30/09/2021 | 12:58:32 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) We are dealing with a very important issue both for our countries and for the Council of Europe values. As Europeans, we have to reassess a general attitude. It has become a crucial problem to evaluate international issues only from the perspective of immigration. Immigration is one aspect of the issue but not the whole. As Europeans, we must act by putting aside the fear of immigration and put in place stabilization measures in the region... 28/09/2021 | 13:04:57 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear colleagues, First of all, I would like to thank Mme. Selin Sayek Böke for this important and timely report. Inequalities have always been among the most important problems of our societies. But we know that the global financial crisis and Covid-19 pandemic have deepened existing inequalities. Today, there is no society in the world that is not affected by problems such as income inequality, wealth inequality, inequality of opportunity... 22/06/2021 | 10:06:03 Mister President, First of all I would like to thank Mr Roberto RAMPI for this important report. The concept of people's right to know, will be one of the crucial aspects of discussions on democracy in the forthcoming periods. As elaborated in the report, the right to know is directly related with the democratic participation of citizens and an accountable government is not possible in the absence of this right. So this concept will occupy a greater place in the discussions on democracy in... 22/04/2021 | 13:06:54 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) "In this assembly like many in the world, parliamentarians generally start their speeches stating how delighted they are to talk about the report under consideration. But as a member of this assembly, I witnessed many reports about my country and I could never feel delighted about the situation. It wasn't what's written in the report that made me sad. what made me sad has been the situation in my country. We have had extensive problems in the... 28/01/2021 | 12:09:02 Thank you chair. Dear colleagues, First of all, I would like to thank Mr Boriss CILEVIČS for this important report. As politicians, we focus on issues that we consider big issues or so-called "high politics". However, we ignore issues of everyday life that are thought to be small, but those issues cause huge an unjust sufferings. One may suggest that, "What happens if a person is stopped? Dozens of people are stopped every day". However, when you read the report, you clearly see that the... 31/01/2020 | 10:40:14 Thank you, Chair. I thank Mr Frithjof SCHMIDT for this report dealing with one of the most crucial questions of today's digital age. The impact of disinformation on democratic procedures and on democracy itself. Many works and reports cited in this report revealed a wide range of dangers owing to abusive practices of digital platforms and social media, such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, foreign electoral intervention, fake news, disinformation, political ads, and so on. This is a huge... 12/04/2019 | 11:37:10 I thank Mr José CEPEDA for the report, which deals with one of the most crucial questions of our digital age. I completely agree with the general idea of the report: yes, social media comes with its benefits, but also with certain threats. Its benefits are quite obvious – it is increasing social capital, promoting political participation, creating an additional public sphere where minorities can take part in discussions, and so on – yet if the necessary steps are not taken by the... 23/01/2019 | 19:14:53 I thank both rapporteurs, Mr Damien THIÉRY and Mr Adão SILVA, for their work. Obstacles faced by people with disabilities and the discrimination they experience in accessing employment are two crucial problems widely encountered in many Member States. Furthermore, these two problems are so substantial that they obstruct the full inclusion of a certain category of society. Along with the many important points underlined in both reports, I highlight that these issues are not only political but... 23/01/2019 | 11:05:31 I thank both rapporteurs, Ms Gülsün BİLGEHAN and Mr Petri HONKONEN, for preparing these comprehensive reports, which clearly demonstrate the central role played by conventional and non-conventional media when it comes to the quality of elections – the very core institution of democracy. The propositions outlined in both reports are very accurate. If we are to counter the growing danger of information manipulation in the new media environment, we should determinedly implement these...