Council of Europe establishes new steering committee on emerging digital technologies

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has established the Steering Committee for New and Emerging Digital Technologies (CDNET), a new intergovernmental committee that will begin operating on 1 January 2026. The committee will lead and coordinate the Council of Europe’s work on new and emerging digital technologies, with a mandate that combines innovation support with legal and policy oversight.

CDNET will be responsible for conducting and coordinating intergovernmental activities related to digital technologies across the Council of Europe, while providing legal and policy expertise to the Committee of Ministers on issues within its remit. The committee is intended to serve as a central forum for addressing the societal, legal, and governance implications of technological developments.

A core responsibility of CDNET will be its role as custodian of the Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law (CETS No. 225). Until the Conference of the Parties is formally established following the Convention’s entry into force, CDNET will monitor, support, and promote signatures and ratifications of the treaty.

The committee will also continue work previously carried out by the Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI), including the development of non-binding guidance on risk and impact assessment for AI systems. This work, known as HUDERIA, focuses on aligning AI governance with the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.