<P> The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the Council of the European Union (the "Council of Ministers") or the European Council . These belong to the European Union, which is separate from the Council of Europe, although they have shared the same European flag and anthem since the 1980s because they both work for European integration . The Council of Europe is not to be confused with the European Union itself . </P> <P> The Council of Europe is an entirely separate body from the European Union . It is not controlled by it . </P> <P> Cooperation between the European Union and the Council of Europe has recently been reinforced, notably on culture and education as well as on the international enforcement of justice and Human Rights . </P> <P> The European Union is expected to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention). There are also concerns about consistency in case law--the European Court of Justice (the EU's court in Luxembourg) is treating the Convention as part of the legal system of all EU member states in order to prevent conflict between its judgements and those of the European Court of Human Rights (the court in Strasbourg interpreting the Convention). Protocol No. 14 of the Convention is designed to allow the EU to accede to it and the EU Treaty of Lisbon contains a protocol binding the EU to join . The EU would thus be subject to its human rights law and external monitoring as its member states currently are . </P>

The council of europe meets in strasbourg france