Council of Europe
Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe is the continent’s oldest political organisation. Switzerland joined the Strasbourg-based body in 1963. The Council sees itself as the guardian of democratic security, based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Switzerland says that one of the organisation’s greatest achievements is the European Human Rights Convention. The Council of Europe is distinct from the 25-nation European Union, but no country has ever joined the EU without first belonging to it.
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