27/01/2021 | Session
PACE has approved a wide-ranging report making a series of ethical, legal and practical recommendations for the safe and fair worldwide deployment of vaccines against Covid-19, avoiding “vaccine nationalism” and encouraging their uptake in the face of “vaccine hesitancy”. The new vaccines should...
27/01/2021 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly, during its “hybrid” winter session, held a current affairs debate on the arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny in January 2021. Jacques Maire (France, ALDE), who is currently preparing a report on the poisoning of Mr Navalny, opened the debate and 31 other members...
27/01/2021 | Session
During a debate in plenary session, PACE deplored that civil society space was shrinking in several member States and that restrictive legislation and regulations were still being applied, particularly in Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation and Turkey. It is concerned, in particular, about...
26/01/2021 | Session
Despite progress in the implementation of Strasbourg Court judgments and a constant reduction in the number of judgments pending before the Committee of Ministers – from around 10,000 in 2010 to 5 231 at the end of 2019, thanks to the reform following the 2010 Interlaken conference – PACE remains...
26/01/2021 | Session
PACE has urged authorities in Poland and the Republic of Moldova to take a series of steps to uphold the rule of law and ensure judicial independence. Approving a resolution based on a report by Andrea Orlando (Italy, SOC), the Assembly condemned “the campaign of intimidation waged by the...
26/01/2021 | Session
Bjørn Berge (Norway) was elected today by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe by 185 votes to 112 for the other candidate, Leyla Kayacik (Turkey). He will take up office on 1 March 2021 for a period of five years and...
26/01/2021 | Session
Today the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis to the post of Secretary General of the Assembly, the first woman to hold the post in the Assembly’s 72-year history. She will serve for a five-year term starting on 1 March 2021 replacing...
26/01/2021 | Session
In a speech to the Assembly today, the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, paid tribute to the Council of Europe, referring to it as an “institutional pillar of our united continent” setting “human rights protection standards worldwide with the European...
26/01/2021 | Session
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today elected Andreas Zünd as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Switzerland. Mr Zünd, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of...
26/01/2021 | Session
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today elected Ioannis Ktistakis as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Greece. Mr Ktistakis, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of...
26/01/2021 | Session
“The rule of law is of fundamental importance, as it guarantees the protection of all other values, including democracy and respect for fundamental rights. Unfortunately, respect for the rule of law cannot be taken for granted, even within the Union,” declared the European Commissioner for...
26/01/2021 | Session
By adopting a resolution today, on the basis of the report by Sir Edward Leigh (United Kingdom, EC/AD), PACE has decided to amend its Rules of Procedure to enable the implementation of a complementary joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to...