12/12/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The PACE Political Affairs committee reaffirmed its dedication to supporting and advocating for the rights, freedoms, and safety of all Belarusians, expressing solidarity with all those impacted by the crimes of the Lukashenka regime. It reiterated its “ambition to welcome a future democratic...
31/10/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Dora Bakoyannis (Greece, EPP/CD), rapporteur for the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the application by Kosovo for membership of the Council of Europe, is to make a fact-finding visit to Kosovo from 1 to 3 November 2023. She is due to...
20/10/2023 | Parliamentary support
A conference on inter-parliamentary dialogue to further promote the European integration of the Western Balkans was organised on Friday 20 October in Skopje by the PACE Inter-parliamentary Co-operation and Project Support Division, the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, and the...
10/10/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is to create a “recurring contact platform” for dialogue with representatives of Russian democratic opposition forces who share Council of Europe values, fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemn Russia’s war of aggression...
07/10/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
"Nothing justifies Hamas' disastrous decision to start a war against Israel. This aggression must be unequivocally condemned, thereby expressing solidarity and closeness to Israel and its citizens," stated Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of...
06/10/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Representatives of Russian democratic opposition forces who share Council of Europe values will continue their ongoing dialogue with leaders and members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during a live-streamed hearing of three of its committees, taking place on Tuesday...
13/09/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Ahead of the International Day of Democracy (15 September), PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy adopted the following statement: “Democracy is a universal value, the cornerstone of free and prosperous societies and a precondition for peace. The Russian Federation’s war of aggression...
11/09/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Far-right violence, driven by xenophobia, racism, and other forms of intolerance, has increased sharply in recent years and a number of Council of Europe member States consider forms of far-right terrorism “the fastest growing or most prominent domestic security threat they face”, PACE's...
11/09/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Taking on board the views, expectations and concerns of young people "is an essential pre-condition to ensure the good functioning of democracy”, PACE Political Affairs stressed today - but regrettably, they said, “young people are under-represented in parliaments and do not engage sufficiently...
08/08/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“The 3rd anniversary of the fraudulent presidential elections of 2020 in Belarus is a moment to mark our solidarity with all those Belarusians who have chosen freedom, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law,” said Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC), rapporteur on “Call for a national political...
21/06/2023 | Monitoring
Award-winning French economist and author Julia Cagé joined by experts from the Venice Commission and GRECO, the Council of Europe’s bodies on constitutional law and on combating corruption, for a parliamentary hearing on the financing of political parties, took place on Wednesday 21 June 2023 in...
12/05/2023 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee emphasised the importance of preventing conflicts and promoting democratic security in light of the rising number of armed conflicts globally and in Europe, particularly the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The committee underlined the Council's role as “a...