The Council of Europe as a promotor of human rights Council of Europe - history       Churchill’s speech in Zurich in 1946; May 1948  The Congress of Europe in The Hague; 5 May 1949  the Treaty of London; 2 different visions of Europe = CoE vs. ECSC; The European Convention on Human Rights – 4 Nov 1950; Further enlargements. CoE factfile        seat: Strasbourg, France; symbols – shared with the EU; official languages: English & French; around 200 conventions; 47 member states; 1 applicant country: Belarus, special guest status – suspended; observers: the Holy See, the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico. Aims    to protect human rights, pluralist democracy & the rule of law; to promote awareness & encourage the development of Europe's cultural identity & diversity; to find common solutions to the challenges facing European society, such as:          discrimination against minorities, xenophobia, intolerance, bioethics & cloning, terrorism, trafficking in human beings, organised crime & corruption, cybercrime, violence against children;  to consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative & constitutional reform. The Committee of Ministers      number of representatives = number of CoE member states =47; chairmanship – alternates ever 6 months; current – Sweden; decision-making body; the Foreign Affairs Ministers or their Deputies (their permanent diplomatic representatives); meetings - once a year on ministerial level, once a week on Deputies’ level; The Parliamentary Assembly       previously – the Consultative Assembly; number of seats = 636 (318 representatives + 318 their substitutes); representatives – MPs from member states; meets 4 times a year for a week-long plenary session; advisory body; President - Lluís Maria de Puig The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe      1957 - 1994  The Conference of Local Authorities of Europe; number of seats = 636 (318 representatives + 318 their substitutes); representatives hold an electoral mandate as members of a local/regional authority; 2 chambers: the Chamber of Local Authorities & the Chamber of Regions; promoter of local & regional democracy. The European Court of Human Rights   set up in 1959 by the European Convention on Human Rights; control mechanism; until reform in 1998: the European Commission of Human Rights (1954),  the European Court of Human Rights,  the Committee of Ministers.    complaints - brought by Contracting States or by individuals; steady growth of complaints  Protocol no 14. The Commissioner for Human Rights      exists since 1999; aims: promote the awareness of & respect for human rights in the member states; elected by the Parlimentary Assembly for a nonrenewable 6 years term; Protocol no 14  right to submit written comments & take part in hearings in all cases before a Chamber or the Grand Chamber; Mr Thomas Hammarberg. The Secretary General     elected by the Parliamentary Assembly for 5 years; responsible for the strategic management of the CoE works & budgest; oversees the day-to-day running of the CoE & Secretariat; Mr Terry Davis (UK). Questions?