11/01/2022 President
“I was deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of European Parliament President David Sassoli. A most dedicated defender of human rights and a tireless champion of democracy, Mr Sassoli, whom I had the privilege to work with, was a true and committed European whose work and legacy we will remember. He led with wisdom the European Parliament through the extraordinary difficult time of the coronavirus pandemic, sparing no effort to make sure that, to quote him, ‘Democracy cannot be suspended’, not even in the midst of such a dramatic crisis.
A dear friend of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Mr Sassoli was also a genuine promoter of inter-institutional co-operation, as shown by his address at the 2021 April part-Session of PACE, where he called for strengthened co-operation between the two institutions to uphold respect for human rights and democratic principles, for the benefit of all European citizens.
Mr Sassoli will be sorely missed by all his friends in Strasbourg and in the 47 member States of the Council of Europe. Our heartfelt condolences go to his family and many friends throughout Europe.”