25/06/2024 | Session
Faced with democratic backsliding in Europe, marked by the weakening of the separation and balance of powers and the restriction of freedoms, PACE today called on member States to “adopt participatory and deliberative democracy processes at national, regional and local level”, by providing in...
25/06/2024 | Session
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos has announced the result of the first round of the election for the Secretary General of the Council of Europe. The results are as follows: Total number of members voting: 241Number of blank or invalid ballots: 1Number of valid votes cast: 240Absolute majority...
25/06/2024 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) today elected Alain Berset (Switzerland) as Secretary General of the Council of Europe for a five-year term beginning on 18 September 2024. In the second round of the election, Mr Berset obtained 114 votes, a majority of the votes cast...
25/06/2024 | Session
PACE has warned against the gradual erosion of the right to seek asylum, which will eventually lead to “chaos and suffering”, and urged the Council of Europe’s 46 member states to avoid resorting to “policies of deterrence” to dissuade migrants and asylum-seekers from travelling to Europe. In a...
24/06/2024 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly today marked the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe at a ceremony during which the President of the National Council of Austria, Wolfgang Sobotka, directed a chamber orchestra in a performance of the Ode to Joy, and addressed the parliamentarians, meeting in...
24/06/2024 | Session
The first Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment has been awarded to the Irida Women’s Center in Greece, a grassroots NGO which works for positive change in the lives of women experiencing poverty, social exclusion and gender-based violence. The 60,000-euro annual prize, awarded jointly by PACE and...
24/06/2024 | Session
"On the occasion of the 2024 PACE summer session, we are celebrating here in Strasbourg the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Council of Europe. On 10 August 1949, during the first session of our Assembly, only one woman was accredited as a Representative. Today, I am proud to be the...
24/06/2024 | Session
The presidential and parliamentary elections in North Macedonia (24 April and 8 May 2024) were competitive and fundamental freedoms were respected ; extensive and pluralistic campaign helped voters to make an informed choice, but the process was marred by negative rhetoric with nationalistic...
24/06/2024 | Session
“As we continue to celebrate the Council of Europe’s 75th anniversary, I believe that the importance of its future success is understood by our member states and that despite all the complications there is an opportunity to build on this Organisation’s extraordinary legacy with a new layer of...
24/06/2024 | Session
The activities of the Standing Committee in Vilnius (24 May 2024), the lists of candidates for the posts of judges at the European Court of Human Rights submitted by Andorra, Austria, Finland and Serbia; the 2024 Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment; as well as the elections observation in North...
24/06/2024 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly today decided to amend its Rules of Procedure, recalling that it has regularly made such modifications in recent years in order “to accommodate changes in parliamentary practice, clarify the rules and procedures where their application or interpretation have raised...
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...