23/06/2024 | Session
A joint debate on the legal and human rights aspects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, on the role of sanctions and on the erasure of cultural identity, are among the highlights of the summer plenary session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, taking place from 24 to 28 June...
21/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Ending a five-day visit to the Middle East today (17-21 June), the Chair of PACE’s Sub-Committee on the Middle East Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC) has called for "a collective surge of responsibility to ensure the effective implementation of an immediate ceasefire, the safe return of hostages to...
20/06/2024 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Statement by Oleksii Goncharenko (Ukraine, EC/DA), the Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, on World Refugee Day (20 June 2024): “On the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe, and as we mark World Refugee Day, I call for a transformation of the...
18/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Faced with democratic backsliding in Europe, marked by the weakening of the separation and balance of powers and the restriction of freedoms, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, which met in Oslo on 30 and 31 May, called on member States to “adopt participatory and deliberative...
18/06/2024 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
“In July 2021 the UN General Assembly proclaimed 18 June as the International Day for Countering Hate Speech and called on all relevant actors to increase their efforts to oppose hate speech, in line with international human rights law and principles,” said Fourat Ben Chikha (Belgium, SOC), PACE...
18/06/2024 | Monitoring
Following a fact-finding visit to Ankara and Istanbul on 11-14 June 2024, PACE’s co-rapporteur for the monitoring of Türkiye, Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), has again called on the Turkish authorities to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and to continue their high...
14/06/2024 | President
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos participated this week in the Ukraine Recovery 2024 Conference, organised under the theme: “United for defence, united for recovery, stronger together”. The conference followed an annual series of high-level political events dedicated to the rapid recovery and...
13/06/2024 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
An Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau travelled to Geneva to meet several international organisations (UNICEF, UNHCR, OHCHR) on 13 June 2024 to discuss the situation of refugee, displaced and deported children of Ukraine. On this occasion, the President of the Assembly had a bilateral meeting with...
11/06/2024 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Practical moves made by the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community in Cyprus since October 2020 to re-open Varosha – a fenced-off area of the city of Famagusta which has been a “ghost town” since the division of the island – are an “unacceptable change” to its status and a grave violation of...
10/06/2024 | Election observation
The 9 June simultaneous early parliamentary and European elections in Bulgaria were free and competitive, offering voters a pluralistic range of choices. While the electoral procedures were well-managed, voter turnout reflected a significant lack of enthusiasm, with only a third of voters...
07/06/2024 | Monitoring
Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC), one of the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Türkiye, will make a fact-finding visit to Ankara and Istanbul from 11 to 14 June 2024. During his visit, Mr Schennach will...
07/06/2024 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Participants at a conference in Luxembourg have explored ways that national parliaments can help to address the challenges faced by Belarusians in exile – whether practical support on issues such as avoiding reprisals and entry and residence procedures, or by helping to preserve Belarusian...