14/10/2025 | President
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has hailed the work of the Venice Commission – the Council of Europe’s group of independent legal experts – at a ceremony in the city’s Ducal Palace to mark the Commission’s 35th anniversary, describing it as a “refuge in perilous times”. Drawing a parallel...
13/10/2025 | President
Speaking at the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth in Valletta on 9 October, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos called on Ministers to integrate youth perspectives into every policy and to move from participation to co-decision-making,“ in order to give young...
13/10/2025 | Prizes
“Gaziantep exemplifies what it means to be a European city in the 21st century: an open, creative, resilient and supportive city,” said Miloš Konatar (Montenegro, SOC), Chairperson of the PACE Sub-Committee on the Europe Prize, at the ceremony of the official presentation of the 2025 Europe Prize...
13/10/2025 | President
"I ended up in politics because I can only conceive of a life living in freedom," Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado told PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos in a 2024 video podcast. The President spoke with her at length for his vodcast series, "Round table with the President”, after...
10/10/2025 | President
Reacting to the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize award announced today, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Theodoros Rousopoulos made the following statement: “I warmly congratulate María Corina Machado on being awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Just a year ago, our Assembly...
10/10/2025 | Children of Ukraine
The Parliamentary Network on the Situation of the Children of Ukraine will hold its next meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, on 17-18 October 2025, under the theme “Restoring Childhood: Physical and Psychological Rehabilitation of War-Affected Ukrainian Children.” The Network, hosted by the Riigikogu...
09/10/2025 | Election observation
“With election integrity facing pressure in many countries, the Council for Democratic Elections can combine the Venice Commission's expertise and the Assembly and Congress's experience to address electoral opportunities and vulnerabilities from multiple angles, from standard-setting to...
09/10/2025 | President
“Democracy must be learned, lived and renewed with each generation, and the Parliamentary Assembly has made this renewal part of its daily work,” said PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos at an event on 8 October, on the sidelines of the 10th Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible...
09/10/2025 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty, Gala Veldhoen (Netherlands, SOC), made the following statement today, on the eve of the World Day against the Death Penalty (10 October): “This year’s World Day Against the Death Penalty is again dedicated to challenging the...
08/10/2025 | President
“Our parliaments are not just places where laws are made — they are where democracy breathes. They give voice to disagreement, ensure transparency, and uphold the bond of trust between citizens and the state,” said PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, addressing the Maltese Parliament on 6...
07/10/2025 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Today marks two years since the horrific attacks of 7 October 2023, when Hamas brutally killed more than 1,200 innocent people in Israeli towns and communities and abducted 251 others. We remember those who were murdered and those who are still held captive in inhumane conditions,” said Dora...
03/10/2025 | Session
“Sexual violence against men and boys is a reality but also a hidden phenomenon,” PACE underlined today, stressing that it must be prevented and combated, “giving priority to the needs of all survivors”. Adopting a resolution based on the report by Edmunds Cepurītis (Latvia, SOC), the Assembly...