Statute of the Council of Europe

The Statute of the Council of Europe (also known as the Treaty of London (1949)) 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 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 Holy See).

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.