This is an Appeal to the Council of Europe´s leadership, formulated in April 2025. You can find the French version of the Appeal here. For further information, please refer to our Q&A, available in both English and French.

If you wish to sign the appeal on behalf of your organisation or in your individual capacity, please fill in a short form below.

 

Urgent Appeal: The Council of Europe Must Meet Its Duty to Protect Rights and Peace

Peace and Security Begin with Human Rights and Democracy

Europe is at a crossroads. Standards for human rights, democracy and the rule of law are increasingly being challenged. We face a war of aggression on our continent. Global powers are reshaping their relations. There is no doubt about it: the development of an independent global position for Europe has taken centre stage in public and political debate. The foundational principle of the Council of Europe – that peace and security begin with strong joint efforts to promote and protect human rights, democracy and the rule of law – must be an essential element of this debate.

The 2023 Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavík reaffirmed that the pursuit of peace should be based upon justice. It called for renewed ambition in the face of democratic backsliding, repression and war.

As not just European civil society organisations, but also citizens of Europe, we call on the Council of Europe and its member states to rise to the challenge at this crucible moment.

Stand with Ukraine

The Council of Europe must maximise its support for the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of justice and dignity. We call on the Council of Europe to redouble its efforts to stand firmly for accountability and redress for Russia’s aggression and for war crimes, forced displacement and other grave human rights violations. We also believe that the Council of Europe must be a voice championing the rights of people living in all parts of Ukraine, in the face of Russia’s assault on the country and its people.

Stand for Rights Across All of Europe

The Council of Europe and its member states have built the world's most advanced human rights protection system. Millions have seen their rights guaranteed through the European Convention on Human Rights and the institutions that uphold it, primarily the European Court of Human Rights.

This legacy is now under threat. Every member state needs to be held to the same standard if they violate their obligations under the Convention. The Council of Europe must act when Court judgments are disregarded or left unexecuted. Political leaders should protect the Court’s authority and avoid any attempts to undermine Convention standards. Decisions on complaints lodged under the European Social Charter cannot simply be ignored. Findings of the Council’s monitoring and advisory bodies need genuine follow-up. We call on the Secretary General and the member states to use all available tools to respond to any breach of standards. A concerted effort is needed to further strengthen and refine the mechanisms through which states can be held to account.

Convene a 2026 Summit that Delivers on Rights

We fully support the Secretary General’s proposal to convene a Summit of Heads of State and Government in 2026. This Summit must address the ongoing erosion of human rights in Europe and increase space for meaningful public participation in decision-making. We call on the Secretary General and the member states to use this Summit as an opportunity to confirm their collective responsibility to promote and protect human rights and democratic values for the next generation, plus to agree on an enhanced toolbox to effectively address breaches of standards.

Invest in Human Rights

Ensuring that justice and democracy are central elements of Europe’s future means further investment in the systems upholding them, both at national and international level. The Council of Europe must be considered here – for too long, it has been held back by underfunding. Its core institutions are overstretched. As the region’s challenges increase, the capacity of these institutions should be greatly enhanced. It is time: we call on member states to agree to double the budget of the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe must meet the moment. As representatives of European civil society, we stand ready to mobilise public support and contribute to its efforts to protect human rights and pursue peace.

 

Signatures:

Organisations:

  1. AFEM - Association des Femmes de l'Europe Méridionale, international organisation headquartered in France
  2. Alevi Philosophy Center Association, Turkey
  3. Anatolian Religions and Beliefs Platform, Turkey
  4. Belgrade Pride, Serbia
  5. Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, Bulgaria
  6. Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine
  7. Centre for Human Rights-Nis, Serbia
  8. Civil Society Forum, Board of the international organisation headquartered in Germany
  9. Civil Rights Defenders, Sweden
  10. Council of Ukrainian Experts, Ukraine
  11. European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Netherlands
  12. European Prison Litigation Network, France
  13. European Youth Forum, international network headquartered in Belgium
  14. Freedom Files, Poland
  15. Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
  16. Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland
  17. Human Rights Center, Georgia
  18. Human Rights House Foundation, Norway
  19. Hungarian Helsinki Committee, Hungary
  20. Independent Lawyers Network, Azerbaijan
  21. International Federation for Human Rights, international organisation headquartered in France
  22. International Protection Center, France
  23. Italian Federation for Human Rights, Italy
  24. Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre, Russia
  25. Minority Rights Group Greece, Greece
  26. Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia
  27. Netherlands Helsinki Committee, Netherlands
  28. Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway
  29. Perm Memorial - Europa, Germany
  30. Public Verdict Foundation, Russia
  31. Reboot Britain, United Kingdom
  32. The Arrested Lawyers Initiative, Belgium
  33. Young European Leadership, international organisation headquartered in Belgium

Individuals:

  1. Anca Ailincai, Professor of Public Law, Grenoble-Alpes University, Centre for Legal Research (CRJ), France/ Member of the CURE Advisory Council

  2. Wolfgang Benedek, Professor Emeritus of Public International Law, Austria/ Member of the CURE Advisory Council

  3. Dogan Bermek, President of the Alevi Philosophy Center Association, Turkey

  4. Antoine Buyse, Professor of human rights/ Director of the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights (SIM) at the University of Utrecht, Netherlands

  5. Xose Alberte Cea, Employment counsellor at the Vigo City Council, Spain

  6. Boriss Cilevičs, PACE Member (1999-2022), Latvia/ Member of the CURE Advisory Council

  7. Marijke Delemarre, International Officer, Radboud University, Netherlands

  8. Catherine Sophie Dimitroulias, President at the Association des Femmes de l'Europe Méridionale, France/ Former Vice President of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe

  9. Gunnar M. Ekeløve-Slydal, Deputy Secretary General, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Norway/ Director, Coalition for International Criminal Justice (CICJ)/ Member of the CURE Steering Committee

  10. Jesus Maria Garcia Herreros, Despachos DK ETL GLobal, Spain

  11. Lize Glas, Associate Professor of international and European Law, Radboud University, Netherlands/ Member of the CURE Advisory Council

  12. Jack Hanning, President, Association of Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe, France

  13. Florian Irminger, President, Progress & Change Action Lab, Switzerland/ Member of the CURE Steering Committee

  14. Pierre Klein, All Together in Dignity - ATD Europe, France/ Co-Chair of CINGO Committee for the European Social Charter

  15. Jasper Krommendijk, Professor of Human Rights Law, Radboud University, Netherlands

  16. Edit Lakatos, Policy Officer, Housing Taskforce, France

  17. Daniel Leguina, Head of Communications, Fundación Alternativas, Spain

  18. Hanna Machińska, Professor, Law Faculty of the University of Warsaw, Poland/ Member of the Council of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights/ Member of the CURE Steering Committee

  19. Claire McEvoy, Acting Co-Director, Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Ireland

  20. Eleonora Mongelli, Vice President, Italian Federation for Human Rights (FIDU), Italy/ Member of the CURE Steering Committee

  21. Karinna Moskalenko, Founder, International Protection Center, France/ Member of the CURE Steering Committee

  22. Eva Rieter, Assistant professor, International Law, Radboud University, Netherlands

  23. Evgeny Shtorn, Program Officer, Rapid Response and Advocacy, Araminta, Ireland

  24. Ali Yildiz, Director of The Arrested Lawyers Initiative, Belgium