Part I General Aspects, 3 Membership and Observer Status

Subject(s):

Democracy — Membership of international organizations — Rule of law

This chapter gives an overview of the rules and conditions on membership in the Council of Europe (CoE). It frames the discussion within the context of the Eastern enlargement. According to Article 2 of the Council of Europe Statute, the parties to this Statute are the members of the organisation. Thus the chapter discusses the composition of the CoE’s membership since its founding, and the rules and obligations accompanying membership of the Council. Furthermore the chapter devotes a section to non-members with special working relations with the Council, discussing in particular two special statuses established for this purpose: the observer status and the special guest status. The chapter then concludes with some closing remarks on the developments the CoE has undergone.