21/06/2023 | Monitoring
Award-winning French economist and author Julia Cagé joined by experts from the Venice Commission and GRECO, the Council of Europe’s bodies on constitutional law and on combating corruption, for a parliamentary hearing on the financing of political parties, took place on Wednesday 21 June 2023 in...
21/06/2023 | Session
The Assembly has called on member States to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination in sports and provide equal opportunities for “most vulnerable people, including migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons, to have proper access to sporting facilities and activities” considering...
21/06/2023 | Session
PACE is urging the United Kingdom government and parliament to carefully consider the content of provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill and Bill of Rights Bill that – were they to enter into force – “could risk placing the UK in breach of its international obligations”. In a resolution on human...
21/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Adopting a draft resolution on allegations of systemic torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in places of detention in Europe, based on a report by Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC), PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights called for enhanced measures to combat...
21/06/2023 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly has expressed deep concern over the populist discourse “inducing fear and resentment towards people arriving from other countries”. In the adopted resolution, addressing the issue, based on a report by Domagoj Hajduković (Croatia, SOC), the Assembly emphasised the...
21/06/2023 | Session
According to the Assembly, Europe is home to around 4-5 million undocumented persons, including many ‘invisible workers’. They participate in the labour market without legal recognition but remain “fragile socio-economically – with poor or no access to socio-economic rights and at high risk of...
20/06/2023 | Session
“The Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavik was an important milestone for the organisation at a critical time and resulted in strong European unity in responding to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Chair of the Committee of...
20/06/2023 | Legal Affairs and Human Rights
The General Rapporteurs on Human Rights Defenders and Whistleblowers, and on Political Prisoners, of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania, EPP/CD) and Sunna Ævarsdóttir (Iceland, SOC), have warned against the extradition to the United States of...
20/06/2023 | Session
In the framework of the debate on “Addressing the specific challenges faced by Belarusians in exile”, the Volny Chor today performed before the Parliamentary Assembly. Volny Chor emerged from the rallies arranged by the musicians of the Belarusian State Philharmonic in August 2020. Almost...
20/06/2023 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly, during its summer plenary session, held a current affairs debate on “The recent political developments in Poland”. Peter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP/CD) and Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC), co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Poland by PACE, opened the debate. 17 speakers...
20/06/2023 | Session
PACE has hailed the “resilience, courage and determination” of Belarusians who have been forced into exile by the repression of the Lukashenka regime – and urged states hosting them to take legal and practical steps to welcome them. In a resolution, based on a report by Paul Galles (Luxembourg...
20/06/2023 | Women@PACE
The ‘Women@PACE’ group today held an exchange of views with Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarus democratic opposition, on women’s political participation. Addressing the participants, she shared her journey and shed light on the challenges faced by women in her country's political...