It explains the organizational structure and authority of the European Committee for Criminal Problems and compares the status of European cooperation in 1956 with the conventions and agreements in existence today. The Council has promoted cooperation and reform among member countries regarding decriminalization, drug abuse, environmental offenses, economic crime, community-based corrections, inmates' rights, the death penalty, and criminological research and criminal policy formulation. Its current projects aim for agreements on the extradition of alien offenders and art crime investigation. Ongoing issues which remain to be resolved concern differences and contradictions among members' national laws and procedures as well as correctional policies. A total of 33 references are given.