28/07/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD), made the following statement today: “The encouraging news that some humanitarian aid is reaching Gaza is overshadowed by the grim reality of what Gaza has become: a landscape of death and devastation. 661...
24/07/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on The political consequences of the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, ending a visit to the country, said that “yesterday's meeting held in Istanbul between Russian and...
22/06/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The release of Siarhii Tsikhanouskiy and 13 other political prisoners in Belarus is excellent news in today’s uncertain world,” said three general rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in a joint statement. “These releases are the result of unstinting efforts...
30/05/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I express in the strongest possible terms my deep concern and unequivocal condemnation of the recent decision by an Egyptian court to suspend the operation of the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, confiscate its property, and expel its monastic community. This act is a direct affront to...
30/05/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Committee on Political Affairs, meeting on 27 May in Chania (Greece), expressed concern about the dramatic situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war, “subjected to summary executions, widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment, amounting to war crimes”. Adopting the report by...
26/05/2025 | President
“The Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine is a turning point in our post-war history. It is not just a geopolitical crisis – it is a moral one,” PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos said today at the opening of the PACE Political Affairs Committee meeting in Chania, Greece...
16/05/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD), made the following statement today: "'He who has a why to live can bear almost any how,' wrote Nietzsche. In the case of Gaza, however, that 'how' has become unbearable. For all of us who fervently support a...
10/03/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“I am deeply alarmed by reports of mass killings targeting civilians, especially the Alawite minority and other religious communities, in Syria’s coastal regions,” said Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD), PACE’s rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East. “These atrocities, including the...
05/03/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Stating that foreign interference, in its many forms, is a “substantial and persistent” threat to democratic security, the Political Affairs Committee today condemned “deliberate and systematic efforts by foreign actors to undermine electoral and democratic processes and institutions”. The...
05/03/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee considers that it is “more important than ever” for Europe to strengthen its ties with regions that share its values and, in that sense, the Latin American region “should be considered as a natural ally”. According to parliamentarians, while the existing...
05/03/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
European leaders should bring the European Political Community (EPC) and the Council of Europe closer together and, in line with the Reykjavik Declaration, “set an example of effective and dynamic multilateralism” that promotes shared values and underpins security and stability in Europe, the...
16/01/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, SOC), has welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. "The ceasefire agreement marks a crucial development in the ongoing efforts for peace in the region. This agreement, mediated by key international...