Editing Council of Europe (section)

== Aims and achievement ==

Article 1(a) of the Statute states that "The aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve a greater unity between its members for the purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and principles which are their common heritage and facilitating their economic and social progress."<ref>{{cite web|title=Statute of the Council of Europe|url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/001.htm|website=conventions.coe.int|access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> Membership is open to all European states who seek harmony, cooperation, good governance and human rights, accepting the principle of the rule of law and are able and willing to guarantee democracy, fundamental human rights and freedoms.

Whereas the member states of the European Union transfer part of their national legislative and executive powers to the [[European Commission]] and the [[European Parliament]], Council of Europe member states maintain their sovereignty but commit themselves through conventions/treaties ([[international law]]) and co-operate on the basis of common values and common political decisions. Those conventions and decisions are developed by the member states working together at the Council of Europe. Both organisations function as concentric circles around the common foundations for European cooperation and harmony, with the Council of Europe being the geographically wider circle. The European Union could be seen as the smaller circle with a much higher level of integration through the transfer of powers from the national to the EU level. "The Council of Europe and the European Union: different roles, shared values."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/european-union|title=The Council of Europe and the European Union|website=The Council of Europe |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240119094000/https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/european-union |archive-date= 19 January 2024 }}</ref> Council of Europe conventions/treaties are also open for signature to non-member states, thus facilitating equal co-operation with countries outside Europe.

The Council of Europe's most famous achievement is the [[European Convention on Human Rights]], which was adopted in 1950 following a report by the PACE, and followed on from the United Nations '[[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]' (UDHR).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights|website=United Nations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230060556/https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/ |archive-date= 30 December 2020 }}</ref> The Convention created the [[European Court of Human Rights]] in Strasbourg. The Court supervises compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights and thus functions as the highest European court. It is to this court that Europeans can bring cases if they believe that a member country has violated their fundamental rights and freedoms.

The various activities and achievements of the Council of Europe can be found in detail on its official website. The Council of Europe works in the following areas:

* Protection of the [[rule of law]] and fostering legal co-operation through some 200 conventions and other treaties,<ref name="auto"/> including such leading instruments as the [[Convention on Cybercrime]], the [[Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism|Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism]], Conventions against Corruption and Organised Crime,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/173|title=Full list (Details of Treaty No.173)|website=The Council of Europe Treaty Office |access-date=22 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/198|title=Details of Treaty No.198: Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism|website=Treaty Office|publisher = Council of Europe |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194322/https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/198 |archive-date= 27 December 2020 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/search-on-treaties/-/conventions/treaty/174|title=Details of Treaty No.174: Civil Law Convention on Corruption|website=Treaty Office|publisher = Council of Europe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105072336/https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/search-on-treaties/-/conventions/treaty/174 |archive-date= 5 January 2021 }}</ref> the [[Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings]], and the [[Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine|Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list|title=Full list|website=The Council of Europe Treaty Office |access-date=22 June 2022}}</ref>
* [[CODEXTER]], designed to co-ordinate counter-terrorism measures
* [[The European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ)]]
* Protection of [[human rights]], notably through:
** the [[European Convention on Human Rights]]
** the [[European Committee for the Prevention of Torture]]
** the [[European Commission against Racism and Intolerance]]
** the [[Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/t/dg2/trafficking/campaign/Source/PDF_Conv_197_Trafficking_E.pdf|title=Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and its Explanatory Report |publisher=Council of Europe |date=16 May 2005 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528112349/http://www.coe.int/t/dg2/trafficking/campaign/Source/PDF_Conv_197_Trafficking_E.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2008}}</ref>
** the [[Convention for the protection of individuals with regard to automatic processing of personal data]]
** the [[Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse]]<ref name="auto"/>
** The [[Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/210|title=Details of Treaty No.210: Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence|website=Treaty Office|publisher = Council of Europe}}</ref>
** social rights under the [[European Social Charter]]
** [[European Charter of Local Self-Government]] guaranteeing the political, administrative and financial independence of [[Local government|local authorities]].
** linguistic rights under the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]]
** minority rights under the [[Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities]]
** [[Freedom of the press|Media freedom]] under Article&nbsp;10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the [[European Convention on Transfrontier Television]]
* Protection of [[democracy]] through parliamentary scrutiny and [[election monitoring]] by its Parliamentary Assembly as well as assistance in democratic reforms, in particular by the [[Venice Commission]].
* Promotion of cultural cooperation and diversity under the Council of Europe's [[European Cultural Convention|Cultural Convention]] of 1954 and several conventions on the protection of cultural heritage as well as through its Centre for Modern Languages in [[Graz]], Austria, and its [[North-South Centre]] in [[Lisbon]], Portugal.
* Promotion of the right to education under Article&nbsp;2 of the first Protocol to the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] and several conventions on the recognition of university studies and diplomas (see also [[Bologna Process]] and [[Lisbon Recognition Convention]]).
* Promotion of fair sport through the [[World Anti-Doping Agency#Council of Europe Anti-Doping Convention|Anti-Doping Convention]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?NT=135&CM=7&DF=5/21/2008&CL=ENG|title=Details of Treaty No.135: Anti-Doping Convention|website = Treaty Office|publisher = Council of Europe}}</ref>
* Promotion of European youth exchanges and cooperation through European Youth Centres in [[Strasbourg]] and [[Budapest]], Hungary.
* Promotion of the quality of medicines throughout Europe by the [[European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines]] and its [[European Pharmacopoeia]].
{{Anchor|ICC}}
*Support for intercultural integration through the Intercultural Cities (ICC) program. This program offers information and advice for local authorities on the integration of minorities and the prevention of discrimination.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019|title=2019 ICC Brochure|url=https://rm.coe.int/brochure-2019-on-the-intercultural-cities-programme/1680488e90 |access-date=25 March 2021|website=Council of Europe}}</ref>