Member states of the Council of Europe
The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 by ten western and northern European states,[1] with Greece[2][3] joining three months later, and Iceland,[4][5] Turkey[6][7] and West Germany[8][9] joining the next year. It now has 46 member states, with Montenegro being the latest to join.
Article 4 of the Council of Europe Statute specifies that membership is open to any European country, provided they meet specific democratic and human rights standards.[10] Nearly all countries with territory in Europe are members of the Council of Europe, with the exceptions of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vatican City, as well as states with limited recognition.
List
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 the Faroe Islands and Greenland, but some Council of Europe conventions which Denmark participates in do not apply to these territories. |
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 the Greek case during the military dictatorship. After the fall of the junta, Greece re-joined the Council of Europe on 28 November 1974. See Greece 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] | The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the Saar Protectorate became associate members in 1950. The Federal Republic became a full member in 1951. The Saar acceded to the Federal Republic in 1957, and the states of the former East Germany became part of the Federal Republic upon reunification 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 of Czechoslovakia from 21 January 1991 to the latter's dissolution on 31 December 1992. |
Slovakia | Bratislava | 30 June 1993 | Previously a member of the Council as part of Czechoslovakia from 21 January 1991 to the latter'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 a naming dispute. |
Croatia | Zagreb | 6 November 1996 | |
Georgia | Tbilisi | 27 April 1999 | |
Armenia | Yerevan | 25 January 2001 | See Armenia in the Council of Europe |
Azerbaijan | Baku | 25 January 2001 | See Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sarajevo | 24 April 2002 | |
Serbia | Belgrade | 3 April 2003 | Originally joined as State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.[12]
|
Monaco | Monaco | 5 October 2004 | |
Montenegro | Podgorica | 11 May 2007 | Previously a member of the Council as part of Serbia and Montenegro from 2003. |
Former members
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 after Montenegrin 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 | See Russia in the Council of Europe. Suspended from its rights of representation in the Committee of Ministers and in the Parliamentary Assembly on 25 February 2022 due to the invasion 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] |
Applicants
Special Guest status with the Parliamentary 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
Kazakhstan
In November 2006, the Kazakhstan Parliament officially asked to be granted observer 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's European 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 Kazakhstan strengthen 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
Kosovo became a member of the
Observers
Vatican City
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.[49]
Other countries
Observer status was designed for non-European
The parliaments of
There has been criticism concerning the observer status of
Partners
In May 2009, the Parliamentary 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 their democratic 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 as
CoE has adopted the policy of dialogue with the neighbouring regions of the southern
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 the
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 the observer 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 of democratic 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 the
The
- southern Mediterranean and Middle East participants in the Union for the Mediterranean: Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and possibly Libya(Libya is observer of the Union for the Mediterranean)
- Central Asian participants in the OSCE: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
- other states if the Bureau of the Assembly so decides
As of 2024 the following parliaments have been accorded "Partner for democracy" status:[51][52]
- Morocco – June 2011[53]
- Palestinian National Council – 4 October 2011[54]
- Kyrgyzstan – 8 April 2014[55]
- Jordan - 26 January 2016[56]
References
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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.
- ^ a b "Greece joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Greece - Member state". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
Greece became the 11th member State of the Council of Europe on 9 August 1949.
- ^ a b "Iceland joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Iceland - Member state". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
Iceland became the 12th member State of the Council of Europe on 7 March 1950.
- ^ a b "Turkey joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Turkey - Member state". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
Turkey became the 13th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 April 1950.
- ^ a b "Federal Republic of Germany joins the Council of Europe". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
- ^ a b "Germany - Member state". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
Germany became the 14th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1950.
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- ^ "Council of Europe suspends Russia's rights of representation". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "Russia will no longer participate in Council of Europe - TASS". Reuters. 10 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
- ^ "COE Press release: "The Russian Federation is excluded from the Council of Europe"". www.coe.int. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Establishment of a "Partner for democracy" status with the Parliamentary Assembly". Parliamentary Assembly Council of Europe. 14 May 2009. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
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- ^ "STATE PROGRAMME - 'PATH TO EUROPE - 2009-2011' - ASTANA 2008". Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
- ^ "Neighbourhood Co-operation Priorities for Kazakhstan 2014–2015: Co-operation activities on Council of Europe's conventions in criminal matters". Council of Europe. 9 December 2013.
- ^ "Joint Declaration on enhancing cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe signed in Brussels". Kazinform. 20 December 2013. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
- ^ "Venice Commission :: Council of Europe".
- ^ "Assembly of Kosovo*". PACE. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
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- ^ "DELEGACIONI I ASOCIACIONIT TË KOMUNAVE PO PËRFAQËSON KOSOVËN NË PUNIMET e KONGRESIT TË KËSHILLIT TË EVROPËS – Asociacioni i Komunave të Kosovës".
- ^ Kosovo applies to become EC member within three monthsenglish.albeu.com Archived 20 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine
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