28/01/2026 Session
The Assembly has approved the credentials of both the Austrian and Polish parliamentary delegations, which were each separately challenged on procedural grounds on the opening day of the winter plenary session in Strasbourg.
Each year in January, the Assembly approves the credentials of all its national delegations, in effect renewing itself for a full year, though they may be challenged on either procedural grounds – such as a lack of political or gender balance – or on substantial grounds, such as a serious violation of basic Council of Europe principles.
In the case of the Austrian credentials, they were challenged by Paweł Jabłoński (Poland, ECPA), supported by at least ten other members belonging to five national delegations, on the grounds that the gender composition of the delegation was not in line with the Assembly’s rules.
However, in an opinion, the Assembly’s Rules Committee said that there were “no grounds” for the challenge under the rules currently in force and that the challenge was not in accordance with the Rules of Procedure. It pointed out that the Austrian delegation had seven women on its 12-member delegation, of which four are Representatives, meeting the required minimum threshold for this size of delegation.
In the case of the Polish credentials, they were challenged by Martin Graff (Austria, ECPA), supported by at least ten other members belonging to five national delegations, on the grounds that the correct procedure for appointing the Polish delegation was not followed.
However, in an opinion, the Assembly’s Rules Committee said that the delegation reflects a fair representation of the main political currents in the Polish parliament and that “parliaments have a right to develop their own specific arrangements” for appointing delegations provided they are transparent, fair and comply with democratic principles.