03/03/2025 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Gala Veldhoen (Netherlands, SOC), General Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on the abolition of the death penalty, has expressed her dismay at the announcement of a firing squad execution in the United States. “Brad Sigmon, on death row since his conviction...
27/02/2025 | President
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has urged that any peace plan to end the brutal conflict in Ukraine must “be based on justice and respect for international law”. Delivering the Lord Speaker’s Lecture last night to a select audience at the House of Lords in London, during a working visit to...
24/02/2025 | President
“Peace must not only be lasting; it must be just. Justice for Ukraine has been at the heart of the Council of Europe’s mission over these past three years. And today, with the controversies that surround possible peace talks, more than ever, we must stand firm in upholding it,” the PACE President...
20/02/2025 | Monitoring
The PACE co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Serbia, Axel Schäfer (Germany, SOC) and Victoria Tiblom (Sweden, ECPA), have today made the following statement concerning the situation in the country: "We are very concerned about the political climate in Serbia, which has recently been marked by a...
20/02/2025 | President
Theodoros Rousopoulos, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), will make a working visit to the United Kingdom on 25-26 February. During his visit, he will meet the Speakers of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and will hold bilateral meetings with...
11/02/2025 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will be holding a parliamentary conference in Luxembourg on 14 February on “The role of national parliaments in protecting the right to a healthy environment”, as part of the...
10/02/2025 | Elections
Kosovo voters demonstrated their commitment to democracy by voting peacefully and without tensions during the 9 February 2025 elections to the Assembly of Kosovo, according to the observers’ delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). Members of local election...
10/02/2025 | Secretary General of the Assembly
“Supporting the European perspective of Western Balkans has been a priority for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since my election as its Secretary General back in January 2021”, today said Despina Chatzivassiliou addressing the Meeting of Secretaries Generals of EU Parliaments...
05/02/2025 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
On the occasion of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on 6 February, Etilda Gjonaj (Albania, SOC), PACE General Rapporteur on Violence against Women and Co-ordinator of the Parliamentary Network Women Free from Violence, calls for the universal...
04/02/2025 | Prizes
The first “Human Rights in Motion” Award was granted on Friday 31 January in Biarritz by PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos to Lina Vdovîi and Radu Ciorniciuc, the directors of the documentary Papa-Tata, in the framework of the Fipadoc International Documentary Film Festival in Biarritz. The...
31/01/2025 | Session
Debates on the humanitarian crisis concerning women, children and the hostages in Gaza; and on the need for a renewed rules-based international order - with a statement by Marko Bošnjak, President of the European Court of Human Rights - were among the highlights of the winter plenary session of...
31/01/2025 | Session
PACE has urged member States to take concrete measures to combat age-based discrimination against older persons, emphasising that human rights should not diminish with age. Recognising that ageism is deeply rooted in society and affects all aspects of life—including access to healthcare...