Information Documents
SG/Inf(2025)31
15 October 2025
___________________________________________________________________________________
Implementation of Committee of Ministers’ Resolution (2016)3 on participatory status for international non-governmental organisations with the Council of Europe
Periodic review
Communication to the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
___________________________________________________________________________________
Procedure for the withdrawal of participatory status
1. In accordance with the rules set out in Committee of Ministers’ Resolution CM/Res(2016)3
(Article 10 of its appendix) on participatory status for international non-governmental organisations with the Council of Europe, the Secretary General may withdraw participatory status from an INGO if, in his/her opinion:
b. it has taken any action which is not in keeping with participatory status and the values and standards of the Council of Europe;
c. it no longer has any activity included in the Council of Europe's programme of activities.
2. To this end, the Secretariat shall review periodically the list of INGOs with participatory status. The review shall be based on the report submitted by the INGOs every four years or, in the case of Articles 10.a and 10.b, on an ad hoc report requested by the Secretariat. The current review covers the period 2020-2023 and is based on the quadrennial reports submitted by the INGOs in 2024.
3. In application of Article 12 of the Resolution, the relevant INGOs have been informed of the intention to withdraw participatory status in order to give them an opportunity to present their observations within 30 calendar days.
4. In application of Article 13 of the Resolution, the Secretariat communicated the names of the INGOs concerned to the Standing Committee of the Conference of INGOs. The opinion of the Standing Committee was received within the required 30 calendar days and has been taken into account.
5. The withdrawal of participatory status from the INGOs is the subject of a reasoned decision (Article 14 of the Resolution).
6. In application of Article 15 of the Resolution, the decision is communicated for tacit approval to the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The names of the INGOs concerned and the reasons for the proposed withdrawal of participatory status can be found in Appendix 1 to this document.
7. In the absence of any objection founded on the conditions described in the paragraph below, the decision will enter into force 60 calendar days from the date of the present document.
8. During the 60-calendar day period mentioned in the paragraph above, a member of the Committee of Ministers, or ten members of the Parliamentary Assembly from five different national delegations, or ten members of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe from five different national delegations may request that an examination be made of the file of each INGO whose name has been communicated to them. In the former case, the examination shall be made and the decision to withdraw participatory status shall be taken by the Committee of Ministers. In the latter, the Committee of Ministers shall defer its decision until it has received a recommendation from the Parliamentary Assembly or the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities acting on a report from their competent committees.
9. The following INGOs have informed the Secretariat that they no longer wish to have participatory status:
- Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
- European Civic Forum (ECF)
- International Institute for Ethnic Group Rights and Regionalism (INTEREG)
- Lions Clubs International, European Districts (LCI)
- Special Olympics (SO)
- The Howard League for Penal Reform (HLPR)
10. The following INGOs have ceased activity:
- Association of European Electoral Officials (ACEEEO)
- ChildPact
- European Humanist Federation (EHF)
- The Robert Schuman Institute for Europe (IRSE) (dissolution in progress)
Appendix 1
INGOs subject to withdrawal of participatory status
I. INGOs that have not submitted the four-yearly report to the Secretary General as required by Article 4h of the Appendix to the Resolution
|
Name of the INGO |
Nom de l’OING |
|
Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA) |
Association des Agences de la Démocratie Locale (ALDA) |
|
Eurodesk Brussels Link AISBL (EBL) |
Eurodesk Brussels Link AISBL (EBL) |
|
European Association for Audiovisual Media Education (EAAME) |
Association européenne pour l'Education aux Media audiovisuels (AEEMA) |
|
European Roma and Travellers Forum (ERTF) |
Forum européen des Roms et des Gens du voyage (FERV) |
|
Global Organization of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) |
Organisation mondiale des parlementaires contre la corruption (GOPAC) |
|
Helsinki Citizens Assembly (HCA) |
Assemblée des Citoyens d'Helsinki (HCA) |
|
International Antiterrorism Unity (IAU) |
Union internationale contre le terrorisme (IAU) |
|
Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI) |
Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI) |
|
Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) |
Congrès mondial des Ukrainiens (UWC) |
|
United for Intercultural Action |
Front uni pour l'Action interculturelle |
|
Young European Federalists (YEF) |
Jeunes Européens fédéralistes (JEF) |
II. INGOs lacking co-operation with the Council of Europe in the reporting period (Article 2h)
|
Nom de l’OING |
|
|
Centre for Study and Strategic Prospective (CEPS) |
Centre d’Etude et de Prospective stratégique (CEPS) |
|
Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) |
Commission des Eglises auprès des Migrants en Europe (CEME) |
|
Disabled People’s International - Europe (DPI Europe) |
Organisation Mondiale des Personnes Handicapées - Europe (OMPH Europe) |
|
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) |
Forum de la société civile du Partenariat oriental (EaP CSF) |
|
Equal Rights Trust (ERT) |
Association pour les droits égaux (ERT) |
|
European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC-Onlus) |
Association européenne de Soins palliatifs (EAPC-Onlus) |
|
European Association of Régies and Networks de Quartier (AERDQ) |
Association Européenne des Réseaux et Régies de Quartier (AERDQ) |
|
European Association of Training Centres for Socio-Educational Care Work (FESET) |
Association européenne des Centres de Formation au Travail socio-éducatif (FESET) |
|
European Blind Union (EBU) |
Union Européenne des Aveugles (UEA) |
|
European Committee for the Education of Children and Adolescents who are Intellectually Advanced, Highly Gifted, Talented (Eurotalent) |
Comité Européen pour l'Éducation des Enfants et Adolescents Précoces, Surdoués, Talentueux (Eurotalent) |
|
European Confederation of Police (EUROCOP) |
Confédération Européenne de Police (EUROCOP) |
|
European Democrat Students Federation of Christian-Democratic, Conservative and Liberal Students (EDS) |
Etudiants démocrates européens Fédération des Etudiants démocrates-chrétiens, centristes et libéraux (EDS) |
|
European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion (EMISCO) |
Initiative européenne musulmane pour la cohésion sociale (IEMCS) |
|
European String Teachers Association (ESTA) |
Association européenne de Pédagogues d'Instruments à Cordes (ESTA) |
|
International Catholic Child Bureau (ICCB) |
Bureau international catholique de l'Enfance (BICE) |
|
International Detention Coalition (IDC) |
International Detention Coalition (IDC) |
|
International Movement of Catholic Agricultural and Rural Youth (MIJARC) |
Mouvement international de la Jeunesse agricole et rurale catholique (MIJARC) |
|
International Scientific Conference Minorities for Europe of Tomorrow (ISCOMET) |
Conférence scientifique internationale sur les minorités dans l'Europe de demain (ISCOMET) |
|
Migratory Birds of the Western Palearctic (OMPO) |
Oiseaux migrateurs du Paléarctique occidental (OMPO) |
|
Rotary International (RI) |
Rotary International (RI) |
|
Society for Threatened Peoples International (STP (GfbV)) |
Société pour les Peuples Menacés – Internationale (STP (GfbV)) |
|
World Association of Newspapers and New Publishers (WAN-IFRA) |
Association mondiale des Journaux et des nouveaux éditeurs (WAN-IFRA) |
|
World ORT (Organisation for Educational, Resources and Technological Training) (ORT) |
Union Mondiale ORT (Organisation-Reconstruction-Travail) (ORT) |
III. INGOs without members in at least five member states of the Council of Europe (Article 2f)
|
Name of the INGO |
Nom de l’OING |
|
Anti-Slavery International (ASI) |
Anti-Slavery International (ASI) |
|
Association of Working Communities of the Alpine Regions (AWCAR) |
Association des Communautés de Travail des Régions alpines (AWCAR) |
|
International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) |
Commission internationale catholique pour les Migrations (CICM) |