 But neither CAT nor its Special Rapporteur had the power to visit countries, let alone inspect prisons, without the respective government's permission.In 1987, the Council of Europe realized the original idea on a regional level with its European Convention for the Prevention of Torture.On this basis, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has demonstrated that regular visits, reports and recommendations to the governments as well as the publication of these reports and the governments' reactions the viability of this model.