15/09/2025 Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
The Committee on Rules, Ethics and Immunities has proposed amending Rule 73 of the Assembly's Rules of Procedure (on the waiver of the immunity of representatives and substitutes) and the Guidelines on the scope of parliamentary immunities enjoyed by Assembly members, to better reflect the central importance of free movement for parliamentarians in undertaking their functions.
“National parliaments should facilitate travel by PACE members in the exercise of their functions and eliminate mechanisms or practices by which the right of members to participate in their meetings is hampered by discretion or interference by parliamentary or political authorities,” the parliamentarians said.
The report by Sergiy Vlasenko (Ukraine, EPP/CD), adopted by the committee at its meeting on 5 September in Paris, underlines the need to clarify the application and operation of the Assembly's immunity provisions so that these are easier to follow for national authorities. The amendments to the Rules of Procedure proposed by the committee concern, in particular, the circumstances in which immunities apply, the procedures to be followed in case assistance is required to assert immunity, and the circumstances in which a waiver of immunity is required.
The committee also emphasised that the imposition of sanctions, travel restrictions (entry or exit) or ‘blacklisting’ of members of the Parliamentary Assembly in consequence of opinions expressed or votes cast during Assembly debates “is a violation of the General Agreement on Privileges and Immunities, of democratic principles and of a State’s obligations as member of the Council of Europe”.
Finally, the committee invited states to review their visa requirements for PACE members travelling on Assembly business, to ensure that the length and complexity of the form, the cost and the time taken in delivering the visa are reduced to the minimum necessary.