What changed

4.12.2025

P10_TA(2026)0071

Ms Anna Cavazzini

Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law

Chair

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

PE779.657

BRUSSELS

European Parliament legislative resolution of 11 March 2026 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (11361/2025– C10-0183/2025 – 2025/0136(NLE))

Mr Javier Zarzalejos

(Consent)

Chair

– having regard to the draft Council decision (11361/2025),

Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs

– having regard to the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS 225),

BRUSSELS

– having regard to the request for consent submitted by the Council in accordance with Articles 114 and Article 218(6), second subparagraph, point (a)(v), of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (C100183/2025),

Subject: Opinion on Conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (COM(2025)0265 – C100183/2025 – 2025/0136(NLE))

– having regard to Rule 107(1) and (4) and Rule 117(7) of its Rules of Procedure,

Dear Mr Zarzalejos,

– having regard to the letter from the Committee on Culture and Education,

Dear Ms Cavazzini,

– having regard to the recommendation of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (A10-0007/2026),

Under the procedure referred to above, the Committee on Culture and Education has been asked to submit an opinion to your committees. At its meeting of 24 September 2025, the committee decided to send the opinion in the form of a letter. It considered the matter at its meeting of 2 December 2025 and adopted the opinion at that meeting.

1. Gives its consent to the conclusion of the Convention;

The Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law establishes the first legally binding international framework ensuring that artificial intelligence (AI) systems are designed, developed, deployed and governed in accordance with human rights, democratic principles and the rule of law.

2. Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the Member States and to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

The Convention is a horizontal human rights and governance instrument applying across all sectors and activities within the lifecycle of AI systems. It sets overarching obligations on legality, transparency, accountability, non-discrimination, participation, access to remedies and independent oversight. These provisions are essential to maintaining an environment in which freedom of expression, media pluralism, artistic freedom and the diversity of opinions can flourish in the digital age.

In this wider context, the Convention provides a coherent horizontal framework for addressing the ethical, legal and societal implications of AI across sectors, in particular within the cultural and creative sectors and industries (CCSI) as well as education. Its legal safeguards ensure that AI deployment takes place within a framework that protects existing rights whilst promoting s innovation.

It is also particularly relevant in light of earlier reflections on generative AI, (GenAI), which underlined both its potential and its risks for the CCSI.

Legality, accountability and responsibility

By embedding legality, accountability and responsibility throughout the design and use of AI systems, the Convention provides a coherent framework for lawful, responsible and rights-based AI governance. These general principles could help create conditions in which cultural and creative works, educational content and journalistic expression could be better protected and valued within a trustworthy digital environment.

While GenAI offers significant opportunities for innovation, it may also reduce the incentive for original creation, threaten plurality and the livelihoods of creators, and lead to the unauthorised use of protected works without transparency or remuneration. The Convention’s principles of legality and accountability throughout the development and use of AI systems are therefore particularly relevant to ensuring that AI operates within clear rights-based boundaries: creators must retain full control over what is done with their cultural and creative works, and therefore their right to authorise or prohibit their use, particularly in the context of data training by GenAI systems. These provisions thus reinforce the current legal framework that ensures fairness, accountability and the effective protection of rights holders.

Equality and non-discrimination

The Convention’s guarantees of equality and non-discrimination promote fairness and inclusion in the design and use of AI. By requiring parties to prevent discriminatory or biased outcomes, the Convention may help ensuring that algorithmic processes are not detrimental to cultural and linguistic diversity.

Transparency, oversight, and remedies

The Convention establishes mechanisms for transparency, oversight and access throughout the AI lifecycle. These horizontal safeguards are essential for ensuring that AI systems remain open to scrutiny and that individuals and organisations have effective means of redress. The Convention’s emphasis on transparency, oversight and access to remedies further reinforces a responsible use of AI, which is essential to safeguard creators’ rights. It also contributes to strengthen openness and traceability: so the use of cultural and creative works within AI systems must be lawful, identifiable and subject to appropriate oversight and accountability mechanisms. Addressing the lack of transparency, discoverability of original works and traceability of AI-generated content is crucial to preserve Europe’s multilingual and multicultural richness and to sustain confidence in human creativity in the age of AI.

Participation, awareness and education

Finally, the Convention highlights the importance of participation and of promoting knowledge, awareness and trust throughout the AI lifecycle. These principles are consistent with the broader commitment to advance AI literacy and media literacy across education and cultural programmes, including through synergies with the current Creative Europe programme and the future AgoraEU programme. Such initiatives are essential to ensure that citizens, educators and creators can engage critically and responsibly with AI, thereby strengthening creativity, democratic participation and informed citizenship.

The Convention is therefore particularly relevant for the cultural and creative sectors, where the rapid deployment of generative AI (GenAI) has illustrated both the opportunities and the risks of AI. Its horizontal principles help establish the conditions under which innovation can flourish while respecting fundamental rights and creative autonomy. By joining this Convention, the European Union reinforces its global leadership in promoting trustworthy and human-centred AI. It complements the Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) and provides the external dimension of the Union’s AI policy, ensuring coherence between internal legislation and international commitments and by fostering global partnerships and coalitions for responsible AI development.

For these reasons, the Committee on Culture and Education supports the conclusion of the Convention by the European Union.

Yours sincerely,

Nela Riehl