Monaco and the Council of Europe

Set up in 1949 in the aftermath of World War II, the Council of Europe today has 46 Member States and is headquartered in Strasbourg. It is the leading and the oldest human rights organisation on the continent. Mr Alain BERSET took up post as Secretary General of the Council of Europe on 18 September 2024 for a term of five years.

The Council of Europe is completely different to the European Union, since its work is based on three pillars: human rights,  the rule of law and democracy. All Member States are parties to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1950, the organisation’s reference text.

Since 1949, the Council of Europe has adopted more than 200 agreements on human rights, the rule of law and democracy.

Monaco has ratified 52 of these and signed 3.

These agreements cover areas as diverse as safeguarding children from sexual abuse, tackling corruption and money laundering, and protecting spectators during sporting events.

Among the Council of Europe’s main achievements, it is worth highlighting its contribution to abolishing the death penalty, which is now a prerequisite for membership of the organisation. No executions have taken place in any of the 46 member states since 1997.

In addition to its political commitment, the Prince’s Government supports the Council of Europe’s activities through a voluntary contribution formalised in a biennial agreement. The types of activity supported include safeguarding refugee and migrant children in Europe, tackling violence against women and children in the Southern Mediterranean region, combatting cybercrime, strengthening the effectiveness of the European Court of Human Rights and protecting Europe’s natural heritage.

The Council of Europe’s best-known body is the European Court of Human Rights, the permanent judicial body which guarantees the rights set out in the Convention for all Europeans. It enables each of Europe’s 830 million citizens to bring a case against one of the 46 signatory states for violating their human rights, after all possible means of recourse in their own country have been exhausted.

The Court is made up of 46 judges, one per member state. Judges are elected for a non-renewable term of nine years. The current Monegasque judge is Ms Stéphanie MOUROU-VIKTRÖM, who was elected in 2015.

The Committee of Ministers is the executive body of the Council of Europe. It is composed of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all Member States and observers, as well as their Delegates, who are the Permanent Representatives to the Council of Europe.

Ms Isabelle BERRO AMADEI, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation has been a member of the Committee of Ministers since 2022, and H.E. Mr Gabriel REVEL has sat on the Committee of Ministers at Deputy Level since 2023.

The Committee takes strategic decisions relating to the operation of the Council of Europe. It determines the organisation’s policy and approves its budget and programme of activities through decisions, resolutions and recommendations.

Meetings of the Committee of Ministers are held once a year at the ministerial level, and weekly at the level of Ministers’ Deputies.
For the first time since its accession, the Principality of Monaco will assume the presidency of the Committee from mid-May to mid-November 2026, after the Republic of Moldova and before Montenegro.

PACE, a statutory body of the organisation, is the "democratic conscience of Greater Europe". A pan-European discussion forum, it comprises 306 members and the same number of substitutes, representing the national parliaments of the 46 member states.

Monaco has two members and two substitute members of PACE. The current delegation is led by Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO.

The Assembly elects the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, the PACE Secretary-General, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights judges.

This pan-European political assembly is made up of 612 members who hold elective office – regional and municipal councillors, mayors and presidents of regional authorities from the 46 member states.

Monaco has two members, including the Mayor, Mr Georges Marsan, and two substitute members of the Congress, who are drawn from the Council of the Commune.

The role of the Congress is to promote regional democracy, improve local and regional governance and strengthen authorities’ self-governance. In particular, the Congress ensures the application of the principles contained in the European Charter of Local Self-Government, to which all member states have signed up.

This independent authority responsible for defending human rights was established in 1999. The Commissioner is elected for a non-renewable term of six years. The Commissioner conducts monitoring within member states by making country visits, following which he or she issues recommendations to the relevant government on improving their legislation or practices. The Commissioner can also issue opinions on specific points and publish thematic reports.