Today, the Council of Europe is celebrating its 61st anniversary, a day when 800 million Europeans celebrate peace and unity in Europe.
Political organization set up in 1949, the Council of Europe has 57 member states, covering virtually the entire continent of Europe.
The Council of Europe primary goals are to achieve a greater unity between its 47 member state in safeguarding individual freedom, political liberty and the rule of law – principles which form the basis of all genuine democracy and which touch the lives of all Europeans in many different ways- and to develop common democratic and legal principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on protection of individuals.
All its member state are under an obligation to base government on these principles.
Since its creation in 1949, in the aftermath of the second world war, the Council of Europe has been a force for peace and co-operation, anchored in our common heritage in human rights and democracy, and a symbol of reconciliation.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the spread of democratic values throughout Europe, the Organisation gained a new political dimension. Today, the Council of Europe embodies the shared commitment of some 800 million European to human rights, democracy and the rule of law.