11/10/2023 | 17:49:17 Thank you, Madam Chair, dear colleagues, Let me start by underlining the importance of this Report, because it analyses the use of Pegasus and similar spyware by several countries. However, the problem is that when a report analyses several countries – more than one country – we cannot think that each one acts the same and condemns all the same way. Each case is different. And what happens is in many cases, the spyware has been used far beyond its original design and it can represent a threat... 25/04/2023 | 17:52:16 Thank you, Madam President, dear colleagues, Let me start by sharing that today is the day of freedom in my country in Portugal. On 25 April 1974, democracy won against the dictatorship in Portugal. So this is the day that brought democracy and civil liberties back to the Portuguese people. I am happy to celebrate these values here today as these values we share in this Parliamentary Assembly. But at most, this is a symbolic day for us to discuss the importance of the European Convention on... 24/01/2023 | 10:47:38 Dear colleagues, As we know, armed conflict tends to be scene of the most horrible crimes. In that context, sexual violence has been systematically used as a war weapon. Besides being a violation of international law, conflict-related sexual violence represents a threat to our collective security. Conflict-related sexual violence is an atrocity that leaves a stain on our conscience as humanity. Despite these considerations, it continues to shock the international community, as this type of... 11/10/2022 | 20:01:45 Dear Mr President, Dear Colleagues, First of all, let me remind this Assembly that the free movement of persons, established by the Treaty of Maastricht in 1992, is a cornerstone of European Union citizenship. And to this regard, the conclusion of the two Schengen agreements represented a key milestone. In addition, this is a domain in which the Council of Europe has been active since the early years of its existence. It is always important to recall, that this Parliamentary Assembly has... 11/10/2022 | 13:07:28 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Mr President, Dear Colleagues, To start, I would like to remind this Assembly that there is an important friendship to be maintained between the European Union and the Western Balkan countries. As an example, the EU is the leading trade partner for all Western Balkans, with almost 70% of the region's total trade. Taking a close look at the years from 2011 to 2021 we verify that the EU trade with the Western Balkans has grown by almost... 21/06/2022 | 19:51:26 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Thank you, Mr President, Dear Colleagues, Russia’s war in Ukraine is about democracy. Nevertheless, it is also, of course, about Putin’s delusions of reclaiming a fallen empire, illusions of ethno-Russian nationalism, fear about the consequences of NATO and European Union expansion. But at the core, Vladimir Putin’s biggest fear is democracy. For the reason, that Democracy represents a great risk to his autocratic rule. And the democratic...