lundi 20 avril 2026 après-midi
2026 - Deuxième partie de session Imprimer la séanceVidéo(s) de la séance 1 / 1
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:03:13
So the sitting is open.
I remind members that in order to be registered for the sitting, you should insert your badge when you take your seat, to keep it inserted for at least 30 seconds.
You should also insert your badge in order to speak or to vote. To request the floor, please press the "request" button.
And I also remind the Assembly that members who have not submitted an annual declaration of interest are required to start any intervention with an oral declaration of interest under paragraph 20 of the Code of Conduct for members of the Parliamentary Assembly.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear colleagues,
It's now my honour to welcome among us the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Mr Jean-Noël BARROT.
Welcome, dear Minister, among us in the hemicycle, which is the beating heart of the building, and that was already awarded earlier today with the Patrimoine de la Diplomatie label.
Great, great gesture. Your presence here today, like that of your country, which has been the host of the Council of Europe for 77 years, is a clear symbol of France's deep attachment to our European fundamental values and principles, and a gesture for which I would like to sincerely thank you.
As one of our member states, Ukraine is currently still suffering under the brutal war of aggression by Russia, but nevertheless resisting with resilience and force. We need more than ever to unite around our common values and defend Europe's axis in terms of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
Furthermore, the current challenges facing our democracies – be it for democratic backsliding, foreign malign interferences or threats from uncontrolled artificial intelligence – require a coordinated response from our member states through genuine multilateralism.
I am happy that France is today showing through your availability to reply to our questions how seriously it considers our common European ideal. Without further ado, it's my pleasure to invite you and give you the floor.
Dear Mister Foreign Minister.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:05:56
President of the Parliamentary Assembly,
Secretary General of the Council of Europe,
Parliamentarians,
If I stand before you today in this hemicycle of the Palais de l'Europe, it is first and foremost to reiterate France's unwavering commitment to this Council, as its host country, but it is also to raise the alarm.
With each passing day, force encroaches upon the rule of law. Sometimes directly. Often quietly. Human rights are under threat. The rule of law is being undermined; democracy is being trampled underfoot.
For Europe, such regressions are intolerable. Because these principles were forged as part of a long history marked by war and bloodshed. Because they are the only values capable of guaranteeing both civil and international peace. Because these principles are universal and now belong to all the world's peoples.
That is why Europe has a duty to set an example, to ardently defend fundamental rights and freedoms, here in the Council of Europe and in all circumstances. And to stand firm in the face of all headwinds.
Yes, a sinister wind is sweeping the globe.
The rule of law is decried as an obstacle to the expression of the will of the sovereign people. Democracy is condemned as a tired political organisation, incapable of meeting the expectations of our contemporaries. Human rights are denounced as an outdated value system, founded by Western elites for Western elites.
And this sinister wind, ladies and gentlemen, is now blowing even in countries that used to be at the forefront of these struggles.
After decades of progress, an international reactionary force has emerged that radically rejects this legacy. Elections are contested even in the land of Thomas Jefferson, of the Declaration of Independence and of democracy, where the Capitol was stormed.
Judges, journalists, academics and public officials are being subjected to blackmail and intimidation. Civil liberties are being violated. Women's hard-won rights are being called into question.
The spectre of the death penalty is being resurrected, as was recently the case in Israel, with the Knesset's appalling adoption of a law extending the death penalty, with the support and votes of government ministers wearing in their buttonholes a noose symbolising death. This is appalling because Israel's humanist and universalist moral code, forged by centuries of exodus and persecution, rejects the arbitrary nature of the death penalty. It is appalling because this regressive law, which in fact only targets Palestinians, is profoundly demeaning and an affront to their dignity. Neither peace nor security can be built on discrimination and injustice.
Parliamentarians, this malevolent wind is now sweeping across Europe.
Yes, within Europe itself, the most democratic continent in the world, democracy is under attack.
Attacked by its external enemies, first and foremost Mr Vladimir PUTIN, whose colonial wars, from Georgia in 2008 to Ukraine since 2014, can be explained by his panic at seeing these two countries turn towards Europe and threaten its sphere of influence with democratic contagion. Mr Vladimir PUTIN, who constantly targets Europe with sabotage, cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns and assassination attempts. Why? Because the European Union is a genuine democratic project. Perhaps the most democratic project of all time. He hates it for what it is and what it represents.
Attacked from within by populist forces that have made the rule of law their scapegoat. Who cynically take advantage of the democratic fatigue that has settled in the hearts of our contemporaries. Who, when they rise to positions of responsibility, aim to seize power for themselves, their families and their castes, at the expense of the people, their freedom and their prosperity. Who, as is the case with the main far-right party in my country, France, are cultivating the disastrous and shameful plan to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and therefore the Council of Europe.
Nevertheless, there are some grounds for hope.
Look at Poland, which is courageously recovering from eight years of illiberal drift. Judges who were unjustly punished have been reinstated. Disciplinary proceedings initiated for political reasons have been dropped. Changes have been made to put an end to the instrumentalisation of public media. The President of France is in Gdansk today with Prime Minister Mr Donald TUSK, where together they will chart a course towards greater European sovereignty.
Look at Hungary, which has decided to turn the page on a government that went astray regarding the dismantling of the rule of law and fundamental freedoms, disinformation, and collusion with Russia.
Sixteen years of a consolidated grip on power, of pressure on associations, universities and the media. Sixteen years of attacks on the rights of minorities. Sixteen years that the Hungarians have decided to bring to an end. A masterclass from this great people to all those who tried to write its history on its behalf. Of course, this does not solve everything. The institutions remain weakened, but there is renewed hope that the rule of law will be re-established.
Look at Moldova, a nation that has admirably resisted the colossal pressure from the Kremlin, which has stopped at nothing to extend its reach: from the oligarchs who pay people to take to the streets, to massive disinformation campaigns aimed at spreading terror and attempts at corruption, extending to even members of the clergy, to spread pro-Russian rhetoric and undermine the government.
So, yes, we have some grounds for hope. But we would be wrong to rest on our laurels, reassured by the heroic resistance of the people of Poland, Hungary and Moldova to the pressures against democracy. For it is an ill wind, that is blowing fiercely.
And for every European citizen, this wind is unbearable. Because rule of law, democracy and human rights did not simply fall from the sky. They were created here, on our continent, out of pain, suffering and bloodshed. Yes, Europe has seen the worst: fratricidal wars, slavery, totalitarianism, colonisation, the absolute horror of genocide. But Europe has managed to rise above it all. In the depths of its soul, it found the resources necessary to articulate a universal demand.
The 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen came out of the ruins of absolutism. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights emerged from the ashes of the Second World War.
"To affirm freedom is to take upon oneself the origin of evil" wrote Mr Paul RICŒUR. It was by recognising the limits that had led it to the abyss that Europe was able to offer to the world such precious and fragile treasures as human rights, the rule of law and democracy.
Some might be tempted to think that all this is outdated. That the priority today is to re-arm Europe. That respect for the law is secondary.
Yes, faced with the return of war to our continent, we must spare no effort to deter the threat. As the French President has said: "To be free, we must be feared, and to be feared, we must be powerful". It is imperative that Europe rebuild its military, diplomatic and economic strength. This rearmament is underway and this is positive.
But if we are to preserve peace and stability in the long term, which is our ultimate objective, Europe's military rearmament must go hand in hand with its democratic rearmament. This is its vital counterpart.
Because military power left to its own devices is never neutral: it needs a framework. That framework is the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights. Only these principles can provide a framework for force. To ensure that it is used wisely. So that it never undermines what it seeks to defend.
"Justice without force is powerless. But force without justice is tyrannical". It is in this dialectic from Mr Blaise PASCAL that we see the path to follow to escape both powerlessness and tyranny.
Every advance in our military rearmament must be accompanied by progress in our democratic rearmament.
So it is with the same fervour that we must both give Europe the strength and independence it needs to avoid falling prey to new empires, and protect Europe from the malevolent winds that seek to uproot the rule of law, democracy and human rights.
And to resist.
To resist the headwinds of populism.
To resist distrust and revisionism.
To resist challenges to the legal order so carefully constructed by previous generations.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Council of Europe is the bastion of this resistance.
For this Council was born out of a visionary intuition. The vision of a handful of Europeans who were convinced that the continent would recover, not solely through economics and industry, but also through the rule of law. By building a community of values.
This is the Council of Europe's primary vocation. It draws its strength from what it is: a union of like-minded states with a common heritage of political ideals and traditions. This common heritage is first and foremost the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. This visionary intuition, that establishes the defence of human rights the cornerstone of European unity, must continue to serve as our guide.
The Convention was the first instrument to make binding some of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Declaration, adopted in Paris in 1948, was co-authored by Mr René CASSIN, the first French judge to sit on the European Court of Human Rights, the first French President of the Court, and a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless fight for human dignity.
This year, which marks the fiftieth anniversary of his death, let us pay tribute to this great and deeply European jurist. He remains a beacon and a source of inspiration for us all.
France has a long-standing and close relationship with the Convention system. Many of the Court's leading figures have been French: Mr Pierre-Henri TEITGEN, who sat in the Assembly before succeeding Mr René CASSIN as judge; more recently, Mr Jean-Paul COSTA, President of the Court from 2007 to 2011, and of course its current President, Mr Mattias GUYOMAR. The Court's jurisprudence has brought about developments in French law that seem natural to us today but which were not self-evident at the time, in areas such as tackling discrimination, respect for privacy, the rights of the defence and freedom of expression.
We know what we owe to the Court.
At a time when it faces criticism, particularly regarding migration policy, France reaffirms its full support for the independence and autonomy of the Court and will continue to fully implement its decisions.
Through its decisions and case law, the Court ensures a level of human rights protection unrivalled anywhere in the world, for the benefit of almost 700 million people.
In doing so, it very concretely protects European citizens. When it condemns a State for failing to provide a lawyer for a minor in police custody. When it adopts specific measures to prevent ill-treatment and forced labour. When it rules that the right of journalists not to disclose their sources constitutes the right to information. When it ensures respect for privacy in the press. When it considers that prison overcrowding and dilapidated prisons contravene the fundamental rights of inmates.
The Council of Europe, too, has never ceased to advance the rule of law, democracy and human rights. Since 1949, 232 conventions have been drawn up.
It's about fighting for equality, with the Istanbul Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. This Convention, which France was one of the first countries to sign, is the most successful international legal instrument in this field. France will continue to ensure its implementation and to promote its global adoption.
It's about social rights - the right to work, to health, to decent housing and to social protection - that are guaranteed by the European Social Charter.
As promised, on 19 March France became the first Council of Europe member state to extend the benefits of the European Social Charter to its overseas territories. This is a historic step forward and proof of our commitment to a strong and inclusive social model that protects and benefits us all.
It's about abolishing the death penalty, an area in which the Council of Europe has been a leader by eradicating it in its 46 member states, and by making its abolition a prerequisite for any accession. It has made it possible to create a death penalty-free zone that is the envy of many peoples around the world. Your Assembly has played a decisive role in this key battle.
"The death penalty does not defend the society of free men and women," said Mr Robert BADINTER, "it dishonours it. And so we must, always and everywhere, in the name of justice, refuse to allow death to become law."
I know, Madam President, that you are also committed to this fight, and I welcome the fact that a debate will be held in this Assembly, the day after tomorrow, on the universal abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances. Faithful to the legacy and fight of Mr Robert BADINTER, France will host the 9th World Congress against the Death Penalty in Paris this summer, and will continue to fight tirelessly for its universal abolition.
More recently, it has also been fighting for access to justice and the protection of those who bring it to life: lawyers.
The Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer, signed by France on 13 May 2025, is the first legally binding international instrument to place the protection of the legal profession at the heart of respect for the rule of law and access to justice. This treaty will make it possible to respond to the growing number of attacks on and interference faced by lawyers. And it will provide additional protection for a profession whose role is crucial to democracy. I call on all member states to sign and ratify this Convention, so that it can enter into force.
Parliamentarians,
I would like to pay tribute to the role of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Your Assembly is the oldest international body of elected parliamentarians.
You are the democratic conscience of Europe, the voice of its citizens. You are the driving force of the Council of Europe, through your ideas, your proposals and your initiatives.
This is evidenced by your direct contribution, in March 2022, to Russia's exclusion from the Council of Europe.
Thanks to you, the Council has taken the lead in efforts to achieve justice for Ukraine and its people. These efforts have made it possible, since 2023, to establish the Register of Damage for Ukraine, the first pillar of the reparation mechanism requested by Ukraine.
Alongside its European and international partners, France has supported and will continue to support this mechanism. This is why, last December, we signed the Convention establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine.
But repairing the damage is not enough. Russia's leaders must be held to account.
Not only for the massacres perpetrated in Bucha and Mariupol, the deportations of children, the attacks on civilians, the murder of journalists, and all the war crimes, but also for the planning and implementation of this colonial, unjustifiable and unjustified war of aggression.
There can be no peace without justice. And there is no justice without truth.
That is why I have the honour of announcing that France supports the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, as a complement to the International Criminal Court. And I can assure you that France will join the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal, which we hope will be set up at the Session of the Committee of Ministers in Chișinău on 14 and 15 May.
I applaud the substantial work accomplished by the Moldovan Presidency, and the Maltese Presidency before it, which have enabled this significant progress to be made since the bilateral agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe was signed last June.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Beyond Ukraine, beyond the continent of Europe, your Assembly does not turn a blind eye to any violations of fundamental rights. I welcome the work initiated by the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy on the situation in Iran.
There can be no impunity for the state-sponsored violence that was indiscriminately unleashed on Iranian demonstrators last January, in the most brutal and bloody crackdown in Iran's contemporary history. Political prisoners must be released. The executions must stop. The internet blackout must be lifted. The fundamental rights of the Iranian people must be respected and they must be free to build their own future.
And the European citizens still being held in Iran must be released.
A few days after their release after four years of detention in disgraceful conditions, allow me to share with you the enlightening testimony that Ms Cécile KOHLER and Mr Jacques PARIS have asked me to pass on to you:
"We were held for nearly four years in Iran, including three and a half years in the interrogation centre of the Iranian intelligence services, section 209 of the sinister Evin Prison, and finally in a secret prison in Tehran. This is where we were transferred after the bombing of Evin Prison on 23 June 2025.
We are victims of the hostage diplomacy that has been practised by the Islamic Republic of Iran for decades. We were arrested because we are French citizens. All the accusations made against us are baseless.
On 7 May 2022, we were victims of an enforced disappearance. We were brutally abducted by individuals and taken to an unknown location. No arrest warrant was presented to us. We were placed in total isolation for three months. Our interrogation was accompanied by multiple and systematic threats, including death threats. Our cell was lit 24 hours a day, so that we had trouble sleeping and lost our bearings in time and space. We had no bed or chair. We were fed but deprived of everything else, including reading and writing.
For 7 months, we were deprived of all contact with our families, which was then irregular and brief. We went 17 months without seeing each other. For three and a half years, we were only allowed 7 consular visits.
The aim was to place us in a state of absolute uncertainty in order to break us.
After a year and a half in pre-trial detention, we were brought before an emergency court, the 15th branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Abolqasem SALAVATI, who was blacklisted by the European Union in 2011.
This judge accused us of "corruption on earth", a religious crime, then of "collusion in a plot against state security" and finally of "espionage", which is punishable by death.
Our families' lawyers were dismissed. Our so-called lawyers were appointed by the Iranian intelligence services.
The sentences handed down against us by Judge Abolqasem SALAVATI on 14 October 2025 were 17 and 20 years' imprisonment respectively.
We were victims of tried and tested methods commonly used by the Iranian intelligence services, methods which, according to the relevant convention, amount to torture. Unfortunately, our ordeal is not an isolated case.
Our thoughts are with the hostages still imprisoned in Iran. We are thinking of the Iranians who are victims of a repression that is as ferocious as it is indiscriminate, and who are now facing a situation of war.
Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for the attention you have given to our testimony.
Ms Cécile KOHLER and Mr Jacques PARIS."
Parliamentarians,
I would also like to express my gratitude to those of you who are committed to ensuring proper elections, as you did again this weekend in Bulgaria: there is no nobler mission than that of a guardian of democracy.
As I conclude, I want to reiterate that our organisation can and must grow stronger. This is the significance of the commitments made at the Fourth Council of Europe Summit in Reykjavík in May 2023, commitments to which France is firmly committed. I welcome the determination of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to translate these guidelines into action, with the New Democratic Pact for Europe implemented since 2024.
Rest assured that France stands by the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly. As host of the Council of Europe here in Strasbourg, France is fully aware of its responsibilities.
Fifty years after the death of Mr René CASSIN, France remains faithful to his example, his unshakeable courage and his visionary intuition.
"As long as there is injustice against one man, we will not be able to have a clear conscience" said Mr René CASSIN.
So it is with an uneasy conscience, coupled with invincible resolve, that we rise. To withstand all the ill winds, and to pass down to our children a prosperous continent and peaceful Europe.
Thank you.
[Applause]
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:31:41
Thank you very much, Mr Jean-Noël BARROT.
I think that your remarks were very strong and very relevant. Thank you very much for your address.
And now the members of the Assembly have questions to put to you. First, we have questions of the speakers on behalf of the political groups, followed by a response from Mr Jean-Noël BARROT to each of these questions. I remind you that questions must be limited to 30 seconds and no more. And colleagues, I must also ask you to ask questions and not to make speeches.
The first on my list is Mr Frank SCHWABE on behalf of the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group.
Allemagne, SOC, Porte-parole du groupe
16:32:25
Thank you very much, Madam President.
Minister, thank you for your clear, powerful and inspiring speech.
Thank you for your unwavering support for the Convention and for the full independence of the Court.
Allemagne, SOC, Porte-parole du groupe
16:32:43
Thank you very much, for mentioning the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe as really the driving and pushing part of this organisation. For sure, it's easier for us to speak a little bit more undiplomatically than for some ambassadors here.
You spoke about the Convention. I know France was one of the countries which had concerns about the kind of attack on the Convention.
Now we will see a declaration in Chișinău.
How can we make sure that this does not have an influence on the Court and doesn't undermine the full independence of the Court?
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:33:16
Mr Jean-Noël BARROT, please.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:33:19
Thank you very much for your question.
As you pointed out, France, which supports the independence and operational autonomy of the Court and scrupulously ensures that its judgments are implemented, is concerned about the attacks made on the Court. It welcomes the work carried out by the Secretary General of the Council to ensure that a political declaration could be adopted at the forthcoming ministerial meeting in Chișinău, guaranteeing the independence and operational autonomy of the Court while allowing for political expression by the member states of the Council.
Having said that, it won't have escaped you in my introduction earlier that if we want to preserve these achievements, those of the Council and those of the Court, we must mobilise. Not only to fend off attacks from all quarters, but also to explain once again that the rearmament Europe is undergoing must go hand in hand with a rearmament of democracy.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:34:46
Thank you.
Mr Pablo HISPÁN, on behalf of the Group of the European People's Party.
Espagne, PPE/DC, Porte-parole du groupe
16:34:53
Welcome, Mister Minister [in French].
Welcome to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
We are living in times of sorrow and uncertainty, with a war of aggression in Europe and a state of war in the Middle East that directly affects Europe.
Thousands of Ukrainians have died in the war.
A French soldier died some days ago in Lebanon.
The economic consequences of the war have only started, but the middle class is suffering a lot.
How do you foresee the possibility of peace in Lebanon and Iran?
I want to raise another issue. Some years ago, the French President launched the initiative of the European Political Community.
What new points does this initiative bring that are different to the Council of Europe?
And what roles will this political community proposed by the President of the Republic of France play, that the Council is not already playing?
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:35:42
Thank you very much, Mr Jean-Noël BARROT.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:35:47
Thank you, Mr Pablo HISPÁN, for your question, which gives me the opportunity to pay tribute here to Staff Sergeant Florian MONTORIO, who fell on 18 April in southern Lebanon while carrying out his mission as a peacekeeper, during an ambush in which three other French soldiers were injured. We demand that those responsible for this attack, which constitutes a war crime, be arrested and that justice be done.
For the rest, we did not approve the war launched by Israel and the United States against Iran, nor did we take part in it, considering that its aims were imprecisely defined and that it departed from international law.
But there can be no peace and no stability in the Middle East unless the Iranian regime resolves to a radical change of stance and to major concessions that will allow Iran to live, to co-exist peacefully with its regional environment and allow the Iranian people to freely build their future.
The European political community will be meeting on 5 May in Yerevan, Armenia. It has become a forum that twice a year enables the heads of state and government of our continent to discuss a wide range of issues, and in particular security issues that cut across the continent. There is a dialogue to be facilitated and developed between the Council and this European Political Community, and this is one of the points we raised a few minutes ago with the Secretary General.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:37:47
Mr Edward LEIGH on behalf of the European Conservatives, Patriots & Affiliates.
Royaume-Uni, CEPA, Porte-parole du groupe
16:37:54
Dear Minister,
Could we show more fraternity towards Great Britain when it comes to boats?
Royaume-Uni, CEPA, Porte-parole du groupe
16:38:02
You know perfectly well, Mister Minister, that there is no effective deterrent against the boats crossing the Channel.
Dozens are dying every year. Successive British governments have begged you to be fraternal and to take back these migrants when they are picked up in Dover.
You have refused to do so.
Your policemen stand on the beach and watch these people wading out the boats. They do nothing.
Is it because you want to offload these migrants onto Great Britain?
Do you want to have more of these horrible camps in Northern France?
Do you want to persuade Great Britain to leave the European Convention of Human Rights?
Mister Minister, why don't you take action in a fraternal way to save lives at sea in the English Channel?
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:38:46
Mr Jean-Noël BARROT.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:38:50
Sir Edward LEIGH,
it was precisely in a spirit of fraternity that France and the United Kingdom worked throughout last year to define a protocol to combat illegal migration more effectively. This was one of the key issues discussed during the French President's state visit to the United Kingdom. And it's a subject in which we have also involved other European countries, because as you, being familiar with the subject, know well, those responsible for this trafficking are transnational criminal organisations who, from Africa and the Middle East to the English Channel, make a profit by exploiting human misery. It is therefore on a European, if not continental, scale that this issue must be addressed, and it will be one of the focal points of the forthcoming European Political Community Summit in Yerevan on 5 May.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:40:00
Thank you.
Ms Gabrielle CATHALA on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left.
France, GUE, Porte-parole du groupe
16:40:20
Thank you Madam President, Minister,
I am repeating the questions I put to the National Assembly to which you did not reply.
On 21 April, Spain, Ireland and Slovenia will call for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.
Are you too going to finally call for the suspension of this agreement, or are you going to continue to disgrace our country, France? Do you regret quoting Ms Golda MEIR in the Senate? Do you support the request to exclude the Knesset from its observer status in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe? Minister, can a state, Israel, which has exterminated tens of thousands of civilians, locks up thousands of innocent people without trial, practices torture on a massive scale, colonises and annexes its neighbours, and introduces a racist death penalty, be an ally of France and the countries of the Council of Europe?
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:41:04
Mister Minister.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:41:06
Thank you, Ms Gabrielle CATHALA, for your question.
The Association Agreement between the European Union and Israel provides for both parties to respect human rights and democratic principles. This is Article 2.
On 23 June this year, the European institutions concluded that the Israeli authorities were contravening the obligations of the Agreement in both Gaza and the West Bank. And on 17 September, the Commission proposed the suspension of the trade section of this Association Agreement.
Since then, a ceasefire has been reached in Gaza, putting an end to the bloodshed, but it remains fragile and access for humanitarian aid is still hampered. In the West Bank, illegal settlement has accelerated with the support of the Israeli government, or at least some of its ministers, and violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians has exploded with impunity. The latest developments in Lebanon also raise questions.
To avoid suspension of the Agreement, the Israeli government must change its policy towards Palestine and guarantee respect for human rights and democratic principles, in accordance with its obligations under the agreement.
With regard to the law recently passed by the Knesset, I have used the same terms here as I did in the National Assembly.
With regard to Ms Golda MEIR, since I referred to her as part of my denunciation of this law, the reference does not constitute support, quite the contrary. It shows that even among the hardest Israeli leaders, there is a rejection of the arbitrariness of the death penalty and that this law adopted by the Knesset therefore constitutes a betrayal of Israel's humanist and universalist ethic.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:43:07
In an alternative order, Mr Iulian BULAI on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.
Roumanie, ADLE, Porte-parole du groupe
16:43:14
Minister, thank you for your inspiring speech.
For several years now, illiberal forces have been gaining strength in Europe and around the world.
Today, in addition to eroding the foundations of our democracies, this illiberal international force, which is also present in this Assembly, brings instability to the world stage.
From the outset, France has been at the forefront of the resistance to this trend.
Minister, what can we do today to defend our values in the face of illiberalism? That is my question.
Roumanie, ADLE, Porte-parole du groupe
16:43:47
I also want to thank you for announcing that France would join the agreement on the Special Tribunal.
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:43:56
Mr Jean-Noël BARROT, please.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:44:00
Thank you, Madam President, and thank you for your question.
The best way to defend fundamental rights and freedoms in Europe is to support the work of this Council and the Court. But as the pressure from authoritarian or illiberal regimes increases, it is also vital for Europe to strengthen itself, to become more independent, to free itself from all its servitudes, all its dependencies, so that it can be fully free to make its own choices.
And Europe must also be uncompromising about respecting, in all circumstances, the integrity of its electoral processes and the quality of its public debate, and therefore reject with great vigour and firmness any form of interference or meddling, of course. But also any form of corruption, like the ones we are witnessing, having allowed our public space to be relocated to social networking platforms whose rules are set by American and Chinese billionaires who have no use for democracy or the rule of law.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:45:22
I will give the floor now to other speakers and will take them in groups of three.
Please also limit your question to 30 seconds.
We start with Mr Bertrand BOUYX from France.
Thank you, Madam President.
Allow me first of all, Mister Minister, as Chairman of the French delegation, to express how important it is to welcome you here to the Council of Europe, the place where our common principles, the rule of law, democracy and human rights are lived and defended.
Mister Minister,
You have met most of the players in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
I would like to ask you about Lebanon, which needs France and Europe if it is not to be left alone in negotiations with Israel, or to rely solely on the support of Iran.
Where do things stand? Are France and Europe involved?
Thank you very much.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:46:17
Mr Sam RUSHWORTH from the UK, please.
Thank you.
Given the importance of co-ordinated European action in the face of common challenges that transcend borders, such as the abolition of the death penalty, including in Israel, asylum seekers have safeguarded democracies against foreign interference.
Does the Minister agree that the Council of Europe plays an important role as the only truly pan-European forum for protecting human rights? And what steps is France taking to ensure that European Union initiatives build on and strengthen the work of the Council of Europe, while preserving its central role at the continental level?
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:47:01
Thank you.
Mr Piero FASSINO from Italy.
Thank you, I will speak Italian.
Thank you Minister for your address.
I would like to underline the appeal which you made about the French women who have been and are being held in Iran.
There is a lot of discussion about how to stop nuclear power. There is a lot of discussion about how to free the Strait of Hormuz.
But there is little discussion about what is happening in Iran, where people are still being hanged, tortured and imprisoned.
How can we get this issue into our initiative to oget political prisoners freed and death sentences suspended, as you said in your speech?
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:47:52
Thank you.
I will ask Mr Jean-Noël BARROT to now answer to all three questions.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:47:59
Thank you, Madam President.
To the question from Mr Bertrand BOUYX on Lebanon and the role of France and the European Union, what I can say is that, from the day after the tragic day when Hezbollah once again dragged Lebanon into a war it had not chosen, France stood by the Lebanese people by sending dozens of tonnes of humanitarian aid and by travelling to the area – I went there myself – and of course by the presence of the French contingent in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
We have stepped up our contacts with all the parties involved, urging them on 2 March to allow high-level dialogue between the Israeli government and the Lebanese government. This has now been done. And more recently, after a ceasefire was agreed between the United States and Iran, that this ceasefire should cover Lebanon. This too has been achieved, even if we all know that the ceasefire is fragile.
In one way or another, given its in-depth knowledge of the history and dynamics at play in Lebanon, France will be closely involved in these discussions. This is why the Lebanese Prime Minister will be welcomed to Paris tomorrow by the President of the Republic.
Mr Sam RUSHWORTH asked me about ways of strengthening human rights. As I said, the first thing is to support the work of the Council of Europe and extend the circle of signatories to its conventions, but also to support the work of the Court and the implementation and enforcement of its rulings. And more generally for Europe, which, as I said, cannot stand to see the rule of law, democracy and human rights eroded, to strengthen itself, including militarily, economically and diplomatically, to be able to resist the pressure exerted by authoritarian regimes that fear nothing more than to see these ideals we share contaminate the peoples they hold under their yoke.
And that is why, in my speech, I insisted on this dialectic between strength and justice, which must go hand in hand. Every advance in our military rearmament must be accompanied by progress in our diplomatic rearmament.
Mr Piero FASSINO drew my attention, and I believe that of the whole House, to the plight of the Iranian people, caught between repression and war. As I said from the rostrum, there can be no impunity for the crimes committed last January, when thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of innocent Iranians expressing their legitimate revolt were killed at close range with assault rifles.
And since then, prisons overflowing with political prisoners, executions continuing and the Iranian people's access to the internet and communications closed.
All this must stop. The European Union, on the initiative of France and other countries, has taken measures to target those responsible for the repression. It has added the Revolutionary Guards to the European Union's list of terrorist organisations. And this pressure must continue to increase so that the Iranian people, this great people, can have their rights respected.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:52:20
Thank you, Mr Jean-Noël BARROT [in French].
I now go to Ms Elvira KOVÁCS from Serbia.
Madam President,
Mister Minister,
EU enlargement is a two-way street, but after such a long time it is obvious that the Western Balkans enthusiasm and spirit of integration has been lost.
Therefore, across the region, one of the important tasks is to renew genuine enthusiasm for integration.
The European Union Growth Plan for the Western Balkans proposes four pillars that could form a strong foundation for further economic expansion and accession to the EU single market.
In your opinion, what kind of new concept of the accession process is needed for the Western Balkans?
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:53:04
Thank you very much.
Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER from Austria.
Thank you very much, Madam President.
Honourable Minister, thank you very much for your comments. France is a key state in the European Union and has a historic presence in the Middle East, as well as military infrastructure in the Gulf States, particularly in the United Arab Emirates. You have already said something about the war, about positioning. I would be interested to know which diplomatic channels are being kept open. What role is France playing in finally putting an end to the spread of this conflict in the East?
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:53:50
Even if there is a lot of interest, I'm aware that we now have to conclude the question time with Mr Bekim KJOKU from North Macedonia.
...If he is not here, we proceed to Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO from Ukraine.
Thank you, Madam President.
The security of Europe today is impossible without Ukraine. The delay in Ukraine's accession to the European Union projects an image of European weakness to Mr Vladimir PUTIN.
Do you agree with this? Does France support accelerated accession for Ukraine and Ukraine's full and complete participation in the European Union?
Thank you, Minister.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
16:54:47
Thank you very much.
Mister Minister, please.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
16:54:50
Thank you, Madam President.
Ms Elvira KOVÁCS asks me about the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans. Since the speech made by the President of the Republic in Bratislava in 2023, France has redoubled its efforts to accompany our Balkan partners on their path towards membership of the European Union, believing that this is a strategic necessity and that, rather than importing the instability that would inevitably take hold there, we should, on the contrary, export the European Union's framework of stability, prosperity and peace to this region.
To support these countries in the far-reaching changes that membership of the European Union entails, we have supported a number of instruments, in particular the Balkans Growth Plan, which should enable each of the countries on the road to membership to reap the benefits of closer links with the single market or other aspects of accession.
In addition, and on a bilateral basis, France is supporting the work being done by each of the candidate countries through various measures or the deployment of seconded technical experts, and we will continue to do so until they have achieved full accession.
Ms Andrea EDER-GITSCHTHALER asked me about the diplomatic channels that are open and the way in which France and Europe can contribute to resolving the crisis. The channels are wide open and we are in close contact with all the parties involved, whether belligerents, mediators or facilitators. As I was saying, one of the key factors in finding a lasting solution to the issue of peace and security in the Near and Middle East is the Iranian regime's ability to make major concessions and agree to a radical change of stance so that Iran can co-exist peacefully with its environment and the Iranian people can freely build their own future.
I'm not forgetting another issue that France considers to be of particular and even central importance, that of the two-state solution, which we believe to be absolutely crucial if peace and stability are to return to the region in the long term. It was in this spirit that we worked last year to bring the international community together around a major text: the New York Declaration, which provides for, or at least calls for, the two states to be able to live side by side, with their rights respected, in peace and security. It was on the basis of this Declaration that France, followed by a dozen other countries, took the momentous decision to recognise the State of Palestine.
What role can France and Europe play in bringing peace to this war that we did not choose, that is not ours? There is no doubt that these negotiations can be facilitated. But I believe that the priority should not be to monitor developments on the ground from hour to hour, which are extremely volatile, but rather to focus on how, in the years to come, this type of crisis will multiply. We can ensure that a stronger, more independent Europe protects us from the consequences of these wars that we did not choose, and prevents us from having to pay the price.
Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO asked me about the European path for Ukraine. France has not forgotten that it was with the European flag in its fist that young Ukrainians led the Maidan revolution. And France has not forgotten that, as in Georgia, at the heart of Ukraine's aspirations for democracy, and therefore for Europe, is Vladimir PUTIN's vain attempt to suppress them. And that is why we stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian resistance, which for four years has been defeating Vladimir PUTIN's armies. And that is why, here too, we have worked with the Ukrainian authorities to make the very difficult task of preparing a candidate country for membership as easy as possible. As no one here has failed to notice, we have come up against some ill-wishers, some vetoes that wanted to hold Ukraine's accession process hostage for political ends. We hope that these vetoes have now been lifted and will enable us to move in the right direction by accompanying Ukraine every step of the way.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
17:00:32
Mr Jean-Noël BARROT,
On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, I really want to thank you very much for your really substantial answers.
I personally wish you all the best and hope to see you again.
Do you still have any remarks to make?
Please go ahead.
Ministre de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères de la France
17:00:49
Thank you, Madam President and Mr Secretary General, for your welcome today.
I salute the work of the members of this Parliamentary Assembly.
I would like to point out to those who have not been able to put their questions to me that I will be able to give them answers in writing if they wish to send me their questions.
(Applause)
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
17:01:20
Thank you very much. Of course, we accept this kind offer and you will get the other questions. Thanks a lot.
So that brings me to the next item on the Agenda. This is the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize awarded to Young V&A. The programme has been distributed and I'll wait two minutes for people to shift a little bit.
But please stay here, otherwise you will miss something, I would say.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
17:02:59
So ladies and gentlemen, still one setting, then we will start... Thank you very much for setting the scene.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very pleased to open this ceremony on behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which since 1977 has awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize, in partnership with the European Museum Forum.
I wish to thank the European Museum Forum and Ms Amina KRVAVAC, chairperson of the Board of Trustees who is with us today, for the longstanding partnership that we have established for this Prize, which is a key component of the wider European Museum of the Year Award scheme.
I also wish to pay tribute to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media that takes the final decision to select the winner each year.
The Parliamentary Assembly is very attached to the fundamental values promoted by the Prize.
We are thankful to Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO who represented the Parliamentary Assembly in the pre-selection stage of the jury for this year.
The main awards reflect the challenges, obligations and opportunities which museums face in the 21st century.
They carry the values that we cannot take for granted and that we must continue to defend continually, especially when democracies are backsliding and when divisions within society and global conflicts are escalating.
The important feature that the Parliamentary Assembly looks for, is that all candidates for the Prize deliver a strong political message, and that selected candidates have the capacity to guide visitors towards new knowledge, a deeper understanding of contemporary societal issues and to interactively explore with them the ideas of democratic citizenship.
We will see a video of the Museum Prize now.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
17:08:52
Ladies and gentlemen,
Young V&A, the winner of the 2026 Council of Europe Museum Prize, is a clearly outstanding museum through its mission to engage visitors in themes of human rights, equality, participation and cultural democracy.
Co-created with thousands of children, families, and teachers, the museum embodies inclusivity, accessibility, and civic participation. Its programmes connect design and play with real-world themes such as sustainability, belonging and empathy.
The renovated museum, which was co-created and co-curated with children and young people, promotes creativity for the next generation, empowers educators and influences the sector with child-centered and inclusive museum practices.
According to judges, and I quote: "The museum stands as an inspiring model of child-centred, research-informed, and socially engaged museology." It is clearly a future-oriented museum, that empowers young generations, particularly those from deprived areas with limited access to cultural offerings.
Young V&A provides experiences that can help children and young people to embrace the future with confidence and creativity, and participate fully in democratic societies.
This year's winner epitomises many key ideas that we endeavour to promote in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, such as the role of youth in revitalising democracy and the role of inclusive and participatory education that fosters democratic values. The Assembly recommends integrating the Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture in national curricula and building synergies between formal and non-formal education.
We believe that innovative approaches should be developed to facilitate and promote the "co-creation" of educational projects through partnerships between schools, cultural institutions and individual artists.
Such partnerships offer new ways for young people to engage in a democratic society where culture plays a key role in developing democratic experiences and competences, by dealing with sometimes difficult, sensitive, and controversial issues in a context that is interactive, creative, less formal and more appealing to the senses.
The Young V&A therefore carries a strong message of hope for the future.
We congratulate Ms Helen CHARMAN, the Director of Young V&A and her team for their commitment, determination, and innovation.
My heartfelt congratulations.
Directrice du Young V&A, Londres, Royaume-Uni
17:12:44
Thank you for this incredible opportunity to speak at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today, at the heart of European democracy. It is an enormous privilege and honour.
The Council of Europe Museum Prize 2026 is both a clarion call for, and acknowledgement of, the vital role of children’s museums as civic institutions that afford cultural, democratic agency to the young. Special thanks to the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media and the jury of the European Museum Forum who did the hard work of investigating so many outstanding museums, and making what was no doubt a very tough decision.
Working with an outstanding team of educators, curators and designers, we set out to develop a child-centred museum for the twenty-first century to help children and young people thrive. We did this by placing young voice, creativity and agency at the core. Two core principles, which you can see here, underpinned our work. The first is that our museum builds creative confidence in the young. We define this as the ability to generate and make connections between ideas, to problem-solve, to collaborate, to think critically and creatively, and bring ideas to life, the basis for effecting change in the world. Creative confidence is at its heart about agency. The second principle is co-working, an approach across all elements of the project from architectural to gallery design and content, in itself a democratic process.
The role of museums in preserving democracy.
Children wanted us to create "the most joyful museum in the world". We all agree there are vast numbers of children across Europe and beyond who are in desperate need of more joy, more optimism. In meeting this ambition, we activated Young V&A to become a creative and cultural catalyst in the service of society, with local, regional, national and international reach. We drew upon an astonishing range of material from across cultures, countries, historic empires, and modern nations represented in the V&A collection, to showcase the diverse nature of human creativity and how it can be a dynamic force for change. With that comes a story of exchange, adaptation and appreciation amongst peoples and traditions of very different origins and approaches. It is vitally important that we hold true to the cosmopolitan mission of museums, even as the forces of populism seek to shift the debate in a more exclusionary direction. Cultural institutions such as Young V&A are part of a democratic fabric that needs to tell the diverse and complex stories, that play so vital a role in preserving the future of democracy.
A creative, democratic powerhouse for the young.
To this end, in 2018, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London launched a major capital project to transform the former Museum of Childhood in East London’s Bethnal Green into a future-facing, design-led, democratic, cultural powerhouse for the young. Since opening nearly three years ago in July 2023, Young V&A has welcomed nearly two million young visitors and their families, and is now fully embedded in the civic and cultural fabric of London. Every element of our museum has been designed with children and young people, from major architectural features such as the magnificent kaleidoscopic staircase, in which children see themselves reflected in the museum and they understand how museums offer different perspectives on the world, to three permanent galleries along the themes of Play, Imagine and Design.
Co-working in itself is a democratic process and we worked with nearly 28 000 children and young people in this very non-hierarchical, inclusive process in which all voices are valued equally, from toddler to teen, from parent to professor, across all ages and abilities. This participatory approach continues to underpin our values and ethos, enabling us better to meet the needs, the interests, the motivations, the aspirations, the dreams of the young, from early years to early teens. Co-working builds competencies for the future that are vital in the preservation of democracy. It involves vast amounts of human agency, collaboration, problem-solving, creativity, empathy, critical thinking, iteration, embracing uncertainty and reaching consensus. The children with whom we worked came from a rich variety of socio-economic, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, bringing a multiplicity of perspectives, values and needs to the project.
Specifically, our museum is situated in Bethnal Green, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in London's East End, an area that is home to the most socio-economically deprived children in England and with the fastest growing young population.
The significance of this award champions the role of children’s museums in an era of growing populism in which democracy seems to be challenged at almost every turn. As trade wars loom, nation-state conflicts gather pace and nationalism assumes greater potency, the importance of outward-facing museums with international collections that connect with real-world themes and foster real-world skills so foundational in democracy, becomes ever more important for our young audiences, and more broadly for our roles as cultural professionals and for civil society. And it is for these reasons that we are so honoured and privileged to have received this extraordinary award from the Council of Europe.
I would now like to display a short, and I hope, very uplifting video about the museum. I hope very much that you will enjoy it.
Thank you.
Autriche, SOC, Présidente de l'Assemblée
17:24:12
So thank you very much.
The Assembly will hold its next public sitting tomorrow at 10 a.m. with the Agenda approved this morning.
The sitting is adjourned.
