ABSTRACT
The Council of Europe and the European Convention on Human Rights The Council of Europe is an international organisation in Strasbourg that represents 47 countries of ‘greater’ Europe. It was set up to promote democracy and protect human rights and the Rule of Law in Europe. The founding fathers of the Council of Europe in 1949-1950 were Winston Churchill (Prime Minister, UK), Konrad Adenauer (Chancellor, West Germany), Robert Schuman (Minister for Foreign Affairs, France), Paul-Henri Spaak (Prime Minister, Belgium), Alcide de Gasperi (Prime Minister, Italy) and Ernest Bevin (Foreign Secretary, UK). These leaders lived through two world wars and had fi rst-hand experience of a number of European cultures. Their ultimate aim was peace in Europe. The present 47 signatory states to the ECHR are members of the Council of Europe, ranging from Albania to Azerbaijan, Liechtenstein to Serbia (see https://www.coe.int ).
