doctype: protocol

identifier: CETS No. 231

openingPlace: Strasbourg

reference: CETS No. 231

title: Protocol amending the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism

text: Council of Europe Treaty Series - No. 231

text: Strasbourg, 26.V.2026

text: Preamble

text: The member States of the Council of Europe and the other Parties to the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism (CETS No. 196, hereinafter referred to as “the Convention”), signatories to this Protocol,

text: Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity between its members;

text: Recalling the need to strengthen the fight against terrorism in all its forms, in Europe and globally, and recognising the importance of reinforcing co-operation in the field of counterterrorism with the other Parties to the Convention;

text: Recognising that terrorist offences and the offences set forth in the Convention and this Protocol, regardless of the perpetrators, are under no circumstances justifiable by considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or other similar nature;

text: Reaffirming that all measures taken to prevent or suppress terrorist offences in this Protocol shall be in accordance with relevant human rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly those enshrined in the

text: Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

text: (ETS No. 5), as well as other obligations under international law, including, where applicable, international humanitarian law;

text: Considering that new challenges in the fight against terrorism have emerged since the Convention and its Additional Protocol (CETS No. 217) were adopted, particularly related to the fact that many terrorists have changed their modus operandi by committing criminal acts with a terrorist aim beyond those included in the anti-terrorism treaties contained in the appendix to the Convention;

text: Considering the need to adopt a wider and more suitable legal definition of terrorist offences in order to address contemporary and future counter-terrorism challenges,

text: Have agreed as follows:

text: CETS 231 – Prevention of Terrorism (Amending Protocol), 26.V.2026 __________________________________________________________________________________

text: The text of

text: Article 1

text: of the Convention shall be replaced by the following: “1 For the purposes of this Convention, ‘terrorist offence’ means: – any of the offences within the scope of and as defined in one of the treaties listed in the appendix; or – any of the following acts, which are defined as an offence under national law and which, given their nature or context, may seriously damage a country or an international organisation, when committed intentionally and with one of the aims listed in paragraph 2 of this article: a attacks upon a person’s life which may cause death; b attacks upon the physical integrity of a person; c kidnapping; d causing extensive destruction to a government or public facility, a transport system, an infrastructure facility, a public place or private property likely to endanger human life or result in major economic loss; e seizure of means of public or goods transport, other than aircraft and ships; f manufacture, possession, acquisition, transport, supply or use of weapons, including chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons, as well as research into, and development of, chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons; g release of dangerous substances, or causing fires or floods, the effect of which is to endanger human life; h interfering with or disrupting the supply of water, power or any other fundamental natural resource, the effect of which is to endanger human life; i system or data interference that causes extensive damage to an information or computer system; j threatening to commit any of the acts listed in points a to i. 2 The aims referred to in paragraph 1 of this article are: a seriously intimidating a population; b unduly compelling a government or an international organisation to perform or abstain from performing any act; c seriously destabilising or destroying the fundamental political, constitutional, economic or social structures of a country or an international organisation.”

text: Article 1 – Definitions

text: This Protocol shall be open for signature by Parties to the Convention. It shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

text: Article 2 – Signature and ratification

text: This Protocol shall enter into force on the first day of the month following the expiration of a period of three months after the date on which all Parties to the Convention have expressed their consent to be bound by the Protocol, in accordance with the provisions of

text: Article 2

text: of this Protocol.

text: In the event this Protocol has not entered into force in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article, following the expiry of a period of three years after the date on which it has been opened for signature, the Protocol shall enter into force in respect of those States which have expressed their consent to be bound by it in accordance with paragraph 1, provided that the amending Protocol has been ratified by at least two thirds of the Parties to the Convention. As between the Parties to the Protocol, all provisions of the amended Convention shall have effect immediately upon entry into force.

text: Pending the entry into force of this Protocol and without prejudice to the provisions regarding the entry into force and the accession by non-member States, a Party to the Convention may, at the time of signature of this Protocol or at any later moment, declare that it will apply the provisions of this Protocol on a provisional basis. In such cases, the provisions of this Protocol shall apply only with respect to the other Parties to the Convention which have made a declaration to the same effect. Such a declaration shall take effect on the first day of the third month following the date of its receipt by the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

text: Article 3 – Entry into force

text: From the date of entry into force of this Protocol, with respect to the Parties having entered one or more declarations in pursuance of

text: Article 1

text: of the Convention, such declarations will lapse.

text: Article 4 – Declarations related to the Convention

text: No reservation may be made with respect to the provisions of this Protocol.

text: Article 5 – Reservations

text: The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall notify the member States of the Council of Europe and any other Party to the Convention of:

text: any signature;

text: the deposit of any instrument of ratification, acceptance or approval;

text: the date of entry into force of this Protocol in accordance with

text: Article 3

text: any other act, notification or communication relating to this Protocol.

text: In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorised thereto, have signed this Protocol.

text: Done at Strasbourg, this twenty-sixth day of May 2026, in English and in French, both texts being equally authentic, in a single copy which shall be deposited in the archives of the Council of Europe. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe shall transmit certified copies to each member State of the Council of Europe, to the other Parties to the Convention and to any State invited to accede to the Convention.

text: Article 6 – Notifications

type: internationell-overenskommelse