Switzerland is a contracting party of various treaties which were negotiated under the aegis of the Council of Europe.

Switzerland is member of almost all partial agreements of the Council of Europe. These partial agreements are not international treaties but merely constitute a particular form of co-operation within the Organisation. They have resulted, for example, in the establishment of the Development Bank, the Centre for Living Languages in Graz, the Venice Commission (European Commission for Democracy through Law), Eurimages (Council of Europe Fund for the Co-Production, Distribution and Exhibition of European Cinematographic Works), the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), of the European Audiovisual Observatory and the Pompidou Group (Co-operation Group to Combat Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Drugs). These treaties also include the Partial Agreement on "Youth Cards", which aim to encourage and facilitate young people’s mobility in Europe, the treaties concerning the "European Pharmacopoeia", and finally the Partial Agreement on Sport.

The Federal Council regularly publishes reports on Switzerland and the conventions of the Council of Europe, in which it examines the difficulties that a signing or ratification of these instruments may entail for this country and the priority accorded it. The last report of this kind – the 9th – is dated 21 May 2008., in which it examines the difficulties that a signing or ratification of these instruments may entail for this country and the priority accorded it.

On the basis of certain treaties that are binding on Switzerland, this country has to submit periodical reports on their implementation. This applies to:

After their evaluation visits in Switzerland, certain monitoring organs of the Council of Europe issue follow-up reports that Switzerland can comment on.