25/06/2025 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly, the Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela marked Malta’s 60th anniversary as a member state, describing the Council of Europe as a “guiding compass” in navigating today’s global challenges. The Prime Minister reflected on Malta’s long-standing relationship...
25/06/2025 | Session
Welcoming the draft protocol amending the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, the Assembly said it introduces “a welcome and desirable step” by defining “terrorist offence” in legally binding terms, while stressing the need for safeguards to prevent misuse. “The legal...
25/06/2025 | Session
Against a backdrop of increased social mobilisation and social unrest in a number of member states, PACE today recommended “placing dialogue and mediation at the heart of crowd control and developing strategies that do not pit law enforcement authorities against demonstrators” in order to prevent...
24/06/2025 | Session
During a lively Q & A session with parliamentarians, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset underlined the organisation’s unique role in holding Russia to account, through the Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The Secretary General said that once the...
24/06/2025 | Session
“If state parties consider that the European Convention on Human Rights and its protocols no longer reflect their requirements for the proper protection of human rights, then the mechanisms for changing it are available – and they don’t include an attack on the Court,” said Lord Keen (United...
24/06/2025 | Session
Addressing the PACE session today, Maltese Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg recalled the recent achievements of the Committee of Ministers, as well as the priorities of the Maltese Presidency – with Ukraine at the forefront. In his address he referred to the decision to establish a Special Tribunal...
24/06/2025 | Session
PACE today expressed concern about the dire situation of Ukrainian prisoners of war, “subjected to summary executions, widespread and systematic torture, and inhuman and degrading treatment, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity”. Unanimously adopting a resolution based on the...
24/06/2025 | Session
“Certain fundamental principles of international law must not and cannot be set aside or undermined in any ongoing or future negotiations,” said PACE today. The Assembly condemned the “illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine” and warned...
23/06/2025 | Session
The 2025 Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment has been awarded to the Women of the Sun organisation from Palestine*, which seeks to create pathways and opportunities for Palestinian women to enter fields traditionally dominated by men, including in politics, business and technology. The 60,000...
23/06/2025 | Session
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, opening the Assembly’s summer session in Strasbourg today, announced an address later in the week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during his first visit to the Council of Europe, and urged “the final steps” towards the establishment of an...
23/06/2025 | Session
PACE today called on the Albanian authorities to demonstrate strong political will to address the shortcomings identified during the observation of the recent parliamentary elections (11 May 2025) “in order to ensure the alignment with European standards in electoral processes”. It called on the...
23/06/2025 | Session
The list of candidates for the post of judge at the European Court of Human Rights submitted by the United Kingdom; the observation of the recent elections in Albania and Poland, and of the upcoming elections in Republic of Moldova; the adoption of guidelines for the observation of elections by...