1 COMPUTER RELATED CRIME – THE DECISION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE 1 ABSTRACT: The signifcance of information and communication techno- logies has created the need to establish worldwide measures and mechani- sms for the protection of both the society and individual against abuses in this area, through adopting appropriate legislative solutions and improving the international cooperation. The result of these efforts, among other thin- gs, is the adoption of the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which has, in the opinion of the international community, established mini- mum standards that are necessary to meet the national legislation in order to effectively combat the abuse of high technology. 2 Key words: the Internet, abuse, the Council of Europe, Conventions. The Decision of the Council of Europe A. The Convention on Cybercrime The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime was signed in Budapest on 23 rd November 2001, and the Additional Protocol referring to the criminalization of acts of a racist and xenophobic nature committed through 1 The paper is a part of scientifc research and engagement of researchers on the project “Serbian and European law – comparison and harmonization”. The Project number 179033 funded by the Ministry of Science and Technological Development and implemented by the Institute for Comparative Law in the period 2011-2014. 2 The Convention on Cybercrime, the Council of Europe, Budapest, 23 rd 2001.; European Treaty Series (ETS) - No. 185 <http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Word/185.doc> (August 5th, 2010). aktuelna tema Mina Zirojević * * LLD Institute of Comparative Law, Belgrade, e–mail: mina.zirojevic@gmail.com UDK: 004:343 BIBLID: 0352-3713 (2015); 32, (4-6): 1–15 ORIGINALNI NAUčNI RAD