08/09/2026 Session
Addresses by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, the President of the Portuguese Republic António José Seguro and Germany’s Foreign Affairs Minister Johann Wadephul are among highlights of the autumn session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) taking place in Strasbourg from 28 September to 2 October 2026.
At a ceremony on the opening day of the session, the 14th Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which honours outstanding human rights defenders in Europe and beyond, will be awarded to an overall winner selected from three shortlisted candidates. The 2021 Prize winner, Belarusian human rights activist Maria Kalesnikava, who was in detention at the time of the award but released in December 2025, will also attend the ceremony.
Other highlights include debates on ensuring that the Russian Federation implements the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, including paying the compensation awarded, on threats to the International Criminal Court, and on the honouring of membership obligations to the Council of Europe by Greece.
There will be a joint debate on a coherent European policy on veterans and on the need for systemic support to Ukrainian soldiers who became disabled as a result of hostilities, as well as a debate on growing threats to media pluralism and the independence of the media.
The President of the Committee of Ministers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Monaco Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, will present the work of the Council of Europe’s ministerial body since the last session and take questions from members.
Also addressing the Assembly and answering members’ questions are the President of the European Court of Human Rights Mattias Guyomar and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset.
There will be a debate on the role of the OECD in evaluating the impact of AI on the future of work, with the participation of OECD Deputy Secretary-General Yasushi Masaki, and a general policy debate on “Europe, the fastest-warming continent: accelerating climate action with young people”.
Other topics on the agenda include a family-friendly Europe and recommendations for demographic renewal, the role of diasporas and migrants in developing social cohesion and democratic engagement, and streamlining the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.
The observation of early elections to the Assembly of Kosovo and the parliamentary elections in Armenia will also be discussed.
The Assembly decides its final agenda only on the first day of the session.