#MyAssembly: welcome! 
#MyAssembly: making your voice heard
#MyAssembly: committees (to come)
#MyAssembly: visibility (to come)
You make up the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) as a representative from your national parliament, one of the 46 member states of the Organisation. Four times a year, you gather with your fellow parliamentarians to address pressing issues, propose initiatives, and demand accountability from European governments.
You are the voice of the 675 million Europeans who have entrusted you with their vote. You choose the issues that matter, and your resolutions and recommendations compel the governments of European countries – represented at the Council of Europe by the Committee of Ministers – to respond.
You embody Greater Europe’s democratic conscience.
Since 1949, PACE, which is sometimes said to be the driving force of the Council of Europe, has been behind many of the Organisation’s major initiatives (the European Convention on Human Rights, for instance). It must be consulted about all international treaties drawn up at the Council of Europe. It elects the judges of the European Court of Human Rights and the Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe and its own Secretary General.
To what extent do countries honour their commitments? As a member of the Assembly, you monitor this closely and work to support States in fulfilling their obligations.
You meet four times a year for a week-long plenary session in the Palais de l’Europe in Strasbourg. Alongside 306 other representatives and 306 substitutes, you have been appointed by your national parliament from among its members. Your country’s delegation, which ranges from two to eighteen representatives depending on population size, reflects the political balance of your national parliament.
Your work in the Assembly is prepared by nine committees and the Bureau, which includes the President of the Assembly, 19 Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of the five political groups, and the committee Chairpersons.
In the Assembly, you help adopt three types of texts:
• Recommendations: directed to the Committee of Ministers,
• Resolutions: expressing the Assembly’s own viewpoint,
• Opinions: addressing membership applications, draft treaties, and other matters referred by the Committee of Ministers.
Through these contributions, you play a vital role in shaping the work of the Council of Europe.
You periodically visit countries across Europe to gather first-hand information, which you use to draft Assembly reports. You also travel to monitor elections, furthering PACE’s mission to uphold democratic values. Through your efforts, you contribute to the development of parliamentary diplomacy and actively engage in shaping international relations.
You collaborate with the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE, and other international parliamentary bodies to enhance the role and impact of parliamentarians in European and global affairs. Your work helps PACE serve as a parliamentary platform for the OECD and strengthens ties with United Nations specialised agencies.
The recommendations, resolutions, and opinions you help adopt serve as guidelines for the Committee of Ministers, national governments, parliaments, and political parties. Through your commitment, these texts influence legislation and practice, improving the lives of Europeans.
SOC Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group
EPP/CD Group of the European People’s Party
ECPA European Conservatives, Patriots & Affiliates
ALDE Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
UEL Group of the Unified European Left
• Political Affairs and Democracy
• Legal Affairs and Human Rights
• Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
• Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
• Culture, Science, Education and Media
• Equality and Non-Discrimination
• Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States (Monitoring)
• Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs
• Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights
TABLING OF A MOTION FOR A RECOMMENDATION OR RESOLUTION
You, along with at least 19 other parliamentarians, can table a motion for a resolution or recommendation on a specific subject.
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REFERENCE TO A COMMITTEE
Your motion is examined by the PACE Bureau, which proposes to the Assembly whether to refer it to the relevant committee.
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COMMITTEE EXAMINATION
If referred, the committee appoints a rapporteur to take charge of the report. You collaborate with the committee to examine the draft report. After discussions, the committee adopts a draft resolution and/or draft recommendation.
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DEBATE ON THE REPORT IN PLENARY SESSION
As rapporteur, you present the report during the plenary session, where it is debated by the Assembly.
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VOTE ON AND ADOPTION OF THE TEXT
At the end of the debate, the Assembly votes on the draft text. It may be amended before being adopted or rejected.
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Albania (4), Andorra (2), Armenia (4), Austria (6), Azerbaijan (6), Belgium (7), Bosnia and Herzegovina (5), Bulgaria (6), Croatia (5), Cyprus (3), Czech Republic (7), Denmark (5), Estonia (3), Finland (5), France (18), Georgia (5), Germany (18), Greece (7), Hungary (7), Iceland (3), Ireland (4), Italy (18), Latvia (3), Liechtenstein (2), Lithuania (4), Luxembourg (3), Malta (3), Republic of Moldova (5), Monaco (2), Montenegro (3), Netherlands (7), North Macedonia (3), Norway (5), Poland (12), Portugal (7), Romania (10), San Marino (2), Serbia (7), Slovak Republic (5), Slovenia (3), Spain (12), Sweden (6), Switzerland (6), Türkiye (18), Ukraine (12), United Kingdom (18)
PARTNER FOR DEMOCRACY STATUS
The parliaments of Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco and Palestine.
OBSERVER STATUS
The parliaments of Canada, Israel and Mexico.
SPECIAL GUEST STATUS
The Belarusian parliament’s special guest status was suspended on 13 January 1997.
