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Summer session highlights: addresses by the President of the Hellenic Republic and the King of the Netherlands

20/06/2022 | Session

Addresses by the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands are among highlights of the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from 20-24 June 2022. There will...

Plenary Session Hemicycle
©Council of Europe

PACE elects two new Vice-Presidents

20/06/2022 | Session

The Assembly today elected, at the opening of its Summer 2022 Session, two new Vice-Presidents: Naomi Cachia (Malta, SOC) and Edite Estrela (Portugal, SOC). Twenty Vice-Presidents are elected annually at the beginning of an ordinary session and remain in office until the opening of the next...

PACE President Tiny Kox

PACE President urges members not to get used to the war in Ukraine

20/06/2022 | President

In his opening speech of the PACE summer session, President Tiny Kox invited members to hold a minute of silence for all the victims of the war in Ukraine, urging them to help end the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to continue showing solidarity. “This horrible war should never become a...

Aleksander Pociej (Poland, EPP/CD)
©Council of Europe

PACE reviews the work of its subsidiary bodies since the last session

20/06/2022 | Session

The activities of the Standing Committee in Dublin; the list of candidates for the post of judge at the European Court of Human Rights submitted by Iceland; the lists of candidates to the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) in respect of several countries; the Assembly...

Momodou Malcolm Jallow (Sweden, UEL)

Parties urged to sign the Charter of European Political Parties for a non-racist and inclusive society

20/06/2022 | Session

At a time when racism and intolerance are rife in Europe, political parties are best placed to combat racism, intolerance and hate speech, the Assembly said today. The parliamentarians consider that the Charter of European Political Parties for a Non-Racist Society, opened for signature in 1998...

Luigi Di Maio
©Council of Europe

Luigi Di Maio: ‘Investing in peace and democracy has never been more important than today’

28/04/2022 | Session

“The exclusion of the Russian Federation from the Council of Europe was made inevitable by the atrocity of the crimes committed in Ukraine,” said Luigi Di Maio, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Chair of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe...

Aleksander Pociej (Poland, EPP/CD)
©Council of Europe

PACE calls for the setting up of an ad hoc international criminal tribunal to hold to account perpetrators...

28/04/2022 | Session

“Appalled by the ongoing war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine”, and “horrified by reports of atrocities against civilians allegedly committed by Russian troops”, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has called on all member and observer States of...

Marie-Christine Dalloz (France, EPP/CD)
©Council of Europe

Safeguarding and promoting genuine democracy

28/04/2022 | Session

PACE today expressed its concern about a clear democratic backsliding across the world – including in Europe – which has resulted in a weakening in checks and balances and the role of the opposition, obstacles to freedom of expression, assembly and association, and an erosion of the rule of law...

Georgia monitoring: PACE welcomes ‘continuous and marked progress’, lists remaining shortcomings

28/04/2022 | Session

PACE has welcomed the “continuous and marked progress” made by Georgia in honouring its Council of Europe membership obligations and commitments since 2014, but added that a number of shortcomings and concerns remain. Approving a resolution today, based on a report by Titus Corlatean (Romania...

Sergio Matarella, Italy

'Guaranteeing security and peace is a responsibility of the entire international community' says the...

27/04/2022 | Session

“Guaranteeing security and peace is a responsibility of the entire international community and cannot be left to bilateral relations”, observed the President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella while addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The Italian...

André Vallini (France, SOC)
©Council of Europe

Houses and apartments confiscated from Russian citizens and state enterprises subject to targeted sanctions...

27/04/2022 | Session

Council of Europe member states should “identify and freeze” as many of the assets as possible of Russian citizens and state enterprises subject to targeted sanctions for their responsibility in the war of aggression launched against Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the Parliamentary Assembly...

Frank Schwabe (Germany, SOC)
©Council of Europe

PACE urges maximum pressure on Russia to cease its aggression and unity in supporting Ukraine

27/04/2022 | Session

Describing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine as “an act of unprecedented gravity” with far-reaching consequences worldwide, PACE has made a strong call for unity in supporting Ukraine and maximum pressure on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally cease its aggression, as well...