12/10/2023 | 16:08:48 Thank you, Madam President. Dear colleagues, Notwithstanding the fact that the Reykjavík summit reaffirmed the central role the Council of Europe has, which we firmly believe in, as guardian of the protection system of human rights in Europe, the organisation remains at the same time part of a multilateral system and world order that bears inherent weaknesses and flaws. As long as the pursuit of selfish state interests, profit of the privileged few and the imposition of global and regional... 11/10/2023 | 17:56:26 Thank you, Madam President. Allow me to thank our rapporteur, Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, for this excellent report that highlights the widespread use of spyware by the member states of this organisation. Let me begin by extending my sincere gratitude to all those journalists, non-governmental organisations, and whistle-blowers who, against all the odds, brought to light the use of spyware by states authorities and how this use seriously undermines the rule of law and other fundamental rights... 11/10/2023 | 15:45:21 Thank you, Mister President. Dear colleagues, our Assembly today should send a clear message condemning the brutal terrorist attacks and atrocities committed by Hamas on innocent civilians, amongst them women and children. We also pay tribute to all innocent lives lost during the conflict, both Palestinians and Israelis. Hamas, in our opinion an extreme right-wing Islamic organisation using terrorist methods, is damaging the just cause of the Palestinian people. Although nothing can justify... 10/10/2023 | 18:28:26 Thank you, Madam President. Dear Colleagues, The great threat of the far right is looming in Europe and beyond, gaining in strength and threatening the values and principles which were built on the ashes and the human victims of fascism and the far right eight decades ago. The growing popular support of the far right in almost all parts of the European continent cannot but deeply alarm us and prompt us to wage a constant and consistent battle against the ideology of hate, which is the worst... 22/06/2023 | 18:08:59 Thank you, Mister President. Dear Colleagues, I wish to thank our rapporteur, Mr Paul GAVAN, for his well, accurate, and thus impartial report. We fully support the findings and the recommendations made by Mr GAVAN and hope that this report is given serious consideration in order to guarantee human rights and ensure conditions of peace and security for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. The current blockade of the Lachin corridor is putting thousands of people’s lives at risk, forcing them to... 21/06/2023 | 20:32:08 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Colleagues, Allow me to congratulate our Rapporteurs for their work. The death of 600 people some days ago in the sea of Pylos, Greece, on top of more than 25 000 that have already perished in Mediterranean waters during the last decade, reminds us in the most tragic way of our huge responsibilities. An important part of this responsibility concerns their integration into our societies, which is the focus of our Joint Debate. However, we... 19/06/2023 | 17:37:12 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Colleagues, Bearing in mind that Turkey constitutes the only member state that has returned from a post monitoring to a full monitoring procedure, allow me to say that the election observation mission in Turkey, has confirmed all the previous findings of the Assembly as regards the numerous and serious deficiencies observed in the functioning of its democratic institutions, the rule of law and the protection of human rights, more... 25/04/2023 | 18:56:36 I want to start by thanking and congratulating our rapporteur, Ms Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN. Dear Colleagues, Assessing the functioning of these established mechanisms for the co-operation between the Assembly and other parliaments from the wider region provide us with the opportunity to discuss the partnership's strengths but also – and this is more important – ways to improve its effectiveness. Granting partnerships for democracy studies has yielded important results on both ends. For our partners... 12/10/2022 | 18:47:30 Thank you, Mister Chair. Dear Colleagues, I want to thank Ms Stephanie KRISPER for her report. The fundamental aim of this report, with which we fully agree, is that asylum seekers who have been denied asylum in search of countries, should not in any circumstance be deported to unsafe third countries. I want to also thank and congratulate Mr Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ for an excellent and thorough report, which underlines, first and foremost, that pushbacks have taken worrying proportions. We feel... 11/10/2022 | 10:21:28 Dear Colleagues, I wish to congratulate Mr George PAPANDREOU for this important report. In the many discussions we have had at Committee level, prior to this debate, it has become clear that the European Union has fallen short on the promises it has delivered to the Western Balkans and that its credibility is at stake. This is a negative development that has led to widespread disappointment, anti-European sentiment and a democratic deficit in the region. The Western Balkans, dear colleagues...