22/04/2026 | 11:42:47 Thank you very much, Mister Vice-President. Ladies and gentlemen, Violence against women is a sad reality. In Austria, one in three women are affected, probably also here in this room. That is 1.1 million women and they have been affected by violence once or several times, physical, sexualised or psychological violence. Violence against women concerns us all. It concerns the countries, it concerns the municipalities, it concerns the cities and, of course, it concerns us here in the Council of... 21/04/2026 | 17:53:40 Thank you very much. Dear colleagues, No one should be discriminated against because of their membership of a religious community or because they do not belong to a religious community. This is an important principle and one that we should of course all support. That is why this report is so important and necessary. Many thanks to the rapporteur for two years of work. We have also worked together in committee. It should also be noted that Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights... 21/04/2026 | 10:44:48 Thank you, Mister President [spoken in French]. Dear colleagues, When we, as democrats, look at the facts on violence as a means of political debate today, the conclusion is alarming. From a sober perspective, psychological and physical violence is unfortunately a part of everyday political life that we female politicians in particular, I say quite deliberately, have to reckon with every day and everywhere. We have already heard today that many of us are and have been affected, especially... 29/01/2026 | 10:57:24 Madam President, ladies and gentlemen. Since 2025, during President TRUMP's second term in office, the USA has repeatedly attempted to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, which is itself a member of the EU. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is actually unbelievable in the 21st century. It's like in distant colonial times. The powerful take what they want. And thank God the Greenlandic and Danish prime ministers immediately and consistently rejected any kind of intervention. The... 27/01/2026 | 17:37:12 Very good, Mr Vice President. Dear colleagues, No electricity, no water, no heating. Not for a few minutes like we had a few hours ago, but for days. That's what people in Ukraine are currently suffering. And right now in this cold winter, minus 20 degrees, Russia has mercilessly attacked the country's critical infrastructure and energy grids. People are suffering. This war of aggression, which violates international law, has resulted in heavy human and material losses and serious human... 27/01/2026 | 11:20:46 Congratulations, dear Petra, on becoming President. I am delighted that an Austrian woman has become President. Mr Secretary General, you recently said in an article in the New York Times that you see the return of Cold War logic behind Mr Donald TRUMP's move on Greenland and you also told us today that we are at a turning point. How do you see the future positioning of the Council of Europe in these difficult times between the European Union, the United States of America, China and Russia... 01/10/2025 | 12:38:29 Madam President, so today is the day of the older people, I ask you a question about the younger people. Because youth empowerment is high on the agenda of the Maltese presidency. In the face of increasing trends of democratic backslide, Malta wants to foster a more active, meaningful and engaging role for young people in democratic life. During Malta's presidency, the achievements of 15 years from the Lanzarote Convention were highlighted in a ministerial conference hosted in Valletta. Are... 01/10/2024 | 12:31:29 Mister President, Mister Secretary General, I am very pleased that there is now a Swiss Secretary General, a neighbor of Austria, and I am very much looking forward to working with him. Thank you very much for your comments. You have already said that all member states want to make the Council of Europe and its values and basic principles better known so that people there become more aware of the importance of human rights again. I can only support that, and we need more respect for human... 18/04/2024 | 10:56:11 Thank you very much, Madam Chairwoman, Ladies and gentlemen, First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur for his report. I think that, especially in times like these, it is good to focus on climate protection, because we are all affected by climate change. I believe that anyone who denies this is living on a different planet. In Austria, for example, we've had problems with the snow in our ski resorts in winter. We all know that it's a matter of survival. We have already heard that if... 17/04/2024 | 15:02:10 Thank you, Mister President, Dear Foreign Minister, First of all, congratulations on your presentation and, of course, on your chairmanship to date. Liechtenstein is already a professional, the third time around. As a neighbor, we are, of course, particularly proud that you are doing such a good job. Liechtenstein wanted to use its chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers to promote and strengthen human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. You have just mentioned a number of...