04/07/2025 President
“Andorra's voice in the Council of Europe has always been strong and clear,” said PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, addressing the General Council (the Parliament of Andorra) in plenary session today, during an official visit to the country.
In this regard, he recalled that the Andorran Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers had promoted the elaboration of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture in 2013, “one of our most vital tools today.” “In an age where lies travel faster than facts, this initiative teaches young Europeans to think critically, to distinguish between truth and manipulation, to build resilience – not just digitally, but democratically,” Mr. Rousopoulos said.
PACE President also mentioned Andorra's signing of the new Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights, “recognising that even in the digital age, humanity must remain at the centre.”
He emphasised that this country, “small in geography, high in ideals,” represented the idea of coexistence and breathed in “centuries of dialogue, not just between neighbours, but also between traditions, between institutions, and between peoples [...] a land where history was shaped not by conquest, but by consensus, which makes it all the more European.”
He also congratulated the Parliament for its efforts to achieve gender parity, with 50% of its 28 members being women. “You have proven that equality is not an aspiration but a fact of your democratic life,” President Rousopoulos said.
He encouraged the country to keep building a united Europe, “because the Europe we dream of, just like this land of high peaks and higher principles, is worth the climb.”
During his official visit, PACE President met with the Head of the Government, the Speaker of the General Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Chairpersons of the parliamentary groups as well as the Chairperson and members of the Andorran delegation to PACE.