10/05/2023 | Election observation
Keynote speakers, in a series of addresses to the parliamentary conference on “elections in times of crisis” in Bern, have highlighted the fragility of democratic institutions, and the central importance of maintaining core democratic standards even in unprecedented crisis situations. Introducing...
10/05/2023 | Election observation
In a final declaration approved at the end of the two-day “Elections in times of crisis” conference in Berne, Switzerland, participants have set out a range of ideas and proposals for governments, election organisers and observers on how to make elections more resilient in the face of health...
09/05/2023 | Election observation
A major parliamentary conference on “elections in times of crisis” opened this morning in Bern, Switzerland, focusing on how to make democracies more resilient in the face of pandemics, warfare, terror attacks, natural disasters and new digital technologies. The event, organised by the...
08/05/2023 | Election observation
Representatives of institutional partners who work together in the framework of International Election Observation Missions (IEOM) met in Bern, Switzerland, today to renew links and discuss reinforcing co-operation. Taking part in the meeting - hosted by PACE Secretary General Despina...
03/05/2023 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
“Europe is unfortunately not a safe haven for media freedom, and this needs to change. Council of Europe member States should enforce the standards that they have endorsed and commit themselves more at international level to uphold media freedom; it is time to act!” said Mogens Jensen (Denmark...
28/04/2023 | Session
PACE today lauded San Marino for its “wide and impressive range of institutional consultation mechanisms and instruments of direct democracy” while expressing concern about the numerous reports that indicate that these consultation mechanisms are “not always used as foreseen by law, or that its...
28/04/2023 | Session
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has emphasised the importance of ensuring safe social media use for young people “to promote youth participation in social, economic and political life via the media”. In a resolution based on the report by Fiona O’Loughlin (Ireland, ALDE...
28/04/2023 | Prizes
The deadline for the submission of nominations for the 2023 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize has been extended by two months. The new deadline is 30 June 2023. The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize is awarded annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in partnership with the...
27/04/2023 | Session
Adopting a resolution on the implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, based on a report presented by Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) expressed its concern about the delays in implementing the Court's...
27/04/2023 | Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation
Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), Rapporteur on Pushbacks on land and sea: illegal measures of migration management, has made the following statement: “On 25 April 2023, the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania approved the amendments to the Law on the State Border and its Protection...
27/04/2023 | Session
The President of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, commended the Parliamentary Assembly for its swift response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “We must continue to condemn this violation of international law and norms. Therefore, let us all hope that the Reykjavík summit next month will deliver...
27/04/2023 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, "new public health emergencies linked to the climate crisis, coupled with dwindling biodiversity, are waiting to unfold, and will likely hit the world unexpectedly", the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable underlined. Unanimously adopting a draft...