News
Updated online course “Combating hate speech” launched in Azerbaijani
The Council of Europe HELP online course “Combating hate speech” in Azerbaijani is now available in its updated version for free. The translation and adaptation of the course for Azerbaijan was made with the support of the EU and the Council of Europe, as part of the Partnership for Good...
Fostering dialogue on gender based violence through an innovative approach in Azerbaijan
A café discussion on the European Court of Human Rights' case law concerning domestic violence was held in Baku. This event, the second of its kind, was organised during the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”. The event served as a platform for meaningful dialogue and exchange,...
Promoting gender equality and women’s access to justice across the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkan regions
Judges, prosecutors and representatives from judicial training institutions across the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions met in Tirana, to assess the results of the mentoring programme for legal professionals on women’s access to justice. A series of thematic exchanges were held on...
Study visit for judges of the Ukrainian Constitutional Court to strengthen European co-operation with Germany and France
A delegation of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine undertook a study visit to Germany and France on 18-21 November. This visit aimed at exchanging expertise, deepen ties with European legal institutions, and advance the alignment of Ukraine’s constitutional justice with European standards. In...
Countering hate speech in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions by enhancing equality bodies’ communication tools
An important mandate of the equality bodies is developing effective communication strategies to combat the pressing issues of hate speech and hate crime. To this end, representatives of equality bodies in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions participated to an online workshop. The...
Strengthening anti-discrimination policies in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans regions
As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen anti-discrimination policies in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions, an online workshop was organised to advance anti racism initiatives across these regions. A key highlight of this workshop was the presentation of findings from a...
Pool of mediators established to make the Armenian justice system more efficient and accessible
A pool of 120 mediators has been established in Armenia aiming at making the justice system more efficient and accessible. This action is meant at supporting national authorities to meet the mandatory mediation requirements for family law disputes introduced to the Armenian Civil Procedure Code...
Empowering legal professionals in the Republic of Moldova to combat discrimination
A tailor-made training for 51 judges, prosecutors, and judicial staff in the Republic of Moldova was organised to support them further in the identification of prejudices and stereotypes, legal practice in handling discrimination cases, as well as working with the victims of hate speech and...
Presentation of the Consultative Council of European Prosecutors collection of opinions in Armenian
The Consultative Council of European Prosecutors collection of opinions is now available in Armenian and it was presented in Yerevan on 15 November 2024 with the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Armenia. During the presentation of the translation, the importance of having this...
Strategies towards safer environment and spaces for the LGBTI community identified for the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions
LGBTI persons in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership regions face significant discrimination and abuse, including violence, due to their sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. The latest Council of Europe Anti-Racism Commission (ECRI) General Policy Recommendation...
Joint Efforts on the EU accession path: Experience exchange between the Ukrainian and Latvian Constitutional Courts
Judges and legal staff from the Constitutional Courts of Ukraine and Latvia met in Riga with the aim to exchange experiences on Ukraine’s European integration through the example of the steps taken by the Latvian legal system to join the EU and NATO. The meetings in Riga reinforced the dialogue...
140th Plenary session of the Venice Commission: New opinions prepared under the Quick Response Mechanism
At its 140th plenary session (held on 11-12 October 2024), the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe adopted, among others: Armenia: Joint Opinion of the Venice Commission and the Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DGI) of the Council of Europe on the draft amendments to the...
Over 400 professionals from four sectors learned how to identify and report money laundering or terrorist financing
Employees from the legal sector, representatives of non-banking financial organizations, those from the real estate sector, accountants and auditors attended four consecutive days of training sessions that will help them to more easily identify and report money laundering or terrorist financing....
Enhancing ethical journalism by training Armenian journalists on combating hate speech
Journalists play a vital role in shaping public opinion and supporting democratic processes. By providing reliable information, they can contribute to promote mutual understanding and a tolerant society. To foster ethical journalism and combat hate speech, a two-day training for 20 Armenian...
Ukrainian Constitutional Identity and European Integration: Finding a Balance
The constitutional identity of Ukraine and its alignment with the European integration process, especially amidst the ongoing war, were at the focus of the Third Mariupol Forum, held in Kyiv on 4 October. Over 100 national and international participants joined the discussion on Ukrainian...
Regional co-operation key to tackling discrimination and racism
Law enforcement institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the Republic of Moldova met in Podgorica on 26-28 September with the aim to address racism, discrimination, and the protection of minority groups, especially the LGBTI community. This...
Equality and non-discrimination training session for Armenian Police Officers
After the first training held in June 2024, Armenian police officers participated to a follow-up training on European standards on equality and non-discrimination. Arpine Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, opened the training, highlighting the importance of...
Building stronger partnerships to combat discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes in the Republic of Moldova
A workshop was held in the country’s northern region aiming to enhance the protection of victims of discrimination, hate speech and hate crimes. Participants (57 in total) included legal professionals, police officers and representatives of national authorities working in the field of equality....
Judge-notaries workshops organised by the Council of Europe and Ministry of Justice
In a groundbreaking effort to reduce Armenia’s court backlog/caseload—where small monetary claims previously clogged 80% of judicial schedules—newly introduced legislative amendments transferred those small claims from courts to notaries. Seven months into this new system, the series of...
Improving the functioning of the electronic document management system of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
On 30 August 2024 the Working Group on the functioning of the electronic document management system of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine brought together over 50 staff members of the Court to discuss ways of improving the electronic document management system. Discussions focused on the issues...
Monitoring the implementation of acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
On 28-29 August 2024 the Working Group for monitoring the implementation of acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine gathered in Kyiv some 40 staff members of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to address the issues relating to the implementation of the acts of the Constitutional Court of...
Monitoring the implementation of acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine
On 28-29 August 2024 the Working Group for monitoring the implementation of acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine gathered in Kyiv some 40 staff members of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to address the issues relating to the implementation of the acts of the Constitutional Court of...
More transparency in the fight against money laundering through a series of tailor-made trainings
Beneficial ownership transparency has become a priority. The misuse of legal entities facilitates tax evasion, corruption, and money laundering. Professionals working in the field need to stay updated, to ensure fiscal transparency, financial stability, and effective law enforcement. A series of...
Non-profit organizations in Armenia discuss protection measures from abuse for terrorism financing purposes
The risks and vulnerabilities associated with terrorism financing through non-profit organizations (NPOs) present significant challenges, as these entities can be exploited to divert funds for illicit purposes. To address this aspect, the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the Financial...
Enhancing compliance with targeted financial sanctions in Armenia as an effective tool to prevent and suppress terrorism financing
International standards require countries to implement targeted financial sanctions regimes relating to the prevention and suppression of terrorism and terrorist financing. The freezing of the assets of those suspected of terrorism financing and those listed in domestic and international...
Armenian Police Officers trained on equality and non-discrimination
A two-day event for police officers in Armenia improved their knowledge and understanding of equality and non-discrimination concepts in accordance with the European standards. The opening part of the training session was attended by the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan, by the...
Eastern Partnership law schools agree to advance on gender mainstreaming university education
Representatives of law schools from major universities in Armenia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine met in Tbilisi to discuss gender mainstreaming efforts including across the curricula. Over the course of two days, professors of law benefitted from several presentations, including on the...
Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership region
The Council of Europe in Strasbourg welcomed during 3-4 July a two-day conference, focusing on tackling racism and racial discrimination in the context of the EU accession process. The conference, supported by EU and Council of Europe titled "Addressing racism and racial discrimination in the...
Presenting European standards on national minorities in Armenia
A joint working discussion on the draft law on national minorities, brought together representatives from respective institutions, as well as representatives from various national minorities. This meeting was organised at the initiative of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia and the National...
Methodology for preparation of draft acts of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine improved
On 11-12 July 2024, a working group brought together the staff of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine to discuss the methodology for the preparation of draft acts of the Constitutional Court based on the European standards and best practices. Held in the framework of the EU/Council of Europe...
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