Council of Europe, organization of European states, established in 1949 to achieve a greater unity among the member nations on the basis of their common traditions of political liberty, rather than their geographic location.
In addition to the ten original member countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden), 22 other countries have been admitted to full membership in the council: Turkey (1949), Greece (1949, withdrew 1969-1974), Iceland (1950), Germany (1951), Austria (1956), Cyprus (1961), Switzerland (1963), Malta (1965), Portugal (1976), Spain (1977), Liechtenstein (1978), San Marino (1988), Finland (1989), Hungary (1990), Poland (1991), Bulgaria (1992), and Estonia, Lithuania, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania (1993).
The council consists of an executive body, the committee of ministers (the foreign ministers of the member states), and the consultative assembly (individuals selected by the national parliaments of the member states). The powers of the Council of Europe are purely advisory.
Each member retains full national sovereignty, and resolutions adopted by the consultative assembly must have majority approval of the committee of ministers before being referred to the national legislatures of the member states. The council does, however, serve as a useful forum in which urgent European and world issues may be discussed and possible solutions may be aired in terms of their effects on the member nations. In working towards the goal of a united Europe, the council has served as an instrument for initiating and drafting multilateral pacts designed to unify the activities of European nations in such matters as protection of human rights, the establishment of cultural and educational standards, and the easing or elimination of travel restrictions.
The council established a commission in 1950 and a court in 1959 to enforce the rights outlined in the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950). These include the rights to a fair wage, to strike, and to social security, including social and medical assistance if it is needed. The council has also directed its efforts towards economic integration of the various European states.
The council initiated programmes for the reduction of tariffs and the elimination of other barriers to trade, actions that were influential in the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Free Trade Association, and the European Community, now known as the European Union. The committee of ministers and the consultative assembly meet annually in joint session at the headquarters of the council in Strasbourg in France. The two groups may also be convened separately to deal with special issues.

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