21/06/2021 | 17:54:33 So, the next item of business... the break is over, so let's get back to work. The next item of business is the debate on the report entitled "Should politicians be prosecuted for statements made in the exercise of their mandate?" presented by Mr Boriss CILEVIČS on behalf of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. We shall also hear an opinion from Mr Pere LÓPEZ on behalf of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination. The debate must conclude at 7:00pm so I propose to interrupt... 22/04/2021 | 12:57:49 This amendment is therefore supported. Obviously, no one wishes to speak against it. The committee adopted the amendment. We will now proceed to vote on Amendment No. 5. The vote is open both in the Chamber and from a distance. The vote is closed. Amendment No. 5 is adopted. We will now proceed to vote on the whole of the draft resolution contained in the amended document. Members present will vote using the in-house voting system; members participating remotely will use the remote voting... 22/04/2021 | 12:48:14 Very well. Is there any objection to us considering them definitively rejected? If there is, please come forward. Those present, by raising their hands, and those participating at a distance, by asking to speak. We need to verify that the objection has the required support of at least ten people. So we do have the required number of votes to review these amendments. The request of the Committee Chairman is therefore rejected. The amendments concerned will be discussed in the usual way and... 22/04/2021 | 12:41:43 Thank you, Madam. Given the time, you were – you are – our last speaker. We will therefore stop here for the hearing of speakers. I remind the Assembly that all speakers who are present during the debate or who are connected remotely and who have not been able to speak may, within four hours, send their typed speeches to the Table Office for publication in the official report, provided that the speakers connected remotely are able to prove their presence at the end of the debate. They may... 22/04/2021 | 11:39:43 Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues, The next item of business this morning is the debate on the report on "The functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey" presented by Mr Thomas HAMMARBERG and Mr John HOWELL on behalf of the Monitoring Committee. The report is Document 15272. I remind you that we must finish the debate, including the vote, at 1:00 p.m. We will have to interrupt the list of speakers at about 12:45 p.m. in order to allow time for the reply from the Committee and for... 21/04/2021 | 18:05:06 Thank you, Mr President. Thank you for this debate on the discrimination – which is unfortunately very real and painful for those concerned – against people with chronic and long-term illnesses. These conditions, which are usually serious and disabling, affect at least one third of the population living in Europe, which is a considerable number of several tens of millions of our fellow citizens. As the report by our colleague Ms Martine WONNER – whom I congratulate on the quality of her work... 21/04/2021 | 12:04:18 Thank you, Mr President. Belarus is not a member of the Council of Europe, but we cannot remain indifferent and passive in the face of the massive violations of human rights and the rule of law perpetrated by the regime in that country, particularly since 9 August 2020. The two reports we are debating here, the quality and scope of which I welcome, are in my view closely linked. The first, by Ms Alexandra LOUIS, is a damning account of the violence, arbitrary arrests, torture and political... 21/04/2021 | 10:54:49 Thank you, Mr President. Mr President of the European Parliament, The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major challenge for parliamentary institutions in general. Most parliaments have found empirical solutions to continue debating and voting without jeopardising the health of their members. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, at the instigation of its President, whom I thank for his personal involvement, has introduced innovative procedures, and we have been able to resume our... 20/04/2021 | 18:00:04 Thank you. I must interrupt the list of speakers. The speakers on the list who are present during the debate or who are connected online may, within four hours, submit their written speeches to the Table Office for publication in the official report, provided that the speakers connected online can prove their actual presence when the debate is closed. This submission must be made electronically. I remind you that, at the end of the current affairs debate, the Assembly will not be called to... 20/04/2021 | 11:38:11 Thank you, Mr President. Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a good thing that our Assembly can debate and express its views on the priorities of the Council of Europe, It is fortunate, normal and legitimate that our Assembly should be able to debate and give its opinion on its vision of the Council of Europe's priorities. This debate seems to me to be all the more crucial as the values of the Council of Europe have recently been dealt real blows, reminding us that progress in favour of...