epte

mber

Por

tuga

l, Li

sbon

1977

24 N

ove

mber

Spa

in,

Mad

rid

1978

23 N

ove

mber

Liec

hten

stei

n, V

aduz

1988

16 N

ove

mber

San

Mar

ino,

San

Mar

ino

1989

5 M

ay

Fin

land

, H

elsi

nki

1990

6 N

ove

mber

Hun

gary

, B

udap

est

9 N

ove

mber

Ukr

aine

, K

iev

“The

form

er Y

ugos

lav

Rep

ublic

of M

aced

onia

»,

Sko

pje

1996

28 F

ebru

ary

Rus

sian

Fed

erat

ion,

Mos

cow

6 N

ove

mber

Cro

atia

, Z

agre

b

1999

27 A

pri

l

Geo

rgia

, Tbi

lisi

2001

25 J

anuar

y

Arm

enia

, Yer

evan

Aze

rbai

jan,

Bak

u

2002

24 A

pri

l

Bos

nia

and

Her

zego

vina

, S

araj

evo

2003

3 A

pri

l

Ser

bie,

Bel

grad

e*

2004

5 O

ctober

Mon

aco,

Mon

aco

2007

11 M

ay

Mon

tene

gro,

Pod

goric

a

* T

his

mem

ber

stat

e ac

cede

d or

igin

ally

as

Ser

bia

and

Mon

tene

gro

until

Jun

e 20

06.

Nature and culture – many-sided heritage

✎✎ EEuurrooppee’’ss ccuullttuurraall aanndd nnaattuurraall ttrreeaassuurreess aarree iimmmmeennssee aanndd vvaarriieedd,, aanndd eevveerryy ccoouunnttrryy mmuusstt ddoo

iittss bbiitt ttoo pprrootteecctt tthheemm.. TThhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee ccoonnttrriibbuutteess bbyy pprroommoottiinngg tthhee ccoonnttiinneenntt’’ss mmaannyy

nnaattiioonnaall ccuullttuurreess..

Europe on-screenEurimages is the Council of Europe’s support fund for films whichreflect the many facets of European society. It has 32 contributing statesand a budget of some 20 million euros.

Cultural heritage – it belongs to all of usTwin conventions on Europe’s architectural and archaeologicalheritage serve as a basis both for consolidating policies to protectthem and for making those policies more effective. They also providea legal framework for international co-operation.

Open-door heritageThe Council of Europe is behind the “European Heritage Days”scheme. Every September, over the space of a weekend, millions ofEuropeans are given a chance to visit countless museums, libra-ries, palaces, castles and monuments free of charge.

Protecting natureThe Bern Convention (Convention on theConservation of European Wildlife and NaturalHabitats) is designed to:

put a stop

to illegal

trading in

animals

protect

endangered

plant and

animal

species

prevent

protected

species from

disappearing

preserve

natural

habitats

Biodiversity is the scientists' word for the rich variety oflife-forms which surround us. Europe’s biological andlandscape diversity is increasingly at risk, and theCouncil of Europe’s Pan-European Biological andLandscape Diversity Strategy is designed to tacklethe dangers.

k aa

aa

a

ll

z

oHealth education for young peopleThe Council of Europe is concerned with young people’s health, andencourages pupils, parents and teachers to work together to promote heal-th in schools. The European Network of Health Promoting Schools(ENHPS) now covers close on forty countries and 400 000 schoolchildren.

A strategy for social cohesion

● to guarantee social protection● to fight exclusion and discrimination● to protect marginalised and vulnerable groups ● to promote equal opportunity

Preventing drug addiction

The Pompidou Group has been fighting against drug abuse andtrafficking since 1980. It is the main co-ordinating forum for action inEurope to put a stop to both. It has 34 member states and its aims are:

w

Health and social protection✎✎ TThhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee hhaass ttaakkeenn aa wwhhoollee rraannggee ooff mmeeaassuurreess ttoo pprrootteecctt hheeaalltthh aanndd ttoo

pprroommoottee ssoocciiaall ccoohheessiioonn aanndd ssoocciiaall rriigghhttss..

Security and ethics

The European Pharmacopoeia laysdown binding standards to ensure opti-mum quality of medicines and pharma-ceutical products in all the member states.

The Council of Europe has publishedguidelines on safety and standards in theorgan transplant field. It is also workingon xenotransplantation – the transferof animal organs and tissues to humans.

ed

l

u HHeeaalltthh –– aa ffaaccttoorr ffoorr

ssoocciiaall ccoohheessiioonn

● preventing

addiction

● reintegrating

addicts into

the community

● studying

the social

impact of addict

ion

✎✎ FFoorr mmiilllliioonnss ooff EEuurrooppeeaannss,, ssppoorrtt mmeeaannss hheeaalltthh aanndd eenntteerrttaaiinnmmeenntt –– bbuutt iitt ccaann aallssoo

tteeaacchh yyoouunngg ppeeooppllee aa lloott aabboouutt tteeaammwwoorrkk,, ttoolleerraannccee aanndd ffaaiirr ppllaayy.. TThhiiss iiss tthhee ttrruuee

ssppoorrttiinngg ssppiirriitt,, aanndd ttoolleerraannccee aanndd rreessppeecctt hhoolldd tthhee kkeeyy ttoo tthhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee’’ss wwoorrkk

iinn tthhiiss aarreeaa..The Committee for the Development of Sport (CDDS) prepares conventions and devises programmes to monitor sport, and it also organisesconferences of the member states’ sports ministers.

Violence and sport don’t mix

The aim of the European Convention onSpectator Violence and Misbehaviour atSports Events is to keep spectators undercontrol, particularly at football matches.

● keeping rival fans apart● controlling ticket sales● controlling alcohol consumption● making organisers accept more

responsibility● stepping up security● modifying stadiums to protect spectator

safety

Specifically, it recommends:

No doping!

The Anti-Doping Convention lists forbiddendrugs and medicines. Specifically, it providesfor tighter doping controls and better screeningtechniques.

The Council of Europe was also involved insetting up an anti-doping agency to monitorcompliance with the rules, the aim being to:

● stop doping● bring in better screening tests● make the public aware of the dangers

of doping● punish offenders

Sport for all

Sport without violence

““SSppoorrtt ffoorr AAllll””

The European Sport for All Charter and Code of Sports Ethicsstress the importance of fair play in sport – of respecting one’sopponent, win or lose, and never resorting to violence or cheating.

Sprint is a support programme for the setting-up of sportsstructures, and covers:

● sports law● loans● training of managers● promotion of sports activities

The Council of Europe works on other sport-related projects too including:

● action to promote tolerance and the sporting spirit● the setting-up of sports facilities● anti-discrimination measures● action to publicise the health and other

benefits of sport● sport and economics

l ll

Personal well-being

Respect

Tolerance

Sportingspirit

EEuurrooffiittPhysical education

= health

A battery of physicalaptitude assessmenttests for children andadolescents.

q

Young Europeans – bringing them u✎✎ TThhee CCoouunncciill ooff EEuurrooppee wwaannttss ttoo mmaakkee iitt eeaassiieerr ffoorr yyoouunngg ppeeooppllee ttoo ttrraavveell,, ddiissccoovveerr tthheeiirr

ccoonnttiinneenntt’’ss ccuullttuurraall ddiivveerrssiittyy,, mmeeeett aanndd jjooiinn iinn eexxpplloorriinngg tthhee iiddeeaallss aanndd vvaalluueess wwhhiicchh mmaakkee

ffoorr aa ddeemmooccrraattiicc ssoocciieettyy..

These activities are funded by the European Youth Foundation (EYF), which has an annualbudget of some 3 million euros.

gTwo European Youth Centres - Strasbourg and Budapest

Throughout the year, these centres run courses for youthassociation leaders, giving them a chance to meet anddiscuss the rights of the young, social exclusion,unemployment, international solidarity and countless othertopics that young people care about.

Wide-ranging activities:training courses, study sessionsintercultural language coursesseminars, symposiums, meetings of experts

Action priorities

● promoting intercultural

dialogue and peace

● human rights

education, action to

promote human dignity

and social cohesion

● participation by

young people and

democratic citizenship

● measures to increase

young people’s

geographical mobility

v

together

Youth policiesThe European Steering Committee for Youth comprisesrepresentatives of the 49 states which have signed theEuropean Cultural Convention. Its aim is to:

● advise and help young Europeans● serve as a basis for research in the youth sector● help young people to find their place in the community

participation

intercultural dialoguemobility

peacehuman rightsx

Europe by rail

The Council of Europe and the International Union of Railways(UIC) have got together and set up a fund to make traveleasier for disadvantaged young people. This covers freetravel for youth project participants who could not otherwiseafford to join in. The scheme is funded by a one-euro levy onevery Inter-Rail card (for under-26s).

respect, solidarity, justice, toleranceThe “Young Active Citizens” Prize

A special prize for innovational projects aimed at involvingyoung people in local and regional life was introduced in2002. This year, the theme of the Award is "Diversity,human rights and participation".

Youth Card

The Youth Card scheme, jointly launched by the Council ofEurope and the European Association of Youth Cards(AECJ) offers under-26s concessions on travel and a widerange of goods and services.

TTeexxtt:: Directorate of Communication

DDeessiiggnn:: The Big Family, Strasbourg

IIlllluussttrraattiioonnss:: Frédérique Cmolik

PPrroodduucceedd bbyy:: Documents and Publications

Production Department

Printed in July 2007

gMagazine"Coyote" n°5

CD-ROM “The European Convention onHuman Rights – Starting Points

for Teachers”

Educational fact sheets “Europe is more than you

think”

Kids’ brochure “The Council of Europe with

Sue and Max”

Magazine "Naturopa" n°97

Leaflet"Education for democratic

citizenship"

Youth Brochure“Young people buildingEurope – Participation,

peace and human dignity”

Youth Leaflet“Young people buildingEurope – Participation,

peace and human dignity”

Educational fact sheets “The European Convention onHuman Rights – Starting Points

for Teachers”

Leaflet" The Council of Europe

at a glance "

Leaflet“The Council of Europe

in Strasbourg”

For more info...

www.coe.int

CONSEILDE L'EUROPE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

www.coe.intFor more information on the Council of Europe see:

http://www.coe.intE-mail: infopoint@coe.int

Council of Europe Publishing:http://book.coe.int