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Strategic Session: Ukraine’s parliamentary legislative process through the lens of the Council of Europe standards

Ukraine’s parliamentary legislative process through the lens of the Council of Europe standards: strategic...

17/08/2026 | Parliamentary support

How can European standards be translated into the daily work of parliament? How can Council of Europe expertise and instruments support the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as it advances reforms and its European integration agenda? These questions were at the heart of the Strategic Session...

Astana, Kazakhstan
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PACE to observe the early parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan

14/08/2026 | Elections

A 19-member delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), headed by Sevilay Çelenk (Türkiye, UEL), will travel to Kazakhstan from 21 to 24 August to observe the early parliamentary elections alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE Office...

International Youth Day: young people as equal partners in democracy

International Youth Day: young people as equal partners in democracy

11/08/2026 | Culture, Science, Education and Media

Sona Ghazaryan (Armenia, ALDE), Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Youth and the Society of the Future, and Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE), Youth rapporteur of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, made the following statement today: “On the occasion of 2026 International...

PACE Parliamentary Network to conduct study visit to Romania in support of Ukrainian children
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PACE Parliamentary Network to conduct study visit to Romania in support of Ukrainian children

07/08/2026 | Children of Ukraine

A delegation of the PACE Parliamentary Network on the situation of the children of Ukraine, led by Olena Khomenko (Ukraine, ECPA), the network's Chairperson, will carry out a study visit to Maramureș County, Romania, from 12 to 14 August 2026. The central programme will take place on 13 August in...

As EU ministers meet following events in Ceuta, Council of Europe parliamentarians warn: ‘the principle of non-refoulement must be upheld’
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As EU ministers meet following events in Ceuta, Council of Europe parliamentarians warn: ‘the principle of...

04/08/2026 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation

Joint statement by Sandra Zampa (Italy, SOC), Chairperson of the Migration Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and Christiana Erotokritou (Cyprus, SOC), PACE Rapporteur on “Frontline states: the role of the Council of Europe in implementing the EU Pact on...

PACE President Petra Bayr, marking Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: ‘Memory must change how we act tomorrow’
©Photo: Georgios Stamatis

PACE President Petra Bayr, marking Roma Holocaust Memorial Day: ‘Memory must change how we act tomorrow’

02/08/2026 | President

PACE President Petra Bayr, together with an ad hoc committee of the Bureau, took part in the official ceremony marking European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. The annual commemoration honours the memory of the Roma and Sinti victims of the Holocaust, including the...

Roma and Sinti Holocaust: PACE General Rapporteur calls for memory to be 'taught, not just marked'
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Roma and Sinti Holocaust: PACE General Rapporteur calls for memory to be 'taught, not just marked'

31/07/2026 | Equality and Non-Discrimination

Ahead of the European Holocaust Memorial Day for Sinti and Roma, Georgios Stamatis (Greece, EPP/CD), PACE General Rapporteur on Roma and Travellers, made the following statement: “On 2 August, we honour the memory of the 4,300 Roma and Sinti men, women and children murdered in a single night at...

PACE General Rapporteur calls for action against growing restrictions on Pride marches across Europe
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PACE General Rapporteur calls for action against growing restrictions on Pride marches across Europe

17/07/2026 | LGBTI

PACE General Rapporteur on the rights of LGBTI persons, Kate Osborne (United Kingdom, SOC), has expressed concern at the growing number of bans and restrictions affecting Pride marches across Europe, warning that this trend reflects a wider shrinking of democratic space and increasing pressure on...

PACE network on the implementation of Strasbourg Court judgments holds its first meeting

03/07/2026 | Parliamentary Network to Promote the Implementation of ECHR Judgments

The newly established Parliamentary Network to Promote the Implementation of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights held its first meeting in Strasbourg on Tuesday 23 June, during the Assembly’s summer plenary session. The network, launched in April, brings together parliamentarians from...

General Rapporteur on the death penalty: ‘Abolition can never be taken for granted’

General Rapporteur on the death penalty: ‘Abolition can never be taken for granted’

01/07/2026 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights

Although more than two‑thirds of the world’s states no longer execute prisoners, “recent developments remind us that progress is not irreversible, and that abolition can never be taken for granted,” said PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Gala Veldhoen (Netherlands, SOC...

Hemicycle / Session / Hémicycle

PACE held its summer plenary session in Strasbourg

26/06/2026 | Session

Debates on protecting democracy from the disruptions caused by AI, on fighting back against transnational repression and on democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran – with the participation of former hostage in Iran Jacques Paris – were among highlights of the summer plenary session of...

Assembly holds a ‘free debate’ on current issues

26/06/2026 | Session

PACE this morning held a “free debate” on current issues not included in the session agenda. On this occasion, members were able to speak on any issue which falls within the Assembly’s mandate. Twenty parliamentarians took the floor.