Withdrawal from the Council of Europe is the legal and political process whereby a member state of the Council of Europe rescinds from the Statute of the Council of Europe. Thus, the country in question ceases to be a member of the council. This is done under Articles 7 & 8 in Chapter II of the Statute which mentions membership.[1] It states that any country that wishes to leave must send a notification to the Council of Europe's Secretary General, and the country’s membership would be rescinded by the end of the year.
As of March 2022, there have been two countries that have formally left the Council of Europe. The first one was Greece on 12 December 1969. However, it re-joined the council on the 28 November 1974.[2] The second one is Russia who first threatened to withdraw from the Council, after the country's membership of the Parliamentary Assembly was revoked in 2014. This was due to the invasion and annexation of the Ukrainian autonomous region of Crimea.[3] Russia formally notified the Council of its withdrawal on 15 March 2022, after the country invaded Ukraine.[4]
- ^ "Statute of the Council of Europe - London, 5.V.1949". Council of Europe. 2020-12-28.
- ^ "The Greek Case at the Council of Europe (1967-1974)". Greek Presidency of the Council of Europe. Retrieved 2020-12-28.
- ^ "Russia delegation suspended from Council of Europe over Crimea". The Guardian. 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2020-12-29.
- ^ "Russia quits Council of Europe rights watchdog". Reuters. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2022-03-15.