The Committee of Ministers is the decision-making body of the Council of Europe. This body is comprised of the Foreign Ministers of the 46 member states or their permanent diplomatic representatives.

As described on the COE's website:

"The Council of Europe is run on the basis of a dialogue between its main bodies, the Committee of Ministers, the Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.

The Intergovernmental programme of activities is approved annually by the Committee of Ministers according to the Organisation’s political priorities. The tangible results of co-operation take many forms depending on the topics being dealt with:

• conventions and international agreements binding on states which ratify them;
• recommendations to member states on solutions to common problems;
• meetings and conferences between experts in various fields, politicians, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other specialised groups;
• training, technical assistance and partnership programmes to promote democracy and legal reform;
• reports and studies as a basis for action in individual states;
• awareness campaigns and events of European interest.