08/04/2019 | 12:58:37 Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, dear colleagues, for your valuable interventions. To answer Mr Mart van de VEN’s question, the contingency plan will be discussed at the Bureau meeting on Friday, and proposals concerning the contingency plan as well as the sustainability of the Organisation’s budget could be discussed in the context of the report, budget and priorities of the Council of Europe for 2020-21, which is scheduled for debate in the next part-session in June. It is important... 08/04/2019 | 11:58:16 Thank you, Madam President. Dear colleagues, I was nominated as the rapporteur for this progress report, which covers the activity of the Bureau and the Standing Committee since the last Bureau meeting in January, up to the first Bureau meeting this morning. Two election observation missions took place during the reporting period: on parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova on 24 February and on the first round of the presidential election in Ukraine on 31 March. My colleague Mr... 25/01/2019 | 10:36:04 In a time of increased terrorist threats and recurring bestial attacks against innocent citizens, we must ask ourselves which rights should take precedence: the rights of the terrorists or the rights of the citizens who live in and contribute to society? The debate about revoking the citizenship of those who have made themselves guilty of heinous terrorist criminality is ongoing in Sweden. The knowledge that two Swedish citizens took part in two of the worst acts of terrorism ever recorded in... 24/01/2019 | 18:35:23 Amendment 17 is withdrawn. I have received an oral amendment from Sir Roger GALE, on behalf of the Monitoring Committee, which reads as follows: “In paragraph 9.2.9 delete the words ‘phenomenon’ and the words ‘especially in Southern Italy’ and add, at the end of the text, ‘while recognising that Italian mafia legislation has become a yardstick at the global level’.” The President may accept an oral amendment on the grounds of promoting clarity, accuracy or conciliation, and if there is not... 24/01/2019 | 18:32:41 Amendment 16 is withdrawn. I have received an oral amendment from Sir Roger GALE, on behalf of the Monitoring Committee, which reads as follows “In paragraph 9.2.8, after the words "Italian authorities", add the text "notwithstanding some progress".” The President may accept an oral amendment on the grounds of promoting clarity, accuracy or conciliation, and if there is not opposition from 10 or more members to its being debated. In my opinion, the oral amendment meets the criteria of Rule 34... 22/01/2019 | 17:44:28 Thank you, Madam President. I too thank Lord Donald ANDERSON for his excellent report. The tax lawyer Sergei Magnitsky has become a symbol of the fight against corruption. He died at 37 years old in Prison Butyrka in Moscow, after a year of physical and psychological torture. His crime was that he uncovered the embezzlement of $230 million of state money. Magnitsky’s courage to fight against the Russian kleptocracy cost him his life, but after his death he became an even bigger threat to... 21/01/2019 | 12:29:49 I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the pre-electoral mission as representative for the EPP Group and for the opportunity to observe the first round of the presidential election in Georgia. The first round was competitive and professionally administered, candidates were able to campaign freely, and voters made their choice without restrictions. However, there were some shortcomings, especially concerning the financing of campaigns and the misuse of administrative resources by...