What is the Council of Europe aimed at applying Kosovo

Sources from the Kosovo Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora have confirmed to Radio Free Europe that the app is available and that the application will take place soon, certainly Thursday.

What is the Council of Europe?

The Council of Europe is an international human rights organisation, democracy and rule of law in Europe, headquartered in Strasbourg, France.

It was founded in 1949.

The Council advocates freedom of expression and media, equality and minorities in member states.

This organisation has also carried out child protection campaigns, against hate speech and Roma rights, which make up the largest community in Europe.

The Council of Europe helps member states fight corruption and terrorism, as well as carry out needed judicial reforms.

Its body of experts for the constitution, known as the Venice Commission, offers legal advice to various states in the world.

Being an international organisation, the Council of Europe cannot make laws, but has the capacity to promote the implementation of international agreements, reached by member states on different topics.

The two key Council troops are: The Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly.

How does this Council promote human rights?

Through international conventions. These include the Convention on Prevention and Combating Violence Against Women, Against Family Violence, and the Convention on Cyber Crimes.

The Council monitors member states' progress and makes recommendations through expert troops.

Council of Europe member states no longer have laws that enable death sentences.

How is this Council financed?

For 2022, the Council of Europe has a budget of 477m euros.

The budget is created mainly by the contributions of member states.

The contributions are based on a formula that takes into account gross domestic production.

Among the countries that have contributed the most so far are: France, Germany, Italy, the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom.

Money is used to implement the program, which is based on three areas: human rights, rule of law, and democracy.

What are the Council of Europe's member states?

Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom.

The tracking sites are: Canada, Israel, Japan, the Holy See, Mexico, and the United States.

The Difference Between the Council of Europe and the European Council

The Council of Europe is an organisation shared by the European Union, which has 27 member states.

However, no state has joined the EU without initially joining the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe is an international organisation and promotes democracy and human rights.

The European Council is the European Union institution. Together with the European Commission, EU policies are drafting.

Why does Kosovo apply now?

On March 16 of this year, the Russian Federation has been excluded from this Council because of the start of the unprotested war in Ukraine.

In Russia's absence, two-thirds of its member states recognise Kosovo's independence.

Because decisions are made in majority, Kosovo's accession is real.

Kosovo has declared independence in 2008, but has not yet joined several important international organisations.

It is not yet a member of the European Union, nor of the World Trade Organization, nor of the International Organisation of Criminal Police and others.

Serbia has been engaged in the campaign to deter Kosovo, along with its main support in the international arena, Russia.

Kosovo, however, has managed to join several international organisations among them: The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Olympic Committee, the European Football Federation and the World Football Federation. / REL