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MEDIA DEPARTMENT |
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Media release |
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Ref. MD 139(2026) The Summer Ahead: Key Events and Meetings 13 July –6 September 2026 European Heritage Days 2026: Heritage at Risk – Revive, Resist, Reimagine 3 September – Europe’s largest participatory cultural event, the European Heritage Days (EHD), will invite millions across the continent to celebrate and protect our shared heritage. In 2026, the theme is “Heritage at Risk: Revive, Resist, Reimagine”. Our cultural and natural heritage faces unprecedented challenges from climate change, urbanisation, migration, conflict and digitization. More information - Contact: Giuseppe Zaffuto, Tel. + 33 3 90 21 56 04 And also… 13-16 July, New York (United States) – The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori will participate in the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. On 15 July, the President will intervene in the Local 2030 Coalition Special Event on “Advancing SDG 11 and the New Urban Agenda: Local Action for Global Acceleration”. In the framework of the visit, the President and the Secretary General will hold a number of bilateral meetings with UN officials and other representatives, including with UN Secretary General António Guterres. Contact: Congress Communication Unit, Tel. +33 3 88 41 38 90 15 July, Strasbourg – The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) will publish new guidance on residence permits for victims of human trafficking, which are provided for in Article 14 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The document provides concrete and practical guidance for relevant authorities, agencies and civil society organisations. Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 16 July, Strasbourg – The Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) will publish its ninth round evaluation report on the implementation of the Charter by Norway. Contact: Päivi Suhonen, Tel. +33 6 69 76 52 89 16 July, Strasbourg – The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body GRECO will publish a new report assessing measures taken by Armenia to implement 22 recommendations provided by GRECO to the authorities in 2024 under the monitoring round “Preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies”. Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 16 July, Strasbourg – The European Court of Human Rights will notify in writing 27 judgments and/or decisions concerning Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Ukraine. More information – ECHR website, Tel. +33 3 90 21 42 08 22 July, Strasbourg (Palais de l’Europe, 11.30 a.m.) – The Council of Europe will hold its annual ceremony commemorating the Roma victims of the Holocaust on the lawn in front of the Palais de l’Europe. The event marks the 82nd anniversary of the liquidation of the “Zigeunerlager” at Auschwitz-Birkenau on the night of 2–3 August 1944, when more than 3,000 Roma were murdered. The programme will include remarks by representatives of the Council of Europe and the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers, as well as a Roma civil society representative. A symbolic laying of 100 white roses will conclude the ceremony. Programme - Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 28 July, Strasbourg – The Council of Europe´s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) will publish a report on its visit to Spain from 28 April to 9 May 2025. The main purpose of the visit was to examine the treatment of persons held in police and prison establishments as well as the situation of juvenile offenders. The CPT also examined the treatment of persons deprived of their liberty by law enforcement agencies, their conditions of detention and the operation of legal safeguards against police ill-treatment. It visited establishments in Andalucía, Extremadura and Madrid. Contact: Estelle Steiner, Tel. +33 6 08 46 01 57 2 August, Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland) – A commemoration ceremony will be organised by the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the Association of Roma in Poland in co-operation with the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. PACE President Petra Bayr as well as Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen (Norway, EPP/CCE) and Standing Rapporteur on Human Rights Peter Drenth (Netherlands, EPP/CCE) will be part of the Council of Europe delegation. Representatives of parliaments, governments, international organisations, and civil society will participate, as well as the international Roma youth network TernYpe. The Coalition on the Roma Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Recognition will meet within the framework of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Programme “Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education – RomaMemory”. On 2 August 1944 over 3 000 Roma men, women and children were exterminated in the gas chambers of the “Zigeunerlager” at Auschwitz-Birkenau. To commemorate the date, several other events will be held from 31 July to 2 August to promote remembrance and history teaching. Programme - Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 5-6 August, Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – The Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty will participate in the WorldPride Human Rights Conference. Contact: Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights 6 August, Amsterdam (The Netherlands) – Congress Rapporteur on “Free to speak, free to meet: guaranteeing the rights of LGBTI persons in local communities”, Helen Belcher (United Kingdom, ILDG), will make a keynote speech on “Political Leadership at the Subnational Level: Change from the Ground Up, Local Leadership for Equality” during the Political Leadership Programme at the WorldPride Human Rights Conference. In her remarks, she will outline the specific role of local authorities in upholding LGBTI people’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Contact: Congress Communication Unit, Tel. +33 3 88 41 38 90 21-24 August, Kazakhstan – A 20-member PACE delegation, led by Sevilay Çelenk (Türkiye, UEL), will travel to Kazakhstan to observe the conduct of the early parliamentary elections on 23 August, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). Contact: PACE Communication Division, Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 28 August, Alpbach (Austria) – The Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty will participate in the Ukraine Recovery Lab at the European Forum Alpbach 2026 “How Europe Wins”. Contact: Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights 1 September, Prague (Czech Republic) – The first meeting of the Selection Panel of the PACE Václav Havel Human Rights Prize 2026 will take place to shortlist three candidates out of the candidatures received. Contact: PACE Communication Division, Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 1-2 September, Monaco – Secretary General Alain Berset and Deputy Secretary General Tanja Gonggrijp will participate in the 1567th meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee Ministers' Deputies. Contact: Heli Suominen , Tel. +33 6 59 61 90 34 3-5 September, Malaga (Spain) – The Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty will deliver a keynote lecture at the XXI Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) on “International Human Rights Law: The Roadmap to Honour Human Dignity”. Contact: Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights 4 September, Strasbourg – The Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) will publish its first baseline evaluation report on Ukraine. It will be the first assessment since the Istanbul Convention entered into force in Ukraine in November 2022. Contact: Panos Kakaviatos, Tel. +33 6 98 37 64 04 All times are CET unless indicated otherwise. |
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Council of Europe, Media Department |
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