Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an international organization founded after the Second World War to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Europe. It is headquartered in Strasbourg, France, and is institutionally separate from the European Union.

Its best-known legal framework is the European Convention on Human Rights, a treaty that protects civil and political rights. The European Court of Human Rights, also based in Strasbourg, hears cases alleging violations of the Convention by member states.

The organization also works through parliamentary, ministerial, monitoring, and advisory bodies that assess democratic standards, judicial independence, anti-corruption rules, minority rights, media freedom, and other rule-of-law issues.

The Council of Europe matters because it provides a regional legal and political framework for holding European states to common human rights and democratic standards. Its court judgments can require governments to change laws, compensate applicants, or address systemic legal problems.

Geopolitically, the organization is a benchmark for European political legitimacy. Membership signals acceptance of the European Convention on Human Rights system, while suspension or exclusion can mark a major rupture between a state and Europe's rule-of-law order.

It is often confused with the European Union, but it has a wider membership and a different mandate. The Council of Europe does not make EU law, run the euro, or set EU trade policy; its core role is human rights, democracy, and rule-of-law oversight.