Who we are
With over 2 000 staff representing all its 46 member States, the Council of Europe is a multicultural
organisation. We all strive towards protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law and our three core
values - professionalism, integrity and respect - guide the way we work.
The Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights advises and assists the Committee
of Ministers in its functions of supervision of the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in accordance
with Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention. The Department also provides support to the member States in their efforts to
achieve full, effective and prompt execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, in the cases to which
they are parties.
Your role
As a Lawyer you will:
- manage a certain number of cases forwarded by the European Court of Human Rights to the Committee of Ministers
for supervision of their execution;
- identify the execution measures required, in compliance with the deadlines set and with any specific instructions;
- prepare documents comprising the legal assessments required for Committee of Ministers “Human Rights” meetings
(including memoranda, “briefing” notes, draft resolutions and draft decisions, and, where necessary, summaries of the
meeting proceedings);
- maintain correspondence with respondent Governments, applicants and other interested parties;
- co-operate and maintain dialogue with various instances concerned by the supervision of the execution of the Court’s
judgments and decisions (in particular with Permanent Representations, government agents, national bodies
responsible for execution of the judgments, NGOs, and national human rights institutions);
-participate in the relevant meetings of the Committee of Ministers and follow up cases pursuant to the decisions taken;
-prepare information documents, summaries, studies and reports for the attention, in particular, of the Director General
of Human Rights and Rule of Law, the Director of Human Rights and the Head of the Department;
-take part, on request, in technical co-operation activities which may involve missions;
-contribute actively to the performance of other specific tasks of the Department.
What we are looking for
As a minimum, you must:
-hold a higher education degree in law permitting access, either on the basis of qualifications or after passing a
competitive examination, to the judicial administration or legal professions in Belgium;
-after having obtained the relevant university degree in law, have at least two years of professional experience acquired
in the legal field in Belgium or in international organisations;
-have an excellent knowledge of one of the three official languages of Belgium (mother tongue level);
-have a very good knowledge of one of the two Council of Europe’s official languages (English/French) and basic
knowledge of the other (English/French);
-be a citizen of one of the 46 member States of the Council of Europe;
-be under 65 years of age at the closing date of this vacancy notice.
What we offer
If successful, you may be offered employment based on renewable fixed-term contracts at grade A1/A2, depending on your previous professional experience. In Strasbourg, you will receive a basic monthly gross salary of €4 990 (grade A1) or €6 376 (grade A2), which is exempt from national income tax. In our external offices different salary scales are used according to the cost of living conditions. This salary may be supplemented by other allowances depending on your personal situation and you will be affiliated to a Council of Europe pension scheme. You will also benefit from private medical insurance, 32 working days leave per year and other benefits (including flexible working hours, training and development, possibility of teleworking, etc.). The Council of Europe places a strong emphasis on training and development for their staff members. In addition to language courses in both official languages, staff are offered a wide range of training programmes to help them meet the evolving challenges of their work. This competition is carried out in accordance with Article 15.b of the Regulations on Appointments (Appendix II to the Staff Regulations), which foresees renewable employment on fixed-term contracts. Details on conditions of employment (probationary period, salaries, allowances, pension scheme, social insurance, etc.) can be consulted on our recruitment website. Any changes to these conditions during the recruitment process are updated on this site and will apply at the time of the job offer. If your profile matches our needs and you are not recruited straight away, you may be placed on a reserve list, valid for a maximum of four years.
Applications and selection procedure
Deadline for applications is 19 May 2022 (midnight French time). Applications must be made in English or French using the Council of Europe online application system. By connecting to our website www.coe.int/jobs, you can create and submit your online application. Please fill out the online application form providing all requested details and explain how your competencies make you the best candidate for this role. It usually takes a few hours to fill in an application form, so please take this information into consideration while applying. Only applicants who best meet the abovementioned criteria will be considered for the next stage, which will consist of assessments and an interview. Further information on the assessment process will be provided to the selected candidates in due course. The tentative dates for each stage of the recruitment process will be found on our website. As an equal opportunity employer, the Council of Europe welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates, irrespective of sex, gender, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, disability, religion or belief. Under its equal opportunities policy, the Council of Europe is aiming to achieve parity in the number of women and men employed at all levels in the Organisation. In the event of equal merit, preference will therefore be given to the applicant belonging to the under-represented sex in the grade. During the different stages of the recruitment procedure, specific measures may be taken to ensure equal opportunities for candidates with disabilities.