Statute of the Council of Europe


The Statute of the Council of Europe is a treaty that was signed on 5 May 1949, which created the Council of Europe. The original signatories were Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A state formally joins the Council of Europe by ratifying the Statute.
As of 2013, it has been ratified or acceded to by 47 European states. All European states have ratified the Statute with the exception of Belarus and Vatican City.
The treaty was registered with the United Nations with treaty number I:1168, vol.87, page 103. Its date of registration was 11 April 1951.