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PACE calls for consent to be included in national legislation

22/04/2026 | Session

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting today in Strasbourg in plenary session, emphasised the need to “include free and informed consent in national legislation on preventing and combating sexual violence”.The question of consent in sexual relations has long been...

Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina reaffirms commitment to Council of Europe values

Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina reaffirms commitment to Council of Europe values

22/04/2026 | Session

Denis Bećirović warns Parliamentary Assembly that constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina is being undermined Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Bećirović, has hailed the strong...

PACE calls for renewed commitment to the Istanbul Convention

PACE calls for renewed commitment to the Istanbul Convention

22/04/2026 | Session

PACE is calling for universal ratification and full implementation of the Istanbul Convention, nearly 12 years after the landmark treaty to protect women against domestic violence entered into force, warning that organised disinformation campaigns and insufficient resources are undermining its...

In the midst of a 'change of era', Council of Europe Commissioner urges action to reclaim the treasure of human rights that we risk losing

In the midst of a 'change of era', Council of Europe Commissioner urges action to reclaim the treasure of...

22/04/2026 | Session

Presenting his 2025 Annual Activity Report to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, warned that Europe, and the rest of the world, is no longer merely in an "era of change" but is experiencing a profound...

Joint debate in Paris on the role of observers and strengthening citizens’ trust in elections

22/04/2026 | Elections

The Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe – members of the Council for Democratic Elections – will hold a joint debate on the status and rights of domestic and international election observers and their...

Climate, health and equality: women on the front line

Climate, health and equality: women on the front line

22/04/2026 | Women@PACE

The Women@PACE group and the Parliamentary Network for a Healthy Environment held a joint meeting focusing on the links between environmental challenges, public health and gender equality. Opening the event, Aurora Floridia, Chairperson of the Environment Network and member of the Women@PACE...

The 2026 Europe Prize is awarded to Reggio Emilia in Italy
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The 2026 Europe Prize is awarded to Reggio Emilia in Italy

22/04/2026 | Prizes

The 2026 Europe Prize has been awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) to the city of Reggio Emilia in Italy. The Prize is awarded each year to the city that has been most active in promoting the European ideal. Reggio Emilia is a city of 171,000 inhabitants located...

PACE condemns new law in Israel which expands the death penalty ‘in a discriminatory way’

22/04/2026 | Session

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has condemned the adoption by the Israeli Knesset of a law extending the death penalty in Israel in a way that “has clear discriminatory effects against Palestinians” and urged Israel to repeal or invalidate it, and refrain from...

Assembly calls for accountability in the Sergei Magnitsky case

Assembly calls for accountability in the Sergei Magnitsky case

22/04/2026 | Session

All those responsible for the death of Sergei Magnitsky, as well as the beneficiaries of the fraud he uncovered should be held accountable, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said today. Mr Magnitsky, a Russian tax adviser and auditor, uncovered a US$230 million fraud...

PACE achieves gender parity for the first time since 1949

PACE achieves gender parity for the first time since 1949

21/04/2026 | Equality and Non-Discrimination

The President of the Council of Europe’s parliamentary body hails ‘a historic milestone’ partly driven by rule-changes The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which brings together parliamentarians from the Council’s 46 member states, contains an equal number of women and men...

Rising violence against politicians puts democracy at risk, Assembly says

Rising violence against politicians puts democracy at risk, Assembly says

21/04/2026 | Session

“Violence has no place in democracy,” the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) said today, as parliamentarians warned that rising violence and hate speech against politicians pose a direct threat to democratic life and pluralism. Debating the issue in plenary, the Assembly...

Mihai Popșoi: the Council of Europe must ‘not only react to crises, but act ahead of them’

Mihai Popșoi: the Council of Europe must ‘not only react to crises, but act ahead of them’

21/04/2026 | Session

During its Presidency, the Republic of Moldova has sought to strengthen the Council of Europe’s capacity to adapt to new realities in an increasingly uncertain world: “It must not only react to crises, but act ahead of them,” Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mihai Popșoi told...