25/06/2026 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg today, warned that the growing dissemination of violent pornography “normalises gender-based violence” and creates “an environment conducive to an increase in such violence”, calling for stronger...
25/06/2026 | Session
PACE has condemned all forms of “transnational repression” – a form of foreign interference used by authoritarian regimes to repress political dissidents, journalists, human rights defenders and members of diaspora communities beyond their borders – and has urged new laws to prevent it. In a...
24/06/2026 | Session
PACE expressed concern today at the pervasiveness of gender stereotypes throughout public communication spaces, including the press, radio and television, as well as online platforms and social networks.Too often trivialised and tolerated under the banner of freedom of expression, gender...
24/06/2026 | Session
PACE has underlined that Artificial Intelligence (AI) brings both major opportunities and serious risks for democratic systems, while warning that regulation and democratic governance frameworks are failing to keep up with the pace of innovation. “AI may represent the most transformative...
24/06/2026 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in plenary session in Strasbourg, today expressed its concern at a broad climate of “silencing critical voices in Azerbaijan”, including through restrictive legislative measures, which effect has been to “suppress independent...
24/06/2026 | Women@PACE
To mark the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, the Women@PACE group of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe hosted an informal luncheon bringing together women Ambassadors and members of the Assembly. The event was attended by the President of PACE Petra Bayr, Estonia's...
24/06/2026 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has raised “serious doubts” about the Georgian authorities’ willingness to abide by Council of Europe membership obligations – pointing to a “continuing breakdown of democracy” in the country. Debating a report by Edite Estrela (Portugal...
23/06/2026 | Session
The 12 April 2026 parliamentary elections in Hungary were not ordinary elections. They tested whether a European democracy, after 16 years of democratic erosion, could still find its way back through the ballot box. In his report, Pablo Hispán (Spain, EPP/CD), Head of the PACE election...
23/06/2026 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
A PACE committee has expressed grave concern over growing threats to media pluralism and independence – citing “media capture” by political and economic actors, mounting pressure on public service media, the development of “news deserts” and the dominance of online platforms. The Assembly’s...
23/06/2026 | Session
Tanja Gonggrijp was elected today by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe. In an election held on the second day of the Assembly’s summer plenary session in Strasbourg, she received 135 votes to 59 for the other...
23/06/2026 | Session
Speaking to the Parliamentary Assembly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Co-operation of Monaco and President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, stressed the importance of promoting human rights, the rule of law and democracy in an international...
23/06/2026 | Session
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly today, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset highlighted the progress made in recent months to reinforce Europe’s democratic security and adapt the organisation’s capabilities to the new geopolitical reality. The Secretary General mentioned as...