(overview information reference)

http://www.coe.int/ru/web/portal/home 

http://www.conventions.coe.int/?lg=ru

The Council of Europe (CoE) was established on May 5, 1949.  

The tasks of the CoE - coordination of the legislation of member states to ensure the norms of liberal democracy, as outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights (1950) and the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1953).

The headquarters of the CoE is located in Strasbourg, French Republic.

The Council of Europe is a purely European organization that does not practice the extension of membership to other continents (with the exception of the Republic of Turkey, part of which is outside Europe).

As of December 2011, the Council of Europe includes 47 states.

The main statutory bodies of the Council of Europe are the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly.

The Committee of Ministers (CM) is the governing body. It consists of the Foreign Ministers of the member states of the Council of Europe or their permanent representatives.

The Committee of Ministers determines the directions of the Council of Europe's activities, considers and adopts decisions on recommendations made by the Parliamentary Assembly, proposals from intergovernmental committees, and conferences of sectoral ministers. The Committee of Ministers approves the program of activities of the Council of Europe and its budget.

Decisions of the Committee of Ministers are transmitted to the governments of the member states of the Council of Europe as recommendations or as European conventions and agreements for consideration regarding participation in them.

To date, more than 160 conventions and agreements have been developed, which are a concrete result of the Council of Europe's activities. The Committee also adopts declarations or resolutions on political issues.

The presidency of the CM is carried out on a rotating basis in alphabetical order.

Within the Committee of Ministers, there are groups of rapporteurs on the following issues:

- democracy;

- administrative and budgetary aspects;

- education, culture, sports, youth, and the environment;

- social protection and health;

- cooperation in the field of law;

- cooperation in the field of human rights;

- external relations; 

- issues of cooperation in the field of human rights.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is the first European assembly in the history of the continent. It performs advisory functions.

The Parliamentary Assembly plays an important role in determining the directions of the Council of Europe's activities. During the Assembly's sessions, discussions may cover issues that affect the lives of all of Europe. The work of parliamentarians also plays a significant role in determining the directions of the Committee of Ministers' activities. Furthermore, continuing the work initiated in national parliaments, PACE deputies have the opportunity to influence the decisions of their governments on the issues that the Assembly addresses.

The decisions adopted by the Assembly are of a recommendatory nature. At the same time, they often serve as the basis for future international agreements, European conventions that form the legal framework of the Council of Europe. The most famous among them is the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Parliamentary Assembly meets for plenary sessions at the Palace of Europe in Strasbourg four weeks a year (January, April, June, September).

To address issues on relevant topics, the Assembly has Committees.

Other bodies of the Council of Europe

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe (CLRAE) - is an advisory body of the Organization. It was established on January 14, 1994, by a decision of the Committee of Ministers of the CoE to promote the development of local democracy in Central and Eastern European countries, as well as the process of regionalization in Europe.

The CLRAE consists of deputies from the member states of the CoE, who are elected representatives at the local and regional levels or appointed officials directly subordinate to the elected local or regional authority.

The Congress consists of two chambers - the Chamber of Regions and the Chamber of Local Authorities. Each chamber elects a Chair and Bureau every two years, and they together elect the Chair and Bureau of the Congress.

The Secretariat of the Council of Europe – is the body that services the main organs of the Council of Europe and has a permanent staff of 1,200 people, who are representatives of the member states of the Organization. The Secretariat is headed and coordinated by the Secretary General.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) was established in 1959 to improve the monitoring mechanism of the European Convention on Human Rights. 

The ECHR plays a key role in ensuring clear and effective control over the implementation by member states of their obligations to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Court consists of independent judges elected by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from each participating state.

The ECHR is the only international court in the world where an individual can file a complaint against a state regarding human rights violations. The Court has jurisdiction over approximately 755 million people.

The Venice Commission — an advisory body of the Council of Europe on constitutional law, which provides conclusions on the compliance of draft legislative acts with European standards and values. Its official name is the European Commission for Democracy through Law.

The Commission serves as a forum where countries can exchange information, learn from each other, and discuss ideas and projects related to constitutional issues.

Expert Committees of the Council of Europe

in which the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine participates

1.            The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism MONEYVAL (The Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism) – established in 1997 to ensure that member states have effective systems to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, as well as to monitor their compliance with relevant international standards in these areas.

2.           The European Committee on Crime Problems CDPC (European Committee on Crime Problems) – established in 1958 and authorized by the Committee of Ministers to oversee and coordinate the Council of Europe's activities in the field of crime prevention and control.

3.         The Group of States against Corruption GRECO (Group of States against Corruption) was established in 1999 by the Council of Europe to monitor compliance by states with anti-corruption standards. The goal of GRECO is to improve its members' capabilities to combat corruption by identifying shortcomings in national anti-corruption policies and promoting necessary legislative and institutional reforms. Additionally, it serves as a forum for exchanging best practices in the field of preventing and combating corruption.

Membership in GRECO is not limited to membership in the Council of Europe. Currently, it includes 49 member states (48 European states and the United States of America).

Documents:

Recommendations (2000) No. 19    

Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to member states regarding the role of prosecutors outside the criminal justice system and the explanatory note to it