The Bureau considered and approved the following references:
The Bureau took note of the report drawn up by the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights following interviews with candidates for the post of judge in respect of Monaco and the Slovak Republic, subject to ratification by the Assembly through the Progress report (Doc. 16140 Add. 2).
On the basis of a proposal by the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Group, the Bureau nominated Ms Oana Murariu (Romania) as a member.
On the basis of a proposal by the Group of the Unified European Left, the Bureau nominated Ms Sevilay Çelenk Özen (Türkiye) as a member.
The Bureau nominated Mr Andries Gryffroy (Belgium, NR) as a member.
On the basis of a proposal by the Group of the Unified European Left, the Bureau nominated Mr Ettore Antonio Licheri (Italy) as a member.
The Bureau approved the revised terms of reference of the Alliance (Appendix 1).
The Bureau decided to set up an ad hoc Committee of the Bureau to participate in this event, composed of members appointed by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy and the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media.
The Assembly is invited to ratify these Bureau decisions.
The Bureau took note:
The Bureau took note of the requests of the five political groups to hold current affairs debates on:
The Bureau updated the agenda of the part-session.
The Bureau approved the Progress report (Doc. 16140).
The Bureau approved the report of the observation mission (Doc. 16146 rev).
The Bureau approved the following proposals:
The Bureau approved the following extensions of references requests:
The Bureau took note of the communication by the President of the Assembly and held an exchange of views with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
The Parliamentary Assembly has been committed to election observation since 1991, providing essential recommendations that have helped shape the electoral legislation of member States and informed the endeavours of both the Monitoring and the Political Affairs Committees.
Confronting emerging challenges that threaten electoral integrity and undermine public trust in democratic processes, the Assembly has decided to take a more proactive stance in advocating for activities aimed at enhancing the legal frameworks and improved electoral practices in member States. In 2022, its Elections Division co-initiated the Council of Europe’s Electoral Cycle, in 2023 it organised the Bern Conference on “Elections in times of crisis”, which drew on the synergies of various stakeholders, including members of International Election Observation Missions (IEOM), electoral management bodies, civil society organisations, and academic institutions.
In response to the “Reykjavik Principles for Democracy” adopted at the Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government (16-17 May 2023) and the subsequent Riga Declaration which committed the Assembly to “strengthening its initiatives to uphold the integrity of elections”, the Assembly has realigned its activities, including by incorporating intergovernmental election cooperation in its structures as of January 2024 to enhance support for member States throughout the electoral process. It is now also managing the Council of Europe Electoral Cycle and focusing more on the preparation and follow-up to the Assembly’s thematic reports on topics such as foreign interference, crisis situations, migrant portrayal in campaigns, reconstruction of Ukraine, etc.
In this context, the creation of a Parliamentary Network of election observers in 2024, renamed Parliamentary Alliance for Free and Fair Elections in 2025, will facilitate cross-cutting dialogue on electoral issues and will formally represent the Assembly in external forums, without altering the operational mechanisms of existing election observation missions (EOMs) or new cooperation activities. The terms of reference for the Alliance are delineated below.