21/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Ending a five-day visit to the Middle East today (17-21 June), the Chair of PACE’s Sub-Committee on the Middle East Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC) has called for "a collective surge of responsibility to ensure the effective implementation of an immediate ceasefire, the safe return of hostages to...
18/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Faced with democratic backsliding in Europe, marked by the weakening of the separation and balance of powers and the restriction of freedoms, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, which met in Oslo on 30 and 31 May, called on member States to “adopt participatory and deliberative...
11/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Practical moves made by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus since October 2020 to re-open Varosha – a fenced-off area of the city of Famagusta which has been a “ghost town” since the division of the island – are an “unacceptable change” to its status and a grave violation of...
04/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the international community has imposed sanctions to counter this aggression and hold Russia accountable for its violations of international law. PACE’s Political Affairs and Democracy Committee condemned...
13/05/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"Securing the release of hostages and preventing any further catastrophic escalation of the conflict are the two priorities demanding the full commitment of all parties at this critical juncture,” said Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), PACE rapporteur on recent developments in the Middle East, in a...
27/03/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has recommended that Kosovo* be invited to become a member of the Council of Europe. Approving a draft Opinion during a meeting held today in Paris, based on a report by Dora Bakoyannis...
12/03/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee, at its meeting on 5 March in Paris, welcomed the elaboration of the Venice Commission Checklist Parameters on the relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition in a democracy. It recommended this checklist to the parliaments of the Council of...
12/03/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
At its meeting on 5 March in Paris, the PACE Political Affairs committee endorsed the Revised Code of Good Practice on Referendums, responding to concerns about the fairness and outcomes of national referendums. This endorsement builds upon Resolution 2251 (2019), where the Assembly highlighted...
30/01/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Council of Europe should lead a process for “the seizure of Russian state assets and their use in support of the reconstruction of Ukraine”, according to PACE’s Political Affairs Committee. In a draft resolution based on a report by Lulzim Basha (Albania, EPP/CD), the committee said Russia...
11/01/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Leading representatives of democratic forces from Belarus as well as members of civil society and journalists joined with parliamentarians from across Europe in Helsinki on 11-12 January 2024 for discussions on building a democratic future for Belarus. The “Helsinki Dialogue” event, jointly...
08/01/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Leading representatives of democratic forces from Belarus – including their leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya – as well as members of civil society and journalists will join parliamentarians from across Europe in Helsinki on 11-12 January 2024 for discussions on building a democratic future for...
13/12/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
At its meeting in Paris, the Political Committee “unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms" condemned the barbaric attack conducted by Hamas and other militia groups against Israel on 7 October 2023, acts which “cannot be justified on any grounds whatsoever”. The parliamentarians...