An association of 47 European states, independent of the European Community. It meets in Strasbourg. Founded in 1949, it is committed to the principles of freedom and the rule of law, and to safeguarding the political and cultural heritage of Europe. Its executive organ is the Committee of Ministers, and most of its conclusions take the form of international agreements (known as European Conventions) or recommendations to governments. One of the Council’s principal achievements is the European Convention of Human Rights (1950) under which was established the European Commission and the European Court of Human Rights.