Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international organization founded in 1949 to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law across Europe. It is distinct from the European Union.

European Convention on Human Rights: A 1950 treaty that sets out civil and political rights protected by Council of Europe member states. It is the organization’s central human-rights treaty and the legal basis for the European Court of Human Rights.
Statute of the Council of Europe: The 1949 treaty that established the Council of Europe and defines its aims and institutions. It is the founding instrument and sets out the organization’s commitment to pluralist democracy and human rights.
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: A Council of Europe treaty that protects and promotes regional and minority languages. It translates cultural and linguistic diversity into specific state commitments.
European Union: A political and economic union of 27 European states with shared institutions and binding law. It is a separate organization with deeper economic integration and a different membership.
European Court of Human Rights: An international court that rules on alleged violations of the European Convention on Human Rights. Individuals and states can bring cases against member states under the convention.
Treaty of London: The treaty signed in London on 5 May 1949 that created the Council of Europe. Its signature by ten states formally launched the organization.
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities: A treaty establishing standards for protecting people belonging to national minorities. It gives the organization a monitoring framework for minority rights beyond individual court cases.
European Commission: The European Union’s executive institution, responsible for proposing legislation and enforcing EU law. Despite the shared word “European,” it is not part of the Council of Europe.
Committee of Ministers: The Council of Europe’s decision-making body, composed of foreign ministers or their representatives from member states. It supervises states’ execution of final European Court of Human Rights judgments.
Robert Schuman: A French statesman who served as foreign minister and helped advance postwar European cooperation. He backed the creation of a European organization grounded in democracy and human rights.

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