Dear visitor, 

Welcome to the website of the European Union Delegation to the Council of Europe. 

The EU and the Council of Europe were both products of a single vision championing a unified and free Europe. Since their very beginning, the two institutions have been driven by common values. Today the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law keep representing the cornerstone of our cooperation.  

A new page in the history of the Council of Europe has opened with Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its expulsion from the organisation. At this critical time, our common endeavour is of primary importance.

With this in mind, the EU Delegation is working to establish joint EU positions with our Member States and ensure common purpose and complementarity with the Council of Europe. Together we strive to take a leading role in setting and upholding standards that make possible the enjoyment of universal rights and the protection of our core values.  

The EU is the Council of Europe’s biggest institutional partner. In addition to intense high-level political dialogue and legal cooperation, the two institutions are collaborating on numerous joint programmes funded by the EU and implemented by the Council of Europe. 

By doing so we are actively supporting a rules-based multilateral system. As a big part of the world looks to the EU to champion effective multilateral solutions, we see our work here as a major part of this effort.  

This site serves as a gateway to the work of the EU with the Council of Europe. Feel free to navigate and learn more about our plans and activities!  

Finally, please don’t hesitate to contact us at delegation-strasbourg-1@eeas.europa.eu if you have any queries, comments or suggestions regarding our website or our work. 

Enjoy your visit! 

Best, 

Vesna Kos

Ambassador Vesna Kos took up her function as Head of the EU Delegation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 1st September 2022. She is the main representative of the EU towards EU Member States present in Strasbourg, representatives in the Parliamentary Assembly as well as third countries' missions and the Council of Europe Development Bank.  

Prior to her appointment to Strasbourg, Ms. Kos had been serving as Permanent Representative of Croatia to the United Nations Office at Geneva since 2015. Since 2012 she was Assistant Minister, Directorate General for Multilateral Affairs and Global Issues, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. In 2011, she was Director General, Directorate General for Multilateral Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. In 2010, she served as Head of the Department for International Development Cooperation and then as Head of the International Organizations and Human Rights Department at the Ministry. From December 2008 to September 2009, she served as Charge d’affaires a.i. at the Permanent Representation of Croatia to the Council of Europe, after being Deputy Permanent Representative there from 2003 to 2008.

Ms. Kos joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1993, holding several positions, including First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of Croatia to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 1998 to 2002. She graduated from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb in 1992, attended the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1996-1997, received a Master of Laws in international human rights from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom in 1997, and was awarded a PhD in international human rights law from the Faculty of Law in Zagreb in 2011.

Ms. Kos was born on 30 June 1969 in Zagreb.