The Death Penalty in the OSCE Area EU joined in marking this day and released a joint statement with the CoE. The document stated that the death penalty was contrary to the fundamental rights on which the EU and the CoE were founded, and that “since 1997 there has been no instance of capital execution in any part of the geographical area made up by the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe, including the 27 European Union Member States”. In 2008, the EU also revised and updated its Guidelines on the Death Penalty, which were adopted in 1998 with the objective of enhancing work to eliminate the application of the death penalty worldwide. On the basis of these guidelines, the EU continues to work towards this goal. I hope that this paper will be a useful resource for governments and civil society alike in the further discussion of issues relating to capital punishment and its abolition. Ambassador Janez Lenarčič Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) ix