Council of Europe

Council of Europe, organization of European states, established in 1949 to achieve a greater unity among the member nations on the basis of their common traditions of political liberty. The Council of Europe has ten original member nations, including Belgium, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The council has also admitted 36 other countries: Turkey (1949); Greece (1949, withdrew 1969-1974); Iceland (1950); Germany (1951); 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); Latvia, Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, and the “former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” (1995); Russia and Croatia (1996); Georgia (1999); Armenia and Azerbaijan (2001); Bosnia and Herzegovina (2002); Serbia and Montenegro (2003); and Monaco (2004). After Montenegro declared its independence in 2006, Serbia remained in the council and Montenegro applied for separate membership. The headquarters of the council are in Strasbourg, France.

The council consists of two main bodies—the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly. The Committee of Ministers is the decision-making body of the council and also serves as a forum for debate. It is made up of the foreign ministers of the member states and meets at least twice a year. The ministers’ deputies meet monthly to carry out day-to-day business of the committee. The Parliamentary Assembly consists of 239 representatives and an equal number of alternates, all chosen from the parliaments of the member nations. The assembly, which meets four times a year, is responsible for making recommendations to the Committee of Ministers. It also provides a forum for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, World Bank, and several other agencies of the United Nations. Any resolutions adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly must have majority approval of the Committee of Ministers before being referred to the national legislatures of the member states. A third organization, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), primarily works to strengthen the ties between the council and its local and regional authorities. It has 239 representatives and the same number of alternates drawn from a pool of local and regional authorities.

The powers of the Council of Europe are purely advisory; each member nation retains full sovereignty. The council serves as a useful forum in which urgent European and world issues may be discussed and possible solutions aired.

In working toward the goal of a united Europe, the council has served as an instrument for initiating and drafting pacts designed to unify the activities of European nations in such matters as protecting human rights, establishing social and educational standards and preserving European culture. It has also helped craft pacts on easing or eliminating travel restrictions, protecting the environment, and promoting democracy and free speech. The council established a commission in 1950 and a court in 1959 to enforce the rights outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights (1950). These include the rights to a fair wage, the right to strike, and the right to social security, including social and medical assistance if it is needed.

The council has also directed its efforts toward promoting economic integration of the various European states. The council initiated programs to reduce tariffs and eliminate other barriers to trade. The council’s actions were influential in establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Free Trade Association, and the European Community, now known as the European Union. The council has also helped central and European nonmember nations move toward democracy, which is seen as another major step toward European integration. The Parliamentary Assembly often invites parliamentary delegates from these nonmember nations to its meetings to better prepare them for full membership in the council.