INGOs Conference of the Council of Europe INGOs Conference of the Council of Europe The INGO (international non-governmental organisations) Conference is the body representing civil society in the Council of Europe, a European organisation founded in 1949. The Council of Europe has 47 member States with some 800 million citizens and its seat is in Strasbourg, France. The INGO Conference of the Council of Europe is a space for free and innovative participation of committed citizens, offering the possibility to contribute directly to the construction of Europe. It is the only assembly of NGOs playing an institutional role in an international intergovernmental organization. As the President of
Council of Europe former head of the Azerbaijan representation at the Council of Europe, has stated that Azerbaijan's delegation at the Council had 25 million dollars available to "bribe members of the delegations and Pace generally". Since 2014, Russia's voting rights have been suspended by the Council due to Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. In response, Russia has started to withhold its annual membership dues in the amount of 33 million euros, placing the institution under financial strain. Russia claims that its suspension by the Council is unfair and demands the restoration of voting rights. European Council secretary-general Thorbjørn Jagland organized a