Council of Europe

Council of Europe (CE), organization of European states, established with the aim of achieving a greater unity among its member nations on the basis of their common traditions of political liberty, rather than their geographical location. The Council began operating in August 1949 after the signing in May that year of the Statute of the Council of Europe by the foreign ministers of the founding countries. In addition to the 10 original member countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden), 36 other countries have been admitted to full membership of the council: Greece (1949, withdrew 1969-1974); Iceland, Turkey, and Germany (1950); Austria (1956); Cyprus (1961); Switzerland (1963); Malta (1965); Portugal (1976); Spain (1977); Liechtenstein (1978); San Marino (1988); Finland (1989); Hungary (1990); Poland (1991); Bulgaria (1992); Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania (1993); Andorra (1994); Albania, Latvia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, and Ukraine (1995); Croatia and Russia (1996); Georgia (1999); Armenia and Azerbaijan (2001); Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002); Serbia and Montenegro (2003); and Monaco (2004). Following the independence of Montenegro in 2006, Serbia remained in the Council and Montenegro applied for separate membership. There are three observers to the Parliamentary Assembly—Canada (1997), Israel (1957), and Mexico (1999)—and five observers to the Committee of Ministers—Canada (1996), Japan (1996), Mexico (1999), the United States (1996), and the Vatican (1970).

The council consists of an executive body (the Parliamentary Assembly), the Committee of Ministers (the foreign ministers of the member states), and the consultative assembly consisting of individuals selected by the national parliaments of the member states (Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe—CLRAE—which in 1994 replaced the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe).

The powers of the Council of Europe are purely advisory. Each member retains full national sovereignty, and resolutions adopted by the consultative assembly must have majority approval of the committee of ministers before being referred to the national legislatures of the member states. The council does, however, serve as a useful forum in which urgent European and world issues may be discussed and possible solutions may be aired in terms of their effects on the member nations.

In working towards the goal of a united Europe, the council has served as an instrument for initiating and drafting multilateral pacts designed to unify the activities of European nations in such matters as protection of human rights, the establishment of cultural and educational standards, and the easing or elimination of travel restrictions. The council established a commission in 1950 and a court in 1959 to enforce the rights outlined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950). These include the rights to a fair wage, to strike, and to social security, including social and medical assistance if it is needed. A Council summit was convened in 1993 in Vienna to address the issues raised by the fall of the Iron Curtain and the opening up of the former European Communist bloc; a controversial Council resolution supporting limits on the freedom of the press was also passed in 1993. In 1997 the leaders of the Council member states met for the second summit in its history to reinforce and extend its human rights role, confirming the mandate of its human rights court and appointing a human rights mediator.

Initially, the Council was a strictly European institution; non-European states were not permitted to join, although countries with territories that extend into Asia, such as Russia and Turkey, were accepted as members. In the late 1990s, though, the scope of the organization was broadened with the acceptance of Georgia (1999) and, later, Armenia and Azerbaijan (2001).

The council has also directed its efforts towards economic integration of the various European states. The council initiated programmes for the reduction of tariffs and the elimination of other barriers to trade, actions that were influential in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Free Trade Association, and the European Community, now known as the European Union.

The committee of ministers and the consultative assembly meet annually in joint session at the headquarters of the council in Strasbourg in France. The two groups may also be convened separately to deal with special issues.