14/03/2022 | 17:59:14 Madam Secretary General, The war launched in Ukraine is a shock for Europe and reminds us of dark hours. I would like to express my solidarity with the Ukrainian people at this time. The Russian Federation had its rights of representation suspended on 25 February. You have presented to the Committee of Ministers the legal and financial consequences of this decision. Today, the Parliamentary Assembly is called upon to reach a decision on a possible future use of Article 8 of the Statute of the... 25/01/2022 | 18:44:15 Thank you very much, Mr President. Madam Rapporteur, Ladies and gentlemen, The coronavirus pandemic has given rise to an increased need for information among most of our fellow citizens. Because they reflect but also form opinion, the media bear a heavy responsibility for our democratic societies. The errors and outbursts they transmit can have serious consequences, especially when lives are at stake. I fully agree with the conclusions of the report presented by our colleague Ms Annicka... 25/01/2022 | 09:58:24 First of all, congratulations, Mister President, on your election. My colleagues, First of all I would like to thank our rapporteurs for bringing the issue of hatred and violence against LGBTI people back to our Assembly. Indeed, this is not the first time we have had to deal with this issue. It is true that we can welcome the progress made in Europe in recent years to promote the inclusion of LGBTI people. However, we must not forget that in Europe today LGBTI people are still discriminated... 22/06/2021 | 09:42:52 Thank you, Mister President, my dear colleagues. I thank our colleague Mr Roberto RAMPI for his excellent report on this important subject for our democratic system. I want to support our rapporteur when he stresses the importance of the informed exercise of the right to vote and the right of citizens to participate in a responsible and democratic way in policy-making and decision-making processes. I also want to support his words when he emphasises the importance of the role of parliament... 26/01/2021 | 09:56:04 President, dear colleagues, First of all, I would like to thank our rapporteur for his very comprehensive work. The European Convention on Human Rights is the cornerstone of the Council of Europe. It affirms our common values, those that our states have chosen to affirm as their own through their signature of the Convention. These values are essential and they are demanding. We cherish them and they are binding on all of us, even if their application is sometimes difficult. The European Court... 25/01/2021 | 17:37:43 Mister Speaker, Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank our rapporteur Mr Michael Aastrup JENSEN for this very enlightening report on the evolution of democratic issues in several Member States of our Organisation during this very special year 2020. Whatever the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must collectively affirm the importance of respecting the rule of law and democracy. That is the raison d'être of the Council of Europe. These are our common values! More than ever... 28/01/2020 | 17:07:11 Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome the very comprehensive and balanced report by our colleague Lord George FOULKES on this very sensitive subject. In recent years, physical attacks on journalists have increased in Europe in states that are members of our Organisation. Indeed, 10 journalists have been killed since 2017. The 2019 annual report of the Council of Europe Platform to Enhance the Protection of Journalists notes a worrying increase in the number of alerts... 27/01/2020 | 15:28:49 Mr Speaker, First of all, I would like to congratulate Mrs MAURY-PASQUIER on the remarkable work she has done for our institution, which is not an easy job. And congratulations to our new President. I would like to welcome the very comprehensive and balanced report by our colleague, Tiny KOX and Lord David BLENCATHRA, on behalf of the ad hoc committee, which observed the early parliamentary elections held in Belarus on 17 November 2019, following President Lukashenko's decision to dissolve... 01/10/2019 | 10:53:52 Thank you very much, Madame President. My dear colleagues, I thank our colleague Sylvain WASSERMAN for his report, which focuses on improving the protection of whistleblowers across Europe. This protection has indeed become a democratic marker. Our Organization has been dealing with this issue for almost 10 years. The first report on the protection of what was then called whistleblowers dates back to 2010. The recommendation made by our Assembly was followed in 2014 by a recommendation of the... 27/06/2019 | 11:11:03 Mr. President, Dear Colleagues, The excellent report by our colleague Rosa Björk BRYNJOLFSDOTTIR has the great merit of reminding us, if there were any need, of the cruel situation of migrant children. In 2018, more than 110,000 refugees were children alone and without families. Dangers to be faced first during their long journey, which pushes them to flee war and insecurity. As UNICEF notes, migrant and refugee children and women are regularly subjected to sexual violence, exploitation...