21/01/2019 | 12:08:16 The next item of business is the adoption of the agenda for the first part of the 2019 ordinary session (Document 14785 prov 2). The draft agenda submitted for the Assembly’s approval was drawn up by the Bureau on 14 December and updated this morning, and it has been distributed. I remind you that we have just agreed to hold an urgent debate on the “The Escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security”. I propose that the debate take place as... 21/01/2019 | 12:05:50 Secondly, a request from Mr Tiny KOX on behalf of the Group of the Unified European Left for an urgent procedure debate on the “Worsening situation of opposition politicians in Turkey: what to do to protect their fundamental rights in a Council of Europe member State?”. At its meeting this morning, the Bureau took note of the request for urgent debate and agreed to support the debate on “The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security... 21/01/2019 | 11:58:35 Let me now also address the issue of our political responsibility for safeguarding our system of values and standards, based on the European Convention on Human Rights. The convention system faces many challenges, including major attacks on freedom of expression, freedom of the media and freedom of assembly, undemocratic and illiberal trends, the rise of nationalist and populist rhetoric, threats to the rule of law and challenges to the authority of the Strasbourg Court, to give but a few... 21/01/2019 | 11:52:29 Turning now to institutional responsibility, it is our duty to ensure that the Parliamentary Assembly continues to be a pan-European parliamentary platform that fulfils its statutory responsibilities as an organ of the Council of Europe. A situation where one member State, the Russian Federation, is not represented in the Assembly but participates in other bodies of the Organisation is “counterproductive” – to use the term of one of our resolutions – and “adversely affects” our “overall... 21/01/2019 | 11:45:19 Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you most sincerely for renewing your confidence in me and re-electing me as President of the Assembly. I appreciate your support all the more since this time you were able to choose in full knowledge of the facts and, if I may say so, on the basis of the evidence of having seen me at work over the last seven months. For my part, I have been able over the last half year to better grasp the importance of the task that you assigned me and the need for me to devote... 27/06/2018 | 12:00:00 Dear colleagues, our next item of business is an address by Mr Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic. Prime Minister, it is an honour to welcome you to this Assembly, which you know well from your own experience, because you had a seat in this Chamber between 2009 and 2012. It is a real pleasure to see you here once again. I am particularly delighted to welcome you when your country is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its membership of our Organisation. Throughout that... 26/06/2018 | 12:30:08 Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you all for a very interesting exchange of views. Prime Minister, you have highlighted a number of important issues. You have talked about unity and reconciliation, and I think that those are things that should mark our exchanges. That is something on which we very much agree. You have highlighted different issues, including combating corruption, which is also one of our flagship actions. I am very pleased to be able to assure you that our members will be... 26/06/2018 | 12:00:06 The next item of order is the speech by Mr Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia. Prime Minister, allow me first to welcome you to our Chamber. It is always a great honor to receive a head of government from one of our member states, especially at the time when that state chairs the Committee of Ministers. The chairmanship of the largest and oldest European organization is a great political responsibility. In this context, I would like to salute your European commitment as a former Croatian...