About us

© Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Permanent Representation represents the interests and values of the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. The Council of Europe protects and promotes human rights, democracy and the rule of law through standard setting, monitoring and cooperation. The organisation exists of two statutory bodies; the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly. Other important bodies are the Congress for Regional and Local Authorities, the Commissioner for Human Rights and the Conference of International Non-Governmental Organisations.  

Daily work 

On behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands the members of the Permanent Representation take part in formal and informal meetings in Strasbourg. In cooperation with our capital-based colleagues working for a wide range of ministries, we represent the perspectives, positions and proposals of the Netherlands.
We engage actively in reaching mutual understanding and compromises with the member states of the Council of Europe by cherishing dialogue and transparency, by building bridges and seeking pragmatic, out-of-the box solutions and by interdisciplinary collaboration, promoting involvement of civil society and other stakeholders.


Committee of Ministers 

The Committee of Ministers (CM) is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. The CM is the voice of the governments within the Council of Europe and the main organ in which the Permanent Representation is active. Once every year, half May, the CM meeting takes places at ministerial level. During the other CM meetings the Permanent Representatives of the respective member states represent their countries. The discussions cover all questions of common political interest related to the core values human rights, democracy and rule of law, except defence. 


Priorities

The Permanent Representation focuses on topics where the Netherlands has added value; the Register of Damage for Ukraine, gender equality and human dignity for all, including LGBTIQ+ persons, the Istanbul Convention and execution of the judgements of the European Court of Human Rights.  The Netherlands will hold the presidency of the Committee of Ministers from May 2027 until November 2027. 
 

One Kingdom – four countries 

The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of four countries, in Europe and in the Caribbean region: Aruba, Curaçao Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. The Permanent Representation also represents the countries in the Caribbean region, in cooperation with the countries. 

Parliamentary Assembly (PACE)

PACE is the parliamentary body of the Council of Europe. The Assembly consists of 306 members from national parliaments of the Council of Europe’s member states. Four times a year, the Assembly meets in Strasbourg. The Dutch delegation to PACE entails members from both the Senate and the House of Representatives. 


 Congress of Local And Regional Authorities

The Netherlands is also represented in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities. The Congress holds plenary sessions twice a year in Strasbourg and is constituted by 612 members. The Dutch delegation to the Congress is made up of Mayors, Aldermen, Regional Ministers of Provinces and King’s Commissioners.