Founder. Denmark includes the Faroe Islands and Greenland, but some Council of Europe conventions which Denmark participates in do not apply to these territories.
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.
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.
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 organization 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]
This coin was issued in Armenia to commemorate Armenia's accession to the Council in 2001.
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
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 the death penalty, and parliament by-elections which the CoE found to be undemocratic, as well as enforced limits on democratic freedoms such as freedom of expression (cf. Belarusian media) under the administration of President Alexander 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
Kazakhstan applied for the Special Guest status with the Parliamentary 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 of democracy and human rights. Kazakhstan signed a co-operation agreement with the Assembly in April 2004.
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 cooperation 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]
Hashim Thaçi, Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated in December 2014 that an application for membership of the Council of Europe was planned to be filed within the first quarter of 2015.[28] On May 12, 2022, Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz submitted the application for membership at a meeting with the Council's leadership in Strasbourg.[29][30]Kosovo is already de facto under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.[31] On 20 March 2023, Kosovar prime minister Albin Kurti said during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Pristina, that as a result of the EU proposed agreement, approved by Kosovo and Serbia two days earlier, the road for Kosovo to join the Council of Europe is now open.[32] 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.[33][34][35]
Observers
Ten founding members
Joined subsequently
Official candidates
Former members
Observer at the Parliamentary Assembly
Observer at the Committee of Ministers
Observer at the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly
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.[36]
Canada, Japan, Mexico, the U.S. and the Holy See have observer status with the Council of Europe and can participate in the Committee of Ministers and all intergovernmental committees. They may contribute financially to the activities of the Council of Europe on a voluntary basis.
The parliaments of Canada, Israel and Mexico have observer status with the Parliamentary Assembly and their delegations can participate in Assembly sessions and committee meetings. A deligation representing the Assembly of Kosovo has also been invited to participate the Parliamentary Assembly on an ad hoc basis. Representatives of the Palestinian Legislative Council may participate in Assembly debates concerning the Middle East as well as Turkish-Cypriot representatives from Northern Cyprus concerning the island.
There has been criticism concerning the observer status of Japan and the United States because both countries apply the death penalty.[37] 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 to Belarus, on condition that Belarus declares a moratorium on the death penalty.
Partners
In May 2009, the Parliamentary Assembly established a new status for institutional co-operation with parliaments of non-member states in neighboring regions wishing to be supported by the Parliamentary Assembly in their democratic transitions and to participate in the political debate on common challenges.[16]
CoE has adopted the policy of dialogue with the neighboring regions of the southern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Asia – based on respect for universal human rights. Following this policy the Assembly has already established working contacts with parliaments of neighbouring countries other than those of the CoE Observers: Algeria, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Tunisia and the Palestinian 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 the Kazakhstan 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 institutionalized 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]
^"Statute of the Council of Europe is signed in London". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019. 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.
^ ab"Greece joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^ ab"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.
^ ab"Iceland joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^ ab"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.
^ ab"Turkey joins". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
^ ab"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.
^ ab"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.
^"Full list". Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
