26/06/2019 | 15:53:11 Thank you Madam President. Indeed I wouldn't say this is a happy moment. It is a sad moment for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. If you have been following the reaction after yesterday's vote for the De SUTTER report, throughout Europe and the European Union, the outburst of anger, disappointment and depression even about what's happening with the principles and the values in this organisation. This is astonishing. I don't think we have to be consistent in that respect. I think... 11/04/2019 | 10:34:58 I congratulate the rapporteur and the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs on their excellent work. As a member of the committee, I remember long and heavy discussions and debate about the report. I generally support the recommendations and proposals in the report. Many of them are of a technical nature and are supposed to strengthen our Assembly and the way we work and operate. We may debate and question some of them, such as the limits set on the number of... 10/04/2019 | 17:41:07 The Russian Federation – that is what we hear today. I am surprised and embarrassed, because I was convinced by Madam President, the Secretary General and many leaders of the political groups, who said, “No, no, this report is not about the Russian Federation. It has nothing to do with the Russian Federation. It is about the great new idea of having enhanced dialogue between our statutory bodies.” I would be fine with that, although I strongly believe that you do not change the rules of the... 08/04/2019 | 13:02:17 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) When debating the progress report, we cannot ignore the continued efforts by the President of the Assembly, Secretary General Jagland and the leaders of some political groups, mainly left-wing groups, to give more concessions to the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation is widely seen as having demonstrated no political will in the past months to obey its statutory obligations or deliver on the Parliamentary Assembly resolutions. It is... 24/01/2019 | 19:03:04 I, too, thank Mr Viorel Riceard BADEA for the report and for reminding us all that the situation over signing and ratifying the framework convention has created double standards among the members of the Council of Europe. The report deals mainly with the eight Member States that still have not joined the convention in full. It reminds us that Belgium, Greece, Iceland and Luxembourg have signed but not ratified the convention, while Andorra, France, Monaco and Turkey have neither signed nor... 24/01/2019 | 11:24:52 The international community must start taking seriously the situation on the eastern flanks of Europe. The Russian Federation has turned into a rogue state and continues to upend the international rules-based order. The blatant attack on Ukrainian ships, which was not in accordance with the international laws – including the 2003 agreement on access to the Sea of Azov and passage of the Kerch Strait, which guarantee Ukraine and the Russian Federation free navigation in those waters – is yet... 22/01/2019 | 10:24:28 No doubt, giving people a say on major issues of policy and development is a key principle of democracy – the rule of the people for the people. No doubt, in a modern world, that process must be well scrutinised, safeguarded and protected to defend the integrity of that principle. The European Conservatives Group fully endorses the report by our colleague Dame Cheryl GILLAN, who embarked on a remarkable effort to engage all the relevant stakeholders through an unprecedented survey exercise...