TheCouncil of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 by ten western and northern European states,[1] withGreece[2][3] joining three months later, andIceland,[4][5]Turkey[6][7] andWest Germany[8][9] joining the next year. It now has 46member states, withMontenegro being the latest to join.
Article 4 of theCouncil of Europe Statute specifies that membership is open to any European country, provided they meet specific democratic and human rights standards.[10] Nearly allcountries with territory in Europe are members of the Council of Europe, with the exceptions ofBelarus,Kazakhstan,Russia, andVatican City, as well asstates with limited recognition.
| State[11] | Capital | Date joined | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Netherlands | Amsterdam | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Belgium | Brussels | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Luxembourg | Luxembourg | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Denmark | Copenhagen | 5 May 1949 | Founder. Denmark includes theFaroe Islands andGreenland, but some Council of Europe conventions which Denmark participates in do not apply to these territories.[citation needed] |
 France | Paris | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Norway | Oslo | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Sweden | Stockholm | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 United Kingdom | London | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Ireland | Dublin | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Italy | Rome | 5 May 1949 | Founder |
 Greece | Athens | 9 August 1949[2][3] | Withdrew from Council membership on 12 December 1969 due to theGreek case during themilitary dictatorship. After the fall of the junta, Greece re-joined the Council of Europe on 28 November 1974. SeeGreece in the Council of Europe. |
 Iceland | Reykjavík | 7 March 1950[4][5] | |
 Turkey | Ankara | 13 April 1950[6][7] | |
 Germany | Berlin | 13 July 1950[8][9] | TheFederal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and theSaar Protectorate became associate members in 1950. The Federal Republic became a full member in 1951. The Saaracceded to the Federal Republic in 1957, and thestates of the formerEast Germany became part of the Federal Republic uponreunification in 1990. East Germany had never been a member of the Council. |
 Austria | Vienna | 16 April 1956 | |
 Cyprus | Nicosia | 24 May 1961 | |
 Switzerland | Bern | 6 May 1963 | |
 Malta | Valletta | 29 April 1965 | |
 Portugal | Lisbon | 22 September 1976 | |
 Spain | Madrid | 24 November 1977 | |
 Liechtenstein | Vaduz | 23 November 1978 | |
 San Marino | San Marino | 16 November 1988 | |
 Finland | Helsinki | 5 May 1989 | |
 Hungary | Budapest | 6 November 1990 | |
 Poland | Warsaw | 26 November 1991 | |
 Bulgaria | Sofia | 7 May 1992 | |
 Estonia | Tallinn | 14 May 1993 | |
 Lithuania | Vilnius | 14 May 1993 | |
 Slovenia | Ljubljana | 14 May 1993 | |
 Czech Republic | Prague | 30 June 1993 | Previously a member of the Council as part ofCzechoslovakia from 21 January 1991 to thelatter's dissolution on 31 December 1992. |
 Slovakia | Bratislava | 30 June 1993 | Previously a member of the Council as part ofCzechoslovakia from 21 January 1991 to thelatter's dissolution on 31 December 1992. |
 Romania | Bucharest | 7 October 1993 | |
 Andorra | Andorra la Vella | 10 November 1994 | |
 Latvia | Riga | 10 February 1995 | |
 Moldova | Chișinău | 13 July 1995 | |
 Albania | Tirana | 13 July 1995 | |
 Ukraine | Kyiv | 9 November 1995 | |
 North Macedonia | Skopje | 9 November 1995 | Until 12 February 2019 called Republic of Macedonia, officially referred to as "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" due to anaming dispute. |
 Croatia | Zagreb | 6 November 1996 | |
 Georgia | Tbilisi | 27 April 1999 | |
 Armenia | Yerevan | 25 January 2001 | SeeArmenia in the Council of Europe |
 Azerbaijan | Baku | 25 January 2001 | SeeAzerbaijan in the Council of Europe |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | 24 April 2002 | |
 Serbia | Belgrade | 3 April 2003 | Originally joined asSerbia and Montenegro. After Montenegrin independence in 2006, the Committee of Ministers declared that theRepublic of Serbia would continue the membership of the formerState Union of Serbia and Montenegro.[12] |
 Monaco | Monaco | 5 October 2004 | |
 Montenegro | Podgorica | 11 May 2007 | Previously a member of the Council as part ofSerbia and Montenegro from 2003. |
| State[11] | Capital | Date joined | Date left | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Saarland | Saarbrücken | 13 August 1950 | 1 January 1957 | Saarland joined West Germany on 1 January 1957. |
| Czechoslovakia | Prague | 21 January 1991 | 31 December 1992 | Dissolved on 31 December 1992; successor states Czech Republic and Slovakia rejoined the Council on 30 June 1993. |
 Serbia and Montenegro | Belgrade | 3 April 2003 | 5 June 2006 | Dissolved afterMontenegrin independence in June 2006. Serbia was declared to continue the former union's seat on 14 June 2006; Montenegro joined 11 May 2007. |
 Russia | Moscow | 28 February 1996 | 16 March 2022 | SeeRussia in the Council of Europe. Suspended from its rights of representation in theCommittee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly on 25 February 2022 due to theinvasion of Ukraine.[13] Russia announced that it would no longer participate in the organisation on 10 March 2022.[14] On 15 March 2022, Russia launched a withdrawal procedure from the Council, delivering its formal notification to withdraw effective 31 December 2022. On 16 March 2022, the Committee of Ministers decided to expel Russia with immediate effect.[15] |
Special Guest status with theParliamentary Assembly was established in 1989, as a provisional status in the accession process for parliaments of European non-member states, which applied for membership in the Council of Europe. The aim of the special guest status is to foster closer relations with the national parliaments of the European non-member states, by enabling the parliament concerned to be represented in, and work with, the Assembly, especially in determining the accession conditions.[16]
Belarus applied for full membership on 12 March 1993, and its parliament held special guest status with the Parliamentary Assembly from September 1992 to January 1997. The special guest status was however suspended as a consequence of the November 1996 constitutional referendum upholding thedeath penalty, and parliament by-elections which the CoE found to be undemocratic, as well as enforced limits on democratic freedoms such asfreedom of expression (cf.Belarusian media) under the administration of PresidentAlexander Lukashenko. A second change of the Belarus constitution in October 2004, moreover "does not respect minimum democratic standards and violates the principles of separation of powers and the rule of law".[17] In June 2009, PACE decided that the suspension of the Belarusian parliament's special guest status in the Assembly would only be lifted conditional of the government imposing a moratorium on the death penalty. As of May 2013, this condition had not been met.[18]
Kazakhstan applied for the Special Guest status with theParliamentary Assembly in 1999. The Assembly found that Kazakhstan could apply for full membership, because 4% of its territory, west of the Ural river, is located in Europe,[19] but granting Special Guest status would require improvements in the fields ofdemocracy andhuman rights. Kazakhstan signed a co-operation agreement with the Assembly in April 2004.
In November 2006, the Kazakhstan Parliament officially asked to be grantedobserver status with the Assembly, which however was never granted due to requiring a pre compliance with all CoE core values and principles.[16] The country acceded to the Council of Europe'sEuropean Cultural Convention on 24 February 2010.[20] On 15 to 16 March 2010, the President of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) made an official visit to Kazakhstan,[21] resulting in the conclusion that the Council of Europe and Kazakhstanstrengthen their relations. This milestone emboldens Kazakhstan's "Path to Europe" programme, as outlined by Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana in 2008.[22]
In December 2013, a Joint Declaration on enhancing co-operation between Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe in 2014–15, was signed with the purpose of paving the way for Kazakhstan's accession to the Council of Europe's multiple conventions in the field of criminal justice.[23][24]
Kosovo became a member of theCouncil of Europe Development Bank in 2013 and amember of the Council of Europe'sVenice Commission in 2014.[25] TheAssembly of Kosovo was invited to take part in the work of theParliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and its committees as an observer in 2016.[26][27] Two representatives of local government in Kosovo participate in the work of theCongress of Local and Regional Authorities as observers.[28]
Hashim Thaçi,Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated in December 2014 that an application for membership of theCouncil of Europe was planned to be filed within the first quarter of 2015.[29] On 12 May 2022 Foreign MinisterDonika Gërvalla-Schwarz submitted the application for membership at a meeting with the Council's leadership inStrasbourg.[30][31]Kosovo is alreadyde facto under the jurisdiction of theEuropean Court of Human Rights.[32] On 20 March 2023, Kosovar prime minister Albin Kurti said during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Pristina, that as a result of theOhrid Agreement, approved by Kosovo and Serbia two days earlier, the road for Kosovo to join theCouncil of Europe was now open.[33]
On 24 April 2023, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe approved Kosovo's application for membership with 33 votes in favour, 7 against and 5 abstentions, allowing the application to progress to the Parliamentary Assembly.[34][35][36] Dora Bakoyannis of Greece was appointed as Rapporteur for Kosovo. Bakoyannis gave astatutory opinion at a meeting of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 March 2024.[37] The opinion recommended that Kosovo be admitted as a "member" state of the council under Article 4 of itsstatute, as opposed to an "associate member" country under Article 5. It also stated that a footnote describing the status of Kosovo would no longer be required to be used within the work of the council and its associated bodies.[38][39][40] The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy agreed to accept the recommendation with 31 delegates voting in favour, four against and one abstention.[41][38][42][43] On 15 April 2024, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination supported Kosovo's application[44] and the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights confirmed that Kosovo met the legal definition of "European State" as defined by article 4 of the Statute of the Council of Europe and meets the criteria of statehood under international law.[45] The following day, on 16 April 2024, the Parliamentary Assembly voted in favour of Kosovo's membership, with 131 votes in favour, 29 against and 11 abstentions.[46][47]
The final approval of Kosovo's membership, however still requires the approval of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers by a two-thirds majority vote. The “Quint” ambassadors (from France, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom and the United States[citation needed]) have stated that they would only table a proposal for a vote once Kosovo submitted a revised "Statute of theAssociation of Serb-Majority Municipalities" for review by theConstitutional Court of Kosovo. This condition was rejected by the Kosovo Prime MinisterAlbin Kurti in May 2024,[48] leading the final vote to be postponed to a later unspecified date.[49][50]
Despite being in Europe,Vatican City has never applied for Council of Europe membership, choosing to become an observer instead. However, there have been calls for it to apply to become a contracting party to the European Convention on Human Rights.[51]
Observer status was designed for non-Europeandemocracies willing to contribute todemocratic transitions in Europe.[16]
Canada,Japan,Mexico, theU.S. and theHoly See have observer status with the Council of Europe and can participate in theCommittee of Ministers and all intergovernmental committees. They may contribute financially to the activities of the Council of Europe on a voluntary basis.
The parliaments ofCanada,Israel andMexico have observer status with theParliamentary Assembly and their delegations can participate in Assembly sessions and committee meetings. A delegation representing theAssembly of Kosovo has also been invited to participate the Parliamentary Assembly on anad hoc basis. Representatives of thePalestinian Legislative Council may participate in Assembly debates concerning the Middle East as well as Turkish-Cypriot representatives fromNorthern Cyprus concerning the island.
There has been criticism concerning the observer status ofJapan and theUnited States because both countries apply thedeath penalty.[52] The Parliamentary Assembly has been lobbying for the United States and Japan to abolish the death penalty or lose their observer status. The Council also voted to restore Special Guest status toBelarus, on condition that Belarus declares a moratorium on the death penalty.
In May 2009, theParliamentary Assembly established a new status for institutional co-operation with parliaments of non-member states in neighbouring regions wishing to be supported by the Parliamentary Assembly in theirdemocratic transitions and to participate in the political debate on common challenges.[16]
The new status is called "Partner for democracy" and interested states could obtain it if they commit to embrace the values of the Council of Europe such aspluralist democracy, therule of law and respect forhuman rights andfundamental freedoms; to encourage a moratorium on executions and abolish thedeath penalty; to organisefree and fair elections; to become party to therelevant CoE conventions; to utilise the expertise of the Assembly and theVenice Commission in its institutional andlegislative work.[16]
CoE has adopted the policy of dialogue with the neighbouring regions of the southernMediterranean, theMiddle East andCentral Asia – based on respect foruniversal human rights. Following this policy the Assembly has already established working contacts with parliaments of neighbouring countries other than those of theCoE Observers:Algeria,Kazakhstan,Morocco,Tunisia and thePalestinian Legislative Council. Several of these parliaments have expressed interest in upgrading the status of the existing co-operation, and in establishing a relationship on a permanent basis.
Since 1994, parliaments of the countries bordering the Council of Europe member states have the possibility of concluding special co-operation agreements with the Assembly, but it has not generated much interest among the parliaments concerned, which suggests that it does not offer sufficient clarity and visibility. So far only theKazakhstan Parliament had taken advantage of it since 2004.
In November 2006, the Kazakhstan Parliament officially asked to be granted observer status with the Assembly. Such formal or informal requests are made by a number of parliaments that are already co-operating with it but think that the institutionalised recognition of that co-operation could make it more visible, more coherent and more effective. However theobserver status is considered inappropriate in these cases, as it requires that the state receiving it already complies with the CoE core values and principles, which is not the case for the states currently requesting it, who are in the early stages ofdemocratic transition.[16]
The newly established "Partner for democracy" status is similar to the co-operation initiatives of other intergovernmental organisations of mostly European states such as theEuropean Neighbourhood Policy of the EU, thepartners for co-operation of OSCE, theco-operation with non-member states of NATO.
Thenational parliaments eligible to request a "Partner for democracy" status are from the following countries:[16]
As of 2024 the following parliaments have been accorded "Partner for democracy" status:[53][54]
On 5 May 1949, at St James's Palace, London, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty establishing the Council of Europe.
Greece became the 11th member State of the Council of Europe on 9 August 1949.
Iceland became the 12th member State of the Council of Europe on 7 March 1950.
Turkey became the 13th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 April 1950.
Germany became the 14th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1950.