25/01/2022 | 18:56:33 Thank you, Mr Chairman. Dear Colleagues, We are navigating an era where information is readily and easily accessible by almost everyone at all times. Media should play a key role in providing timely, accurate, and reliable information, especially in times of crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media have become an important tool for public dialogue and discussion on COVID-19 and the governments’ handling of the public health crisis. At the same time, the sanitary crisis has created... 24/01/2022 | 20:03:46 Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2 Dear Colleagues, I should like to express my appreciation to the Rapporteur for delivering such a timely Report that highlights the need to mainstream migration policies with fundamental human rights law and considerations. The New EU Pact on Migration and Asylum should not seek to normalize existing deficiencies and loopholes but on the contrary seek to tackle and rectify them, whilst abiding by the respective international legal framework. We... 24/01/2022 | 17:50:17 Dear colleagues, In Greece, experts have warned about the new “eco-anxiety” among children and teenagers. Images and news about global large scale environmental damage, including wildfires, flash floods, heatwaves and the rise of the average global temperature, are directly impacting young people’s mental health. Their fear of environmental doom is not unfounded. The lives of our children and future generations are at stake, with lifelong impacts on their physical wellbeing and a direct... 29/09/2021 | 11:14:48 Thank you Mr Chairperson. Dear colleagues, Allow me to also thank the rapporteurs for their excellent work on climate change. Today's agenda is of upmost importance: dedicating a whole day of the session to these very important issues demonstrates the resolve of the Assembly to effectively contribute to this debate. Undoubtedly, we are facing a large-scale ecological crisis which threatens our lives and livelihoods, our societies and economies, maritime and terrestrial biodiversity. The... 22/06/2021 | 19:35:06 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Colleagues, I should like to thank the Rapporteur, Mr. Hunko for his excellent and timely Report. As the Report highlights, the pandemic revealed discrepancies among member states, but also among the different segments and societal groups. These inequalities, exacerbated by years of austerity measures, left many of our governments with little room to manoeuvre and recover from the most severe health crisis our modern societies are facing... 22/04/2021 | 13:07:24 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Dear Colleagues, The PACE has repeatedly warned about the consequences of Turkey’s deviation from our Organisation’s standards and principles, which primarily affect Turkish society and the most progressive forces within it. The Council of Europe does not seek confrontation with the Turkish authorities, but rather ways to encourage constructive dialogue conducive to democratic reform. The aim is not to impose any model of governance on Turkey... 20/04/2021 | 16:26:48 Good afternoon from Cyprus Mr Chairperson. I would first like to congratulate the rapporteur Mr Georgios KATROUGKALOS for his really excellent work. The established closer and more productive relationship between the Assembly and the OECD is a proven valuable framework for cooperation, and feedback on pressing challenges, such as the ones reviewed in this report. The fiscal power of the government predicates its democratic legitimacy. The appropriate transferring of tax revenue into spending... 20/04/2021 | 11:15:30 Good morning, Mr President. Dear Colleagues, Allow me to thank our Rapporteur, Mr. Tiny KOX, for his excellent Report. Despite what Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO's already said. The Council of Europe has been a strong pillar in safeguarding democracy and fundamental human rights and freedoms through international co-operation for the last seven decades. There is a growing need, though, for the Council of Europe to further enhance its relevance in promoting peace through multilateralism. Stepping up... 28/01/2021 | 11:56:00 Good afternoon, from Nicosia. Allow me first to congratulate Mr Boriss CILEVIČS for his excellent report. Dear colleagues, the violent killings of George Floyd and Brianna Taylor by police officers in the US have shocked public opinion worldwide. Europe unfortunately has not been spared: the detention of far-right and Neo-Nazi groups in Germany's law enforcement institutions, systemic racism in French national police, the recent resignation of the Dutch government over child care subsidies... 26/01/2021 | 12:59:24 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) I wish to congratulate my colleague, Mr. Constantinos Efstathiou, for his report, and the wealth of information provided. Indeed, it is important to highlight that the Interlaken Reform Process has brought about tangible results, including in particular the processing of cases by the Court. The implementation of the pilot judgments’ procedure and the effective filtering of applications has led to a steady decrease of the previous influx of...