22/06/2021 | 09:04:30 Good morning, everybody. The sitting is open. This morning the Agenda calls for the election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Croatia. The list of candidates and biographical notices are to be found in Documents 15295 and 15318 Addendum 2. These elections will take place by individual electronic secret ballot voting between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. today. Each political group has appointed a teller according to the rules. The tellers are: EPP : Ms Danuta... 21/06/2021 | 16:08:51 Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, Allow me to take this opportunity, dear Mister Rik DAEMS, to say thank you again very much for visiting my constituency, my home, last week. It was a great honour to have the President of the Parliamentary Assembly with us. You received and brought back to Strasbourg the bell that had been kept there for 70 years, which Mr Paul-Henri SPAAK left there as a gift on the occasion of the opening of the Europa-Haus in Marienberg in 1951. It was, I think, a... 22/04/2021 | 13:04:29 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear President, dear colleagues, At our plenary session in January, I stated very clearly that all dimensions of the Navalny case – his poisoning, his arrest and the way in which protests have been dealt with – have an impact on us within the Council of Europe in particular and represent a central challenge for us. In this forum, we have repeatedly expressed our full support for the mandate of our colleague Jacques Maire as rapporteur. And I... 22/04/2021 | 11:49:06 Madam President, Ladies and gentlemen, As a de facto founding member of the Council of Europe, Turkey has committed itself to upholding the highest standards of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. This entails fundamental obligations, in particular to comply with and implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. This goes to the core of the Council of Europe, it was also a priority of the German Presidency, is a priority of the German Presidency. Mr Michael ROTH has... 21/04/2021 | 12:55:01 Thank you. I shall now put the amendment to the vote. Again members in the Chamber please use the hemicycle voting system. Members remotely should use the remote system. The vote is now open. The vote is closed. I call for the result to be displayed. 100 in favour, 13 against, 12 abstentions. The amendment is agreed to. We will now proceed to vote on the draft resolution contained in Document 15253 as amended. Members present in the Chamber please use the voting system here. Members remote... 20/04/2021 | 11:46:33 Mister President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe that the strategic priorities of the Council of Europe must be implemented and defined in three main dimensions. Firstly, there is the thematic focus: protecting human rights, safeguarding the rule of law and pluralist democracy through our institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, the Venice Commission based on the European Convention on Human Rights, a centrepiece of our organisation and a world model for a human rights... 19/04/2021 | 12:22:03 Mr President, Ladies and gentlemen, Let me begin by reminding you again of the sad news that Ms Dame Cheryl GILLAN, Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, tragically passed away at Easter. As First Vice-Chairperson of that Committee, I would like to say a few words in memory of Cheryl. I had the opportunity to work very closely with her from the beginning of last year and also taking her place on many occasions during her illness, especially in recent months. None of... 28/01/2021 | 09:24:58 Mr President, colleagues, anyone who has witnessed the debate in this house over the past few years will not be surprised to learn that there are differing views on this issue in the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats. I want to be frank about that right at the start. However, I also want to make it clear that we in the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats are largely in agreement. We largely agree... 27/01/2021 | 16:53:23 Madam President, Ladies and gentlemen, Let me begin by stating clearly and unequivocally that the Navalny case, in all its dimensions, is not a domestic matter, not a question of national sovereignty, no. It has, in all its dimensions--as regards the poisoning, the arrest, and the handling of the protests against the arrest--an international component, a component of international law, and also a component that directly affects the Council of Europe, our institution. Let me say that the... 26/01/2021 | 18:20:52 Mr President, dear colleagues, As has already been said, the title of the report we are debating today is very technical, as if we were discussing a very technical legal issue in our regulatory framework. I thank the rapporteur, Sir Edward LEIGH, for having prepared and presented it in such a precise way. But let me remind you that this is a highly political report, a highly political decision, both looking back and looking forward. I would like to remind you that the decision to establish...