22/06/2022 | 10:52:02 Thank you very much, Madam President. Madam President, Dear Colleagues, Antisemitism, as our colleague Ms Petra BAYR mentions in her excellent report, is a violation of human rights and a threat to democracy. If it is not fought firmly, it could lead our society to discrimination and violent actions against the Jewish community. The Covid-19 pandemic has further accentuated an accusing antisemitism on the various social networks with all kinds of hate speech. It is about time that the various... 15/03/2022 | 16:36:56 Thank you very much, Mister President. Good morning from Switzerland. There will be a before 24 February 2022 and an after. Who could have imagined, before this fateful February 24, that a war would break out between two sovereign European countries? Vladimir Putin's warlike madness has taken everyone by surprise. The European countries and the NATO alliance maintained an armament that everyone hoped would be a deterrent. Switzerland, my country, maintains a militia army that some people were... 21/06/2021 | 16:30:08 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, I shall speak about the elections in Albania. On 25 April of this year, together with a Council of Europe delegation, I took part in the observation of the elections in Albania. The parliamentary elections were characterised by a lively and inclusive campaign thanks to a legal framework that helped to ensure respect for fundamental freedoms, although there was still some concern about the somewhat abusive use of state resources. At the same time... 28/01/2020 | 10:40:33 Thank you, Mr President, Dear colleagues, In my speech, I would like to re-emphasise the excellent report by our two colleagues, "Moving towards the rule of law in Poland and elsewhere". This report recognises some of the difficulties faced by the Polish judiciary and judicial system, especially with regard to the efficiency of the administration of justice. The Commission deplores the misuse of disciplinary proceedings against judges and prosecutors in Poland, which has a deterrent effect... 04/10/2019 | 11:33:56 Thank you, Madam President. Madam President, Dear colleagues, Labour migration has always existed since the beginning of time. At the end of the nineteenth century, Switzerland, my country, experienced significant emigration to various countries in Europe and America, dictated by the lack of local work. Around the middle of the 20th century, the opposite happened. Following the construction of major road and rail infrastructures, in particular dams to produce electricity, many foreigners came... 02/10/2019 | 17:22:06 Thank you, Madame President. Madame President, Dear colleagues. The Investment Bank of the Council of Europe supports social investments in 41 member countries. The excellent report of our colleague Nicole TRISSE informs us that, despite the financial, economic and structural constraints, the CEB is successfully succeeding in supporting social projects generating high added value. The report also exhaustively reviews the work of the Bank over the past five years. After the 2009 financial... 24/01/2019 | 19:20:02 First, I thank and congratulate our colleague, Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA, on his excellent report on the rights of national minorities. If one wants to move towards democracy and human rights, that means building societies in which national minorities can express their identity and culture freely, safely and peacefully, and in which they can participate in the political debate of their country. The report is a constructive basis on which to continue the dialogue to facilitate progress within...