Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe or Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Foreign Affairs Ministers of all the member states, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg. It is both a governmental body, where national approaches to problems facing European society can be discussed on an equal footing, as well as a collective forum, where Europe-wide responses to such challenges are formulated. In collaboration with the Parliamentary Assembly, it is the guardian of the Council's fundamental values; it monitors member states' compliance with their undertakings. The Holy See, Japan, Mexico, and the US are observer states in the Committee of Ministers.
Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
126th session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in Sofia, 2016
Image: Igli Hasani in Wien, 17 November 2023 Igli Hasani in Vienna (cropped)
Image: Imma Tor
The Council of Europe is an international organisation with the goal of upholding human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it brings together 46 member states with a population of approximately 675 million as of 2023; it operates with an annual budget of approximately 500 million euros.
Plaque commemorating the first session of the Council of Europe Assembly at Strasbourg University
Session of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly in the former House of Europe in Strasbourg in 1967. Willy Brandt, German Minister for Foreign Affairs, is speaking.
Winston Churchill's inaugural speech of the Council of Europe in The Hague
Council's Parliamentary Assembly hemicycle