Council of Europe

The Council of Europe is an International Organization promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of  -

• legal standards
• human rights
• development
• the rule of law and
• cultural co-operation 

It was founded in May 1949, has 47 member states with some 800 million citizens, and is an entirely separate body from the European Union (EU), which has 28 member states

The headquarters of the Council of Europe are in Strasbourg,France ,with English and French as its two Official Languages

Unlike the EU, the Council of Europe cannot make binding laws. The two do however share certain symbols such as the flag and the anthem