The South Programme V

Protecting human rights, rule of law and democracy through shared standards in the Southern Mediterranean

The South Programme V is a joint initiative between the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE) for the period of 2022 – 2025, co-financed by the two organisations and implemented by the Council of Europe (EU : 89.99%, CoE : 10.01%)

It continues to support democratic reforms in the Southern Mediterranean with the aim to:  

  • Further enlarge the common legal space between Europe and the Southern Mediterranean: aligning national legislations with international standards through accession to Council of Europe conventions and provision of targeted legal advice with the Quick Response Mechanism (QRM).
  • Strengthen capacities to address global challenges through the development and use of common tools, strategies, and mechanisms in the region.
  • Reinforce co-operation and dialogue on human rights, rule of law and democracy through strengthened cooperation and peer-to-peer networking at regional level.
Other EU/COE joint programmes in the region

The Council of Europe is also implementing two bilateral joint programmes co-funded by both Organisations in Tunisia. This work is carried out in close co-operation with the European Union Delegation in Tunis. To read about these joint programmes:

In addition, two joint programmes to combat cybercrime, a regional one and a worldwide one, are also implemented by the Council of Europe and involve several countries of the Southern Mediterranean: