Spring Session 2024

PACE spring session: opinion on the application by Kosovo* to join the Council of Europe, Alexei Navalny’s death and the need to counter Vladimir Putin’s regime

A debate on the application by Kosovo* for membership of the Council of Europe, and vote on a draft opinion, was a highlight of the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which took place in Strasbourg on 15-19 April 2024.

There was also a joint debate on “Alexei Navalny’s death and the need to counter Vladimir Putin’s totalitarian regime and its war on democracy”, and on “the arbitrary detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza and the systematic persecution of anti-war protestors in Russia and Belarus”, together with a third report proposing targeted sanctions against the individuals involved in Mr Kara-Murza’s detention, conviction and earlier poisoning.

The Assembly also discussed support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, including a proposal to use frozen Russian state assets for this purpose, with the participation of the Chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.

The Assembly gave its statutory Opinion on the Council of Europe's "draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law" during an urgent debate. It also held a current affairs debate on "Responding to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and preventing further escalations in the Middle East following the recent Iranian attack against Israel".

Personalities who addressed the Assembly included HSH Hereditary Prince Alois von und zu Liechtenstein, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova Mihail Popşoi. Liechtenstein Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler presented the communication from the Committee of Ministers in the framework of Liechtenstein's Presidency of the Council of Europe. Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinovic Burić held her usual question time.

Other debates included the freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI people in Europe, and a joint debate on “mainstreaming the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment” and on Council of Europe strategies for healthy seas and oceans.

The parliamentarians also discussed the protection of children against online violence, and held a joint debate on the relationship between the majority and the opposition in a democracy, and on good practice in referendums.

Finally, the Assembly debated the honouring of obligations and commitments by Albania – including a proposal to end the full monitoring of this member state.

* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Special session page

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Note to editors

Due to ongoing renovation work in the debating chamber of the Palais de l'Europe, the plenary sittings were held in the debating chamber of the European Parliament.

All committee activities and meetings, as well as all side events, took place in the Palais de l’Europe premises, as will all media-related activities (press room, interviews, press briefings, MediaBox, etc.)

Practical information

Press accreditation: please fill in this accreditation form. More details here, or contact the Council of Europe Communications Directorate via [email protected].

Website: the agenda, documents, voting results, speakers lists, video recordings of each sitting (in English and in the original languages), as well as the verbatim record of each sitting (in English, French, German and Italian), are available on the special session page. News items on all debates appear on the Assembly’s home page.

Webcast: the session is webcast live (in French, English, German, Italian, Spanish and Greek) on PACE’s website. Each sitting is also streamed live via the Assembly’s YouTube channel in English, scrollable in mid-stream, and a recording made available immediately after it ends.

Video clips: an online tool allows video clips from plenary sessions to be swiftly edited and downloaded.

Social media: follow the Assembly’s official accounts via X (#PACEspring2024), Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93, [email protected].