24/06/2025 | 10:48:31 Thank you, President. First of all, thank you for this debate. The European Court of Human Rights is indeed an indispensable instrument for guaranteeing democracy and human rights on our continent, and for this architecture as it was created after the Second World War. Therefore, to call into question on principle the independence or impartiality of the Court is something we cannot accept. And it is the role of this Assembly to debate it and to defend the Court in its role, to defend the... 29/01/2025 | 11:28:47 Thank you, Madam Chairman. This is an important debate, and its context makes it all the more important. I'd like to thank the rapporteur for the work she has done and for putting this topic on the agenda of our Assembly once again, because our Assembly has already addressed these issues, but it's important to return to them regularly in a historical context where this debate takes on a very special dimension. I'm fortunate enough to have trained as a historian and, I must say, it's striking... 28/01/2025 | 16:33:28 Thank you, Mister Secretary General. First of all, you quoted the Secretary-General of the United Nations at Davos, and I'd like to quote him too. A participant asked him whether, in the current world context, one should be optimistic or pessimistic. He replied: "It's not about that, it's about being resolute. And I'd like to thank you, because we can see that you've been resolutely tackling issues since you took office: you're trying to move the lines and promote the dialogue you mentioned... 27/01/2025 | 16:20:53 Thank you, Mister Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, dear Xavier. First of all, I'd like to thank Luxembourg, because as you said and reminded us, it's a country that has always been very committed to multilateralism and to the values defended in this Assembly, and I'd like to thank you. This may be the first time you've spoken before this Assembly, but I sincerely hope it won't be the last, because it does us a great deal of good to hear someone speak to us with as much verve and as... 03/10/2024 | 16:18:08 Thank you, Mister Chairman. On behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group, I'd like to congratulate and thank the rapporteur for her work. She is right to point out that lesbian, bisexual and queer women continue to suffer discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender and other cross-cutting factors, despite the obvious, notable and significant progress that has been made on LGBTI rights in recent decades on our continent. This discrimination affects... 27/06/2024 | 15:53:35 Thank you, Mr Chairman. The rapporteur, Mr Piero FASSINO, is right: he is right to broaden the scope of his report to cover the whole situation in Cyprus; he is right to point out that, unfortunately, this country has been split in two for 50 years this year, and that this is a sad anniversary; and he is also right to recall the whole framework that has been developed in recent years, notably the resolutions of our Assembly but also those of the United Nations Security Council. On behalf of... 26/06/2024 | 10:51:07 Thank you, Mr Chairman. The crime of aggression is the worst of all crimes, because it contains within it the catalyst for all the others. This is the observation our Assembly already made last year on the basis of the report I had the honour of presenting, and I thank Mr Davor Ivo STIER for referring to it and following up this important report. As he mentioned, unfortunately, the situation has not improved: on the contrary, it has deteriorated, making it all the more necessary for the... 25/06/2024 | 10:56:18 Thank you, Mister chairman. A few days ago, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation's second Federal Constitution. This Constitution of 1874 introduced a popular instrument that nobody in Switzerland today could imagine not having: it is the instrument of the referendum, with the possibility not for the authorities to decide when they wish to consult the population, but for the population itself to contest a law passed by parliament by collecting 50,000 signatures; in a... 18/04/2024 | 17:45:36 Thank you, Mr President. One hundred and sixty years ago, in 1864, Henry Dunant founded the first Geneva Convention with the aim of bringing a little humanity to the horror of war. One hundred and sixty years on, its principles should still be valid, and should continue to inspire us. Article 1 in common of the current Geneva Conventions, those of 1949, which are universal in scope, obliges all states on the planet to apply and ensure the application of the principles of the Geneva... 18/04/2024 | 15:45:54 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Artificial intelligence is a revolution that will affect the whole of our society, our economy, our politics and our institutional framework. It was important for the Council of Europe to be active on this issue. Basically, it's as if we were discovering a new continent. There's an enormous amount to come from artificial intelligence: new possibilities, some for the better, some for the worse. We need to prepare ourselves for this exploration of a new continent for...