23/06/2022 | 10:44:56 Mister President, I would like to thank our colleagues Mr Bernard FOURNIER and Mr George LOUCAIDES for this very complete report which allows us to take stock of the situation in Malta. The murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has left its mark on people's minds and highlighted the difficulties of journalists in this country. Indeed, most of the private media are linked to a political party, and the public media are considered the voice of the government. This limits the ability of... 22/06/2022 | 16:32:16 Mister President, Dear Colleagues. The war in Ukraine has put many people on the road, including vulnerable people, especially children. Faced with this tragedy, the Council of Europe cannot remain indifferent. The adoption of the resolutions presented to us today will enable our Assembly to show its support for the Ukrainian displaced or refugee populations. At the same time, this support must be reflected in an increase in the resources available to support Ukrainians in need. The member... 27/04/2022 | 11:50:23 Thank you, Mr President. Dear colleagues, We can only be horrified and worried by the turn of events since the aggression launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. We are horrified by the images of destruction and atrocities that have reached us, and worried by the escalation of the Russian government, which is now openly talking about the risk of a world war, after having tested new types of weapons – perhaps in order to forget the very real difficulties that its army is facing on... 15/03/2022 | 11:18:48 Madam President, Dear colleagues, The work of our Assembly has been marked, since 2014, by the actions of the Russian Federation. Our Assembly has regularly noted its failures to meet the obligations undertaken when it joined our organisation in 1996. The annexation of Crimea by force marked a real turning point, which resulted in the suspension of the rights of Russian parliamentarians in our Assembly. Despite our efforts to resume dialogue, we must admit that Russia has not been able to... 30/09/2021 | 09:31:07 Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen, More than a month ago, we all witnessed the hasty and unco-ordinated withdrawal of American troops and the scenes of panic and horror that ensued. After those weeks of chaos, we are now faced with the distressing reality that the Taliban is once again in control of Afghanistan. This new situation, although foreseeable, must make Europe reflect and lead it to act. We must face up, together, to the consequences of this political development. To... 27/09/2021 | 16:02:56 Thank you, Mr President. Dear colleagues, On 27 August, we celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Moldova. This State has been a member of our Organisation for 26 years now, and I welcome this. This membership illustrates the will to create a democratic state in the Republic of Moldova. However, getting citizens interested in politics requires a constant effort, even in the oldest democracies. After the institutional crisis that followed the 2019 elections... 23/06/2021 | 18:55:17 Madam President, Ladies and gentlemen, The subject of today's debate is the situation of the Tatars of Crimea, a region annexed by the Russian Federation. If the situation of the Tatars was difficult before 2014, particularly in economic terms, it has become particularly alarming since they demonstrated their opposition to the annexation of Crimea. While it is true that all opponents of the annexation are victims of repression in Crimea, Tatars seem to be disproportionately affected by... 22/06/2021 | 17:30:58 President, Dear colleagues, The member states of the Council of Europe reacted quickly to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic by adopting emergency and economic support plans. Although the massive support provided by member states made it possible to limit the dramatic consequences of the socio-economic crisis caused by the pandemic, it considerably weakened the balance of their public finances. This debate is therefore an opportunity for states to conduct an in-depth and longer-term... 29/01/2020 | 17:35:59 Mr Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank our excellent colleague Mr Schwabe for the quality of his very comprehensive report on the joint complementary procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in the event of a serious violation by a member state of its statutory obligations. This subject has undergone major developments during the French Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and I am delighted that the French Secretary of State was able to... 29/01/2020 | 10:36:51 Mr Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by thanking our rapporteur for allowing us to address today this sensitive subject of the protection of freedom of religion or belief in the workplace. It must be approached with great vigilance, whereas there is a retreat in identity and an affirmation or “rebirth“ of the religious fact in some states. It is not a question of dealing with this subject in an abstract way, but by taking into account the culture of each state, its history...