On 5 September 2025, the Council of Europe celebrated the first anniversary of the opening for signature of its Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence at a conference in Madrid, Spain. The Council of Europe’s Committee on artificial intelligence (CAI) and the Complutense University of Madrid jointly organised the conference. Academic experts and members of the CAI Bureau shared theoretical and methodological insights on the convention’s key themes, including its regulatory architecture, the negotiation process and implementation prospects.

The first-ever, international, legally-binding instrument on Artificial Intelligence (AI) was opened for signature on 5 September 2024 (CETS No. 225). The Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence provides a common baseline to ensure that activities within the lifecycle of AI systems are fully consistent with human rights, democracy and the rule of law (→eucrim 3/2024, 194-196).

Over the past year, the Convention was signed by 16 countries (among them 5 non-CoE member states) and the European Union. In order to enter into force, the Convention must be ratified by 5 states, including at least 3 CoE member states.

Eucrim will regularly update the accessions to the Convention on its website documenting ratifications of CoE Conventions.