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Wrong title. The European Council consists of the political leaders of the member states, that is, the very people who were (and presumably, still are) accompli

Wrong title. The European Council consists of the political leaders of the member states, that is, the very people who were (and presumably, still are) accomplices of the NSA, and muttered a few embarrassed words when the Snowden documents came out. The Council of Europe, which is the group doing the interview, is a European human rights organization. The EU Court of Human Rights is a Council of Europe body.

andyjohnson0 12y ago
"The EU Court of Human Rights is a Council of Europe body." I think you mean the European Court of Human Rights.
- mercurial 12y ago
  I did, yes.
  - currysausage 12y ago
    The official names of European institutions - and what even high-profile journalists and lawyers make of them - are a constant source of head-shaking (and amusement). Council of Europe (non-EU) ≠ European Council (EU) ≠ Council of the European Union (EU). Court of Justice of the European Union = European Court of Justice + General Court (+ others; all EU). Of course, the EU has 24 official languages, and needless to say, the translations of these terms are rarely literal, so the confusion is multiplied. Seriously, the people who come up with this are either brain-dead or they don't want ordinary people to understand this system. I don't know which option frightens me more.
baddox 12y ago
To add to that, the European Council is a formal institution of the European Union. It has no formal powers, but it generally guides the policy of the EU through the influence of the executive branches of member nations (according to Wikipedia). The Council of Europe, which is the organization that did this interview, has nothing to do with the European Union. There is at least one other similarly-named entity, the Council of the European Union, which is one of the houses of the EU legislature. The names are quite confusing.
dang 12y ago
Thanks. We changed the title to say "Council of Europe". We're also burying this post since there is nothing on the page now.

andyjohnson0 12y ago

"The EU Court of Human Rights is a Council of Europe body." I think you mean the European Court of Human Rights.

mercurial 12y ago
I did, yes.
- currysausage 12y ago
  The official names of European institutions - and what even high-profile journalists and lawyers make of them - are a constant source of head-shaking (and amusement). Council of Europe (non-EU) ≠ European Council (EU) ≠ Council of the European Union (EU). Court of Justice of the European Union = European Court of Justice + General Court (+ others; all EU). Of course, the EU has 24 official languages, and needless to say, the translations of these terms are rarely literal, so the confusion is multiplied. Seriously, the people who come up with this are either brain-dead or they don't want ordinary people to understand this system. I don't know which option frightens me more.

baddox 12y ago

To add to that, the European Council is a formal institution of the European Union. It has no formal powers, but it generally guides the policy of the EU through the influence of the executive branches of member nations (according to Wikipedia). The Council of Europe, which is the organization that did this interview, has nothing to do with the European Union. There is at least one other similarly-named entity, the Council of the European Union, which is one of the houses of the EU legislature. The names are quite confusing.

dang 12y ago

Thanks. We changed the title to say "Council of Europe". We're also burying this post since there is nothing on the page now.