The Council of Europe: 70 Years of Integration:

The Council of Europe: 70 Years Of Integration thematic exhibition, timed to the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Council of Europe, runs in the documents of international organizations reading room (207g), from May 2 to June 10.

The Council of Europe (CoE) is the oldest and one of the most authoritative and representative international intergovernmental organizations on the European continent. It consists of 47 states where more than 800 million people live. CoE headquarters is located in Strasbourg (France).

The Council was founded on May 5, 1949 by ten Western European states. The organization’s Statute entered into force on August 3, 1949.

The Council of Europe has main bodies: the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organizations, the European Court of Human Rights, the Commissioner for Human Rights. These bodies are served by a Secretariat of 2,200 employees. The Secretariat is headed by Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland (Norway).

The current political powers of the Councils of Europe were identified at the Third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in May 2005 in Warsaw, which adopted a Political Declaration, as well as an Action Plan laying down the principal tasks of the Council of Europe in the coming years. They include the protection of human rights, the principles of pluralistic democracy and the rule of law, the development of legal cooperation, interaction in the fields of culture, education, health, sports, ecology, information, etc. Considerable attention is paid to protecting the individual from new challenges, including the fight against terrorism, money laundering, corruption, human trafficking, trafficking in human organs, violence against children and women, as well as political issues related to strengthening democratic stability on the continent.

The main activity of the Council of Europe is the development and monitoring of the implementation of conventions that establish the principles and areas of cooperation of the member states in all areas within the CoE competence. To date, the CoE convention system covers more than 220 regulatory documents (multilateral conventions, agreements and their additional protocols). Some of these legal acts are open for accession by non-European states.

The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) is of fundamental importance for the Council of Europe’s activities. The convention was signed in 1950 and entered into force in 1953. ECHR is mandatory for all CoE member states and candidate countries. New member states are required to sign it upon joining the Council of Europe and ratify it within one year. A significant achievement of the Council of Europe is the development and adoption of other important legal documents, such as the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, the European Social Charter, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the European Charter of Local Self-Government, the Berne Convention and the European Cultural Convention. All these documents are presented at the exhibition.

The exposition includes more than 70 publications: papers of the Council of Europe, books, periodicals, brochures and booklets in Russian, English, French and German.

The exposition include the thematic sections as follow:

• The Council of Europe: history, structure, main goals and tasks
• Human rights protection
• Promoting social cohesion and democratic values
• Developing and strengthening education and public health service
• Environment protection
• Cultural development and preservation of cultural heritage

The exhibition is designed for students, undergraduates, teachers of social and political disciplines, specialists in international law, world politics, international relations and human rights, as well as to anyone interested in European integration processes.

The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by library card or by ticket of the library's social and cultural center. Information and tickets may be obtained at the registration desk.

For more info: (+375 17) 293 27 28.

Official Documents Service Department