20/10/2023 | Parliamentary support
A conference on inter-parliamentary dialogue to further promote the European integration of the Western Balkans was organised on Friday 20 October in Skopje by the PACE Inter-parliamentary Co-operation and Project Support Division, the PACE Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, and the...
20/10/2023 | Parliamentary support
“An increasing number of people in the Western Balkans, especially amongst the youth, are pessimistic about the prospects of EU accession. The European vision is losing its shine. In its place, ethno-nationalism has resurfaced. This is a reason to worry – and an obligation to act better,” PACE...
20/10/2023 | Parliamentary support
The PACE Inter-Parliamentary Co-operation Division is organising, from October 25 to 27, 2023, a study visit to Spain on combating violence against women. This will be an opportunity to share the pioneering experience of Spain, which has had a comprehensive system to combat violence against women...
20/10/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
PACE General Rapporteur on the abolition of the death penalty Aleksandar Nikoloski (North Macedonia, EPP/CD) reacted today to a new death sentence in Belarus: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms yesterday’s judgment of the Minsk Regional Court, sentencing Aleksandr Taratuta (convicted of...
17/10/2023 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Simon Moutquin (Belgium, SOC), Chairperson of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, and Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, today made the following statement: “Children are the ones who...
17/10/2023 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
On the eve of European Anti-trafficking Day (18 October), Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), Chairperson of PACE’s Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons made the following statement: “As we mark the 15th anniversary of the entry into force of the Council of Europe Convention...
16/10/2023 | Equality and Non-Discrimination
PACE’s Equality Committee called on member States to take urgent action to address systemic human rights violations against the Roma and Traveller communities. In a draft resolution, the committee highlighted the ongoing brutality and discrimination faced by these minority groups at the hands of...
16/10/2023 | Election observation
Poland’s parliamentary elections were characterised by record high voter participation with a wide choice of political options and candidates able to campaign freely, but the campaign was tarnished by notable overlap between the ruling party’s messages and government information campaigns...
16/10/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The General Rapporteur on Political Prisoners of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), has condemned the searches and subsequent detention of Alexei Navalny’s lawyers, and called for their release. “According to reports, the homes of Vadim...
13/10/2023 | Session
The Assembly today called on the member States of the Council of Europe “to recognise Vladimir Putin as illegitimate after the end of his current presidential term and to cease all contact with him, except for humanitarian contact and in the pursuit of peace.” The Assembly emphasised that...
13/10/2023 | Session
According to PACE, the Covid-19 pandemic had a “devastating effect” on the mental health and well-being of children and young adults, who have also been affected by phenomena such as the global financial crisis, the cost-of-living crisis, uncertainties on the job market, a war in Europe, the ever...
13/10/2023 | Session
The Assembly strongly condemned “the systemic violence” against women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban. The parliamentarians urged member States to respect UNHCR's Guidance Note and especially not to return Afghans to Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, where over 95% of Afghan refugees are...