Logo Assembly Logo Hemicycle

News

PACE hearing on workers’ rights in Qatar on the eve of the World Cup: positive change but work still to do

13/10/2022 | Culture, Science, Education and Media

Participants at a PACE public hearing on workers’ rights in Qatar, held just a month before the 2022 World Cup kicks off, have agreed that reforms introduced as a result of the tournament have resulted in significant improvements for workers in the country – but that much more needs to be done...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy: ‘Never yet in history was united Europe as strong as it is today’

13/10/2022 | President

“Today, we see the historically important results of dialogue in Europe, between Europeans. We see actions that have made Europe unprecedentedly stronger. Never yet in history was united Europe as strong as it is today. So, focus on everything that is needed to prevent the Russian terrorists from...

Russia’s so-called referendums in Ukrainian regions ‘null and void’, says PACE

13/10/2022 | Session

PACE has strongly condemned the attempted annexation of Ukrainian regions by Russia, describing the so-called referendums in these regions as “an affront to international law” and “null and void, with no legal or political effects”. The Assembly was debating a report by Emanuelis Zingeris...

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated...

13/10/2022 | Monitoring

"We are concerned by the numerous reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by the armed forces of Azerbaijan”, said Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC) and Boriana Åberg (Sweden, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) for the monitoring of...

Current affairs debate on threatened bans of Pride events in Council of Europe member States

13/10/2022 | Session

“We cannot escape a truth, dear colleagues: a backlash is going on in Europe. Populists and enemies of human rights and democracy are making use of those who are most vulnerable,” Max Lucks (Germany, SOC) said today, opening a current affairs debate on Threatened bans of Pride events in Council...

Ending discrimination against women in sport

13/10/2022 | Session

PACE said there was an urgent need to prevent gender-based violence, sexism, discrimination and gender stereotypes in the world of sport, promote gender equality, invest in sport for all, and put an end to the invisibility of women and girls in this field. In adopting a resolution, based on the...

Romania: significant progress in the functioning of democratic institutions, despite a number of concerns...

13/10/2022 | Session

According to the PACE, Romania has made significant progress toward its compliance with Council of Europe standards since its accession, in areas crucial for the functioning of democratic institutions, including the judiciary and the fight against corruption. It welcomed, in particular, the...

Brexit threatens common human rights space on the island of Ireland, says PACE

13/10/2022 | Session

PACE has urged the United Kingdom to ensure that Brexit does not result in any diminution of rights for the people of Northern Ireland, warning that the withdrawal from the European Union has “reignited deep-seated tensions in Northern Irish society, furthering political division and contributing...

Finding solutions to remedy marital captivity

13/10/2022 | Equality and Non-Discrimination

Measures to prevent cases of marital captivity and ensure effective solutions for victims are urgently needed, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination has said. The report by Margreet De Boer (Netherlands, SOC), adopted by the committee on 13 October, explains that marital captivity...

Europe can learn ‘useful lessons’ from the experience of prisons during Covid, says PACE committee

13/10/2022 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Europe can learn “useful lessons” from the experience of prisons during the Covid pandemic, continuing to use alternatives to detention to reduce the prison population and ease overcrowding, according to PACE’s Legal Affairs Committee. In a draft resolution based on a report by Givi Mikanadze...

PACE urges Türkiye to drop new law criminalising ‘false or misleading information’

12/10/2022 | Session

The Parliamentary Assembly has said planned legislation in Türkiye to criminalise the dissemination of “false or misleading information” would “cause irreparable harm to the exercise of freedom of speech before elections” and urged the Turkish authorities not to enact it.Approving a resolution...

Ireland’s Europe minister calls for Council of Europe summit in Reykjavik

12/10/2022 | Session

Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne, has given his backing to a fourth summit of Council of Europe Heads of State and Government to take place in Reykjavik as part of Iceland’s forthcoming presidency of the organisation’s Committee of Ministers. Addressing the...