The Council of Europe's secretary general, Alain Berset, has accused Fifa of enabling fraud and political interference, undermining the World Cup's integrity. In an open letter, Berset called for a new integrity framework by 2030, referencing a suspended player sanction and increased betting risks.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev announced on Monday that the country is "unequivocally considering leaving" the Council of Europe, not just suspending membership. The decision follows the suspension of the Azerbaijani delegation's voting rights in PACE in 2024, which Aliyev called an "unjust decision" that must be reversed.
The Council of Europe is urging Belgium to urgently develop a long-term strategy to combat severe prison overcrowding, with prisons operating at over 120% capacity. The organization recommends reducing pretrial detention and lowering the overall detainee population instead of building more facilities.
The UK and 45 other European nations have signed a political declaration endorsing the use of third country hubs for unwanted asylum seekers, aiming to control irregular migration and potentially limit judicial intervention in deportations.
The Council of Europe's 46 member states signed the Chișinău declaration, a non-binding agreement that may lead to stricter asylum and immigration rulings by the ECHR, sparking concerns over weakened human rights protections for migrants.
The UK government, led by Keir Starmer, faces criticism for attempting to dilute protections against torture in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate deportations of refused asylum seekers and foreign criminals.
European observers have seen incidents of confusion over ID requirements but problem is not regarded as widespreadInstances of voters being turned away from polling stations due to confusion over photo ID requirements have been recorded by European election observers watching voting in England on Thursday.While the problem is not regarded as widespread, it has been noted by the delegation from the Council of Europe, which will issue a report on the local elections in England as well as the Scottish and Welsh government elections. Continue reading...
