102 PROMOTING AND PROTECTING MINORITY RIGHTS CHAPTER XII THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE Summary: Three Council of Europe treaties, the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (also known as the European Convention on Human Rights), the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, provide multiple opportunities for persons belonging to minorities to raise individual cases of discrimination (under the European Convention on Human Rights) and broader minority issues (under the other two treaties). The Council of Europe’s nontreaty mechanisms provide additional avenues for bringing minority issues to the attention of Governments and the public. The Council has also established specific bodies dealing with racism and intolerance, and with Roma and Travellers. Based in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe is an intergovernmental organization composed of 47 States.128 Its objectives are to: • Protect human rights, pluralist democracy and the rule of law; • Promote awareness and encourage the development of Europe’s cultural identity and diversity; • Seek solutions to problems facing European society, including discrimination against minorities, xenophobia, intolerance, environmental protection, human cloning, HIV/ AIDS, drugs, organized crime and other problems; • Help consolidate democratic stability in Europe by backing political, legislative and constitutional reform. The Council is governed by an intergovernmental Committee of Ministers and an indirectly elected Parliamentary Assembly. The Council of Europe should not be confused with the European Council, an official institution of the European Union, although all the 27 European Union States are also members of the Council of Europe. The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (also known as the European Convention on Human Rights) entered into force in 1953, inaugurating the first regional human rights system. It has been revised several times through a series of protocols and, in 1998, the European Court of Human Rights became the first full-time human rights court in the world. All the member States of the Council of Europe are parties to the Convention. The right of individual petition is inherent in the Convention system, and the Court’s judgements are legally binding on the States parties. The 47 judges of the Court are elected by the Parliamentary Assembly. Cases are heard by chambers of seven judges, and important cases may be referred to a Grand Chamber of 17 judges. The execution of the Court’s judgements is overseen by the Committee of Ministers. Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 128