Democracy on the Precipice - Council of Europe Democracy Debates 2011-12 (2012)
ISBN 978-92-871-7463-5

Democracy is well-established and soundly practiced in most European countries. But despite unprecedented progress, there is growing dissatisfaction with the state of democracy and deepening mistrust of democratic institutions; a situation exacerbated by the economic crisis. Are Europe’s democracies really under threat? Has the traditional model of European democracy exhausted its potential? A broad consensus is forming as to the urgent need to examine the origins of the crisis and to explore visions and strategies which could contribute to rebuilding confidence in democracy.

As Europe’s guardian of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, the Council of Europe is committed to exploring the state and practice of European democracy, as well as identifying new challenges and anticipating future trends. In order to facilitate this reflection, the Council of Europe held a series of Democracy Debates with the participation of renowned specialists working in a variety of backgrounds and disciplines.

This publication presents the eight Democracy Debate lectures. Each presentation analyses a specific aspect of democracy today, placing the issues not only in their political context but also addressing the historical, technological and communication dimensions.

The authors make proposals on ways to improve democratic governance and offer their predictions on how democracy in Europe may evolve. Together, the presentations contribute to improving our understanding of democracy today and to recognising the ways it could be protected and strengthened.

Council of Europe - Activity report 2011 (PDF only) (2012)
ISBN Activity report 2011

"In 2011, the Council of Europe added two new treaties to its arsenal of international legally-binding instruments, namely the Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, and the Medicrime Convention. These texts cover important societal issues of relevance in Europe and beyond. In the past year we have stepped up our capacity to translate our commitments into concrete actions. One example is our work on Roma.

…There are examples which show that we can be flexible and reactive, offering assistance where it is needed and when it is needed.

... Today, our member states can see that the Council of Europe is providing value for money. The voluntary contributions from the member states in 2011 are 35% higher than the year before. The total receipts from the EU increased by 18%. These are clear figures which are demonstrating a growing trust in our capacity to deliver”.

Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, before the Parliamentary Assembly on 23 January 2012.

This report outlines the work carried out in 2011 by the various bodies and sectors of activity of the Council of Europe.

Download the Activity report (PDF format)