28/01/2020 | 10:37:50 Thank you, Mr President. Dear colleagues, I would like to thank our fellow rapporteurs for the quality of their work on the functioning of democratic institutions in Poland, which focuses on the changes in the judicial system. This work was launched in 2016. Four years already, colleagues. The report clearly sets out the reasons – both linked to the change of rapporteurs and to the fear of the report's conclusions being used in the runup to the elections – which have led to delays in the... 03/10/2019 | 19:34:46 Thank you, Madam President. My dear colleagues, The report we are presenting today on the functioning of democratic institutions in the Republic of Moldova is an unusual report, both in substance and in form. It was included in the agenda following the political and constitutional crisis of June 2019 and is intended to allow us to discuss the expected reforms, after extraordinary political agreements, reached after three months of government wandering, both constitutional and judicial. In... 03/10/2019 | 16:46:40 Madam President, My dear colleagues. My report complements the list of previous reports on violence against women. It addresses a theme not yet addressed by our Assembly. It is a subject that for too long has been concealed and, for that reason, for too long misunderstood. Why such silence? Because pregnancy and childbirth are private moments, which should be times of joy and happiness. To tarnish these moments by evoking the suffering experienced is not customary in our society. Do not we... 27/06/2019 | 11:16:06 Madam President, Dear Colleagues, First of all, I would like to welcome our two rapporteurs, whose commitment and investment I know to defend this cause. Indeed, the fight against violence, against all forms of violence against children, must be an absolute political priority, as it conditions the future of our societies. Each attack on a child's physical or moral integrity will have an impact on his or her personal development and influence the behaviour he or she adopts in adult life... 25/06/2019 | 16:29:47 Thank you, Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to start by highlight the excellent quality of the reports of our fellow rapporteurs, who have done a remarkable job analysing the issues and perspectives related to the fight for gender equality. I also would like to thank the President of the Parliamentary Assembly for her tireless commitment to combat violence against women. The Council of Europe has distinguished itself, since its creation 70 years ago, through its relentless... 24/06/2019 | 17:11:16 Thank you, Madam President. I would like to thank Petra De SUTTER for her work. Her work today, the work she has done in this House all this time, on subjects that are always more difficult than others. So, while Russia has not left the Council of Europe insofar as it still sits on the Committee of Ministers, it no longer sits in our Assembly, no longer pays its contributions and, in the meantime, freedom of the press, the rights of LGBTI people and freedom of assembly are regularly violated... 09/04/2019 | 18:47:46 Ms Thorhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR's comprehensive report is a guide to combating sexism, discrimination and violence against female politicians. Her draft resolution and recommendation are bold, and their implementation – I stress implementation, because they have to be implemented – would allow substantial progress to be made. There is a women’s rights caucus for both chambers of the French Parliament; it marks its 20th anniversary this year. I have been a member of it for 10 years, and I have... 08/04/2019 | 12:32:29 I thank Ms Boriana ÅBERG for her introduction to her report. As co-rapporteur for the Republic of Moldova, I am minded to speak of the elections there – not in belligerent terms. We received a warm welcome from the Moldovan authorities. I thank the head of our delegation, my colleague Mr Claude KERN, who conducted the mission with a very open mind and with great effectiveness. I wish to address two key points that have disturbed the electorate. First, a new hybrid electoral system was adopted... 22/01/2019 | 18:26:43 It is my task, colleagues, to inform you of the opinion of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on the report by our colleague, Mr Gutiérrez, which deals with the coexistence in democratic societies of the Cairo Declaration and the European Convention on Human Rights. It is not the first report on this issue and I doubt it will be the last. The report has been through significant upheaval. I thank Mr Gutiérrez for producing a balanced text on a complex issue, but one that is... 21/01/2019 | 17:06:37 I congratulate our colleague Mr Andrej HUNKO on a complete and fair report. He presented it in the name of the ad hoc committee of which I was a member and which observed the presidential election. I also participated in the pre-electoral mission. Our Assembly has excellent relations with Georgia and this vote took place in a rather special constitutional context, marked by Georgia’s gradual move towards a parliamentary regime that will fully come into force in 2024, when the head of state...