Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker has suggested that the European Union could become a member of the Council of Europe by 2010.
The proposal was put forward in a package of measures for strengthening the partnership between the two European organisations.
Jean-Claude Juncker presented his report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Tuesday, the PACE press office announced.
Other key recommendations in Juncker's report include that EU member states immediately open the door to EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights. In his opinion, EU bodies should recognise the Council of Europe as "the Europe-wide reference source for human rights".