21/04/2026 | European Convention on Human Rights
The Assembly is creating a new network of its members to encourage states to implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. The network will bring together parliamentarians from all the member states to encourage governments to execute judgments and to drive forward the legislative...
21/04/2026 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Statement on the forthcoming Chișinău political declaration on the European Convention on Human Rights, adopted on 21 April 2026 by PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights: “Strengthened by its 75-year history, the European Convention on Human Rights is an essential part of Europe’s...
21/04/2026 | Session
Expressing concern at the growing manifestations of exclusion and intolerance on grounds of religion across Europe, PACE emphasised that freedom of religion or belief – which includes the right not to hold a religious belief or affiliation – “was not only a fundamental right, but also a vital...
21/04/2026 | Session
Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset has reiterated that “democracy is still alive”, as shown by the recent elections in Bulgaria and Hungary, and called on parliamentarians to “build on this positive momentum at this challenging time” in a Q&A with the Assembly. The Secretary General...
20/04/2026 | President
PACE President Petra Bayr, opening the spring plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, has called on Europe and its parliamentarians to show determined and principled leadership in the face of the pattern of crises on the international scene...
20/04/2026 | Elections
Bulgaria’s 19 April early parliamentary elections were marked by an increase in participation and were administered transparently and efficiently, despite gaps in the legislative framework and a last-minute amendment on the number of polling stations abroad, that undermined the stability of the...
20/04/2026 | Session
The early elections to the Assembly of Kosovo* on 28 December 2025, prompted by a prolonged political stalemate, were conducted smoothly following a subdued campaign, according to the PACE delegation – the only international organisation to observe these elections, alongside an EU mission of...
20/04/2026 | Session
The ‘most joyful museum in the world’ receives the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize The Young V&A in the United Kingdom was hailed as offering children “a message of hope for the future” as it was awarded the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize at a ceremony today in Strasbourg in front of...
20/04/2026 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today in Strasbourg, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot issued a warning: human rights, the rule of law and democracy are now under threat “even in countries that have traditionally been at the...
19/04/2026 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
A PACE committee is calling on Council of Europe member states to strengthen co-operation between national parliaments and equality bodies, warning that democratic values and the principle of non-discrimination are under growing pressure across Europe. In a draft resolution based on a report by...
17/04/2026 | President
At a Forum of Women Parliamentarians during the 152nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Istanbul, PACE President Petra Bayr evoked the current situation faced by women in conflict across the globe. “This is not collateral damage, but strategy - a war against women and girls,” she...
17/04/2026 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Christophe Lacroix (Belgium, SOC), PACE rapporteur for “Threats to life and safety of journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan”, made the following statement today: “I am deeply disappointed by the recent decisions of Azerbaijan’s Supreme Court rejecting the appeals of imprisoned...