The Council of Europe was founded on 5 May 1949 by ten western and northern European states,[1] with Greece[2][3] joining three months later, and Iceland,[4][5] Turkey[6][7] and West Germany[8][9] joining the next year. It now has 46 member states, with Montenegro being the latest to join.
Article 4 of the Council of Europe Statute specifies that membership is open to any European country, provided they meet specific democratic and human rights standards.[10] Nearly all countries with territory in Europe are members of the Council of Europe, with the exceptions of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Vatican City, as well as states with limited recognition.
On 5 May 1949, at St James's Palace, London, the Foreign Ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom signed the Treaty establishing the Council of Europe.
Greece became the 11th member State of the Council of Europe on 9 August 1949.
Iceland became the 12th member State of the Council of Europe on 7 March 1950.
Turkey became the 13th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 April 1950.
Germany became the 14th member State of the Council of Europe on 13 July 1950.
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