26/01/2021 | Session
PACE has urged authorities in Poland and the Republic of Moldova to take a series of steps to uphold the rule of law and ensure judicial independence. Approving a resolution based on a report by Andrea Orlando (Italy, SOC), the Assembly condemned “the campaign of intimidation waged by the...
26/01/2021 | Session
Bjørn Berge (Norway) was elected today by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe by 185 votes to 112 for the other candidate, Leyla Kayacik (Turkey). He will take up office on 1 March 2021 for a period of five years and...
26/01/2021 | Session
Today the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis to the post of Secretary General of the Assembly, the first woman to hold the post in the Assembly’s 72-year history. She will serve for a five-year term starting on 1 March 2021 replacing...
26/01/2021 | Session
In a speech to the Assembly today, the Chair of the Committee of Ministers, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, paid tribute to the Council of Europe, referring to it as an “institutional pillar of our united continent” setting “human rights protection standards worldwide with the European...
26/01/2021 | Session
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today elected Andreas Zünd as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Switzerland. Mr Zünd, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of...
26/01/2021 | Session
The Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today elected Ioannis Ktistakis as judge to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Greece. Mr Ktistakis, having obtained an absolute majority of votes cast, is elected judge of the European Court of Human Rights for a term of office of...
26/01/2021 | Session
“The rule of law is of fundamental importance, as it guarantees the protection of all other values, including democracy and respect for fundamental rights. Unfortunately, respect for the rule of law cannot be taken for granted, even within the Union,” declared the European Commissioner for...
26/01/2021 | Session
By adopting a resolution today, on the basis of the report by Sir Edward Leigh (United Kingdom, EC/AD), PACE has decided to amend its Rules of Procedure to enable the implementation of a complementary joint procedure between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly in response to...
25/01/2021 | Session
At the opening of its Winter plenary Session today, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected its Vice-Presidents: Laima Liucija Andrikienė (Lithuania)José Badia (Monaco)Theodora Bakoyannis (Greece)Gusty Graas (Luxembourg)John Howell (United Kingdom)Kimmo Kiljunen...
25/01/2021 | Session
Adopting its final agenda at the opening of the 2021 winter plenary session, the Assembly decided to hold current affairs debates on "The arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny in January 2021" and on "Freedom of expression (Article 10 of the ECHR) under threat by ‘Big Tech’ Companies". Following...
25/01/2021 | Session
Strasbourg, 25.01.2021 – Rik Daems, re-elected today for a second one-year term as President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), thanked members for their confidence and welcomed the holding of PACE’s first hybrid plenary session. In his re-investiture speech, he stressed that...
25/01/2021 | Session
The credentials of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have been challenged on substantive grounds (Rule 8 of the Rules of Procedure) on the opening day of the 2021 “hybrid” winter plenary session. The challenge – made by the head of the Ukrainian...