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Mr Damien COTTIER (Switzerland, ALDE)

Mandates

In the political groups

  • Vice-Chairperson: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe since 26/01/2026
  • Treasurer: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 22/01/2024 to 25/01/2026
  • Member: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 27/01/2020 to 21/01/2024

In the Assembly

  • since 24/01/2022 Representative - Switzerland
  • from 27/01/2020 to 24/01/2022 Substitute - Switzerland

In the committee(s) and sub-committee(s)

  • First Vice-Chairperson: Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact (since 29/01/2026)
  • Full Member: Special Committee on the New Democratic Pact (since 26/01/2026)
  • Alternate ALDE: Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (since 22/01/2024)
  • Full Member: Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (since 19/06/2023)
  • Chairperson: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 25/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: Standing Committee (from 25/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Ex officio (Rule 44.1 of the Rules of Procedure): Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (from 25/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Ex officio (Rule 44.1 of the Rules of Procedure): Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights (from 25/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Chairperson of national delegation: Standing Committee (from 24/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: Bureau of the Assembly (from 21/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • First Vice-Chairperson: Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (from 28/09/2021 to 23/01/2022)
  • Member: (Former) Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (from 25/01/2021 to 26/01/2025)
  • Member: Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) (since 26/06/2020)
  • Full Member: (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (from 27/01/2020 to 24/04/2022)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on External Relations (since 28/01/2026)
  • Chairperson: Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (from 25/01/2024 to 27/01/2026)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Democracy (from 22/06/2023 to 31/12/2023)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People (from 27/04/2022 to 18/06/2023)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (from 26/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on Human Rights (from 24/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Ex officio: Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 24/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: Sub-Committee on Conflicts concerning Council of Europe Member States (from 24/01/2022 to 21/01/2024)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (since 22/03/2021)
  • Vice-Chairperson: Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People (from 12/03/2021 to 27/09/2021)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Refugee and Migrant Children and Young People (from 30/01/2020 to 24/04/2022)
  • Full Member: Sub-Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights (from 28/01/2020 to 24/01/2021)
  • Alternate of Mr Hannes GERMANN (Full Member): Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (since 27/01/2020)
  • Alternate of Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ (Full Member): (Former) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (from 25/04/2022 to 18/06/2023)
  • Alternate of Mr Fabian MOLINA (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the Western Balkans (since 28/01/2026)
  • Alternate of Ms Sibel ARSLAN (Full Member): Sub-Committee on External Relations (from 25/01/2024 to 25/01/2026)
  • Alternate of Mr Alfred HEER (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the Middle East and the Arab World (from 25/01/2024 to 19/09/2025)
  • Alternate of Mr Hannes GERMANN (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 22/03/2021 to 26/01/2026)
  • Alternate of Ms Marianne MARET (Full Member): Sub-Committee on External Relations (from 22/06/2023 to 21/01/2024)
  • Alternate of Mr Hannes GERMANN (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 11/09/2020 to 24/01/2021)
  • Alternate of Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ (Full Member): Sub-Committee on Diasporas and Integration (from 26/01/2021 to 18/06/2023)
  • Alternate of Mr Charles JUILLARD (Full Member): Sub-Committee on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (from 28/01/2020 to 10/09/2020)

Interventions

Last speeches

24/04/2026 | 10:07:39 Thank you, Mister President. We are living in a period of multiple crises: geopolitical crises, economic and financial crises, of course security crises and a climate crisis. And this is obviously a time for concern, but like all crises, it can also be a time for opportunity. I am convinced, and so is my group, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, that in this period our liberal democracies can assert themselves, but to do so they must work together. And they must work on three... 22/04/2026 | 19:58:44 Thank you, Madam President. This amendment is based on facts alleged in a press article which, surprisingly, was published a few days before our debates. These facts have not been officially supported or confirmed and, according to my information, do not correspond to legal practice, which provides for such accounts to be frozen until the courts have reached a final decision. So it would be extremely surprising if these funds had been unfrozen, and probably, but this is a personal... 22/04/2026 | 19:32:41 Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear colleagues, It is sad. The first draft report targets my country, Switzerland, excessively, based on unbalanced and sometimes poorly substantiated elements. After a great deal of constructive work in the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and with the rapporteur, whom I would like to thank for this, it has been possible to produce a resolution that, while not perfect, is more balanced and no longer targets a single country for no objective reason. But it... 21/04/2026 | 19:50:29 Thank you, Mister President. First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur, or should I say the rapporteurs, since there have been two successive rapporteurs on this issue, for her work, and also to congratulate our colleague, Mrs Petra BAYR, for her chairmanship for the last two years of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights, now excellently replaced by our colleague Mr Sergiy VLASENKO, since this is a Committee that does important work and has... 21/04/2026 | 11:59:39 Thank you, Mister President. The report we are discussing today is important, and we must dispel the notion – if that is the impression people might get from listening to this debate – that politicians today are only concerned with themselves. They are not concerned with protecting themselves, they are concerned – and we are concerned today, through this debate – with protecting our institutions and, therefore, protecting democracy. And I would like to thank the rapporteur, because this...

Activities