25/04/2022 Session
A general policy debate on the consequences of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine was at the centre of the spring plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which was held in hybrid format from 25 to 28 April 2022.
In the context of this aggression, PACE held an urgent debate on ensuring accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian law.
At the opening of the session, Assembly members stood for a minute of silence to remember the victims of the war in Ukraine, "this war which should never have started and should end immediately", PACE President Tiny Kox said.
Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic, addressed the Assembly and answered questions from the parliamentarians.
The Assembly also debated reports on strengthening the strategic partnership between the Council of Europe and the EU, safeguarding and promoting genuine democracy in Europe, and on how to put confiscated criminal assets to good use.
Also on the agenda were reports on combating children’s exposure to pornographic content, on the deinstitutionalisation of persons with disabilities, on preventing excessive and unjustified use of force by law enforcement officers, on tackling discrimination based on social origin, and on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia.
Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, presented her annual activity report for 2021, and took questions from the parliamentarians. Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Council of Europe Secretary General, held the usual question time with PACE members.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio presented the Communication from the Committee of Ministers in the framework of Italy’s Council of Europe Presidency.
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Practical information:
Press accreditation: Media wishing to attend the session should fill in this accreditation form. More details here, or contact the Council of Europe Communication Directorate via [email protected].
Webcast: The session is webcast live (in French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, and Greek) on PACE’s website. Each sitting is also streamed live via the Assembly’s YouTube channel in original languages only, scrollable in mid-stream, and a recording made available immediately after it ends.
Video clips: We offer an online tool which allows video clips from PACE plenary sessions to be swiftly edited and downloaded.
Social media: Follow the Assembly’s official accounts via Twitter (#PACEspring2022) and Facebook.
Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93; [email protected].
