Logo Assembly Logo Hemicycle

News

PACE General Rapporteur calls for action against growing restrictions on Pride marches across Europe
©Shutterstock

PACE General Rapporteur calls for action against growing restrictions on Pride marches across Europe

17/07/2026 | LGBTI

PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTI persons, Kate Osborne (United Kingdom, SOC), has expressed concern at the growing number of bans and restrictions affecting Pride marches across Europe, warning that this trend reflects a wider shrinking of democratic space and increasing pressure on...

PACE network on the implementation of Strasbourg Court judgments holds its first meeting

03/07/2026 | Parliamentary Network to Promote the Implementation of ECHR Judgments

The newly established Parliamentary Network to Promote the Implementation of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights held its first meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday 23 June, during the Assembly’s summer plenary session. The network, launched in April, brings together parliamentarians from...

General Rapporteur on the death penalty: ‘Abolition can never be taken for granted’

General Rapporteur on the death penalty: ‘Abolition can never be taken for granted’

01/07/2026 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Although more than two‑thirds of the world’s states no longer execute prisoners, “recent developments remind us that progress is not irreversible, and that abolition can never be taken for granted,” said PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Gala Veldhoen (Netherlands, SOC...

Hemicycle / Session / Hémicycle

PACE held its summer plenary session in Strasbourg

26/06/2026 | Session

Debates on protecting democracy from the disruptions caused by AI, on fighting back against transnational repression and on democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran – with the participation of former hostage in Iran Jacques Paris – were among highlights of the summer plenary session of...

Assembly holds a ‘free debate’ on current issues

26/06/2026 | Session

PACE this morning held a “free debate” on current issues not included in the session agenda. On this occasion, members were able to speak on any issue which falls within the Assembly’s mandate. Twenty parliamentarians took the floor.

PACE denounces ‘the use of starvation as a method of warfare’

PACE denounces ‘the use of starvation as a method of warfare’

25/06/2026 | Session

PACE today expressed concern that overlapping crises were undermining food security, food systems and nutrition worldwide. It strongly condemned “the use of starvation as a method of warfare”, the unlawful denial of humanitarian access, and attacks on assets indispensable to the survival of the...

Following a new independent report, PACE General Rapporteur reiterates his call to stop the deliberate...

25/06/2026 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development

PACE’s General Rapporteur on the situation of women and children in the Palestinian territories, Joseph O'Reilly (Ireland, EPP/CD), made the following statement today: “I am deeply shocked by the latest findings and analysis of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied...

Ensuring that migrants and refugees have effective and free access to healthcare

Ensuring that migrants and refugees have effective and free access to healthcare

25/06/2026 | Session

PACE today called on member states’ health authorities to ensure that migrants and refugees have effective and free access to healthcare from the moment of first arrival, including mental healthcare. Member states should also guarantee these individuals access to vaccination, medicines, and...

PACE denounces restrictions on media access in sport and growing control of content

PACE denounces restrictions on media access in sport and growing control of content

25/06/2026 | Session

PACE today highlighted a number of challenges affecting media freedom in sport, including restrictions on journalistic access, contractual limitations, growing control of content by rights holders, intimidation and harassment, legal pressure and gender inequalities within sports media. Added to...

The Assembly holds a current affairs debate on migration to Europe

The Assembly holds a current affairs debate on migration to Europe

25/06/2026 | Session

Sandra Zampa (Italy, SOC), the Chair of the Assembly’s Migration Committee, opened a current affairs debate today on migration to Europe, pointing out that the debate was necessary because of two recent developments at European level: the entry into force of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and...

Tackling the barriers that limit women’s access to justice

Tackling the barriers that limit women’s access to justice

25/06/2026 | Session

“Genuine access to justice for all women and girls, in all their diversity, must be guaranteed without discrimination on any ground,” PACE said today during an urgent debate, emphasising that women are still often denied access to legal remedies and redress. According to the parliamentarians, the...

Food challenges and responses: Morocco offers instructive case study for resilient food systems, says PACE

Food challenges and responses: Morocco offers instructive case study for resilient food systems, says PACE

25/06/2026 | Session

Based on a report prepared by Allal Amraoui (Morocco), PACE stresses a human rights-based approach to food security, recalling that the right to food implies that food must be “available, accessible, sustainable and adequate”. It situates food security within the broader 1996 World Food Summit...