The Council of Europe as an exporter of democracy, human rights and the rule of law

This article explores the motives that drive the Council of Europe's (CoE) engagement beyond its membership and examines the pathways that the organisation uses to export its core norms and values. Based on the discussion of the activities of the CoE in its core issue areas – that is, human rights, democracy and the rule of law – three analytically distinct instruments can be discerned that the organisation employs to influence the development in neighbouring regions and beyond: ‘inclusion,’ ‘fieldwork’ and ‘voice’. However, the discussion also demonstrates that the CoE's institutions are lacking a unified strategy as to how to engage with non-member states.