27/06/2025 | 10:50:14 Thank you, Mister Chairman, Dear colleagues, I joined the Council of Europe in January 2016. That was almost 10 years ago, an honour for me. I was entering the temple of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. I was going to take part, however modestly, in building a fairer world and a more united Europe. In 2015, we had the Syrian migration crisis, and a million refugees had just been accepted by Angela MERKEL in Germany. I thought the time had come for an open and... 26/06/2025 | 11:36:56 Thank you, Mr. Vice-President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear colleagues, It's often said that a democracy is judged by the way it treats the most humble, the most fragile, the most disadvantaged. And migrants undoubtedly fall into this category. In the 10 years I've spent on the Committee for Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, I've seen many difficult situations: the absolute misery of lives totally dependent on outside aid, the Calais Jungle, refugee camps in Lesbos, Bosnia-Herzegovina... 25/06/2025 | 19:22:54 Thank you, Mr Vice-Chairman. Thank you for a very lively debate. I expected no less. I'd like to start with three remarks. The first is that I am not the author of the motion for a resolution. It was tabled by a French parliamentarian. It was presented to the Social, Health and Sustainable Development Committee, accepted by the Bureau of the Assembly, and then returned to the Committee. Someone had to be designated. That's the first thing. I'm not the author of the other reports on the... 25/06/2025 | 18:30:20 The motion for a resolution accepted by the Bureau, which led to this report, had its origins in the massive demonstrations in France against pension reform in 2023. The protests were on an unprecedented scale, marked by violence, injuries and extreme tension. The reform was forced through, and with it a profound sense of injustice, incomprehension and disconnect between some citizens and those who govern them. But France is not the only country facing such situations. Across Europe, social... 24/06/2025 | 17:04:51 Thank you, Mr Vice-President. First of all, I'd like to express my support for both reports, and I'm going to speak about the report on the release of prisoners of war. I support it unreservedly. The fate of prisoners of war is never an easy question, but in the present case of Ukrainian prisoners of war, we can speak of absolute horror, with torture and disregard for the minimum international rules and standards laid down by the Geneva Conventions. Improving their conditions of detention... 24/06/2025 | 10:40:27 Thank you, President. I can't help but think that the disputed report on collective expulsions that I presented in this hemicycle last April is perhaps partly at the origin of the letter from the nine countries that called for a change in certain decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, for emotional reasons in the case of certain countries close to Belarus with its hybrid war, or for political reasons in the case of others. During the debate, members of parliament from these... 11/04/2025 | 10:30:41 Thank you, Mister Chairman. I'm going to speak in French. I'm going to talk to you about the issue of declarations of conflict of interest. This is an essential element in strengthening the credibility of the Council of Europe. It's very important that each and every one of us, when dealing with a subject in a committee, with a report or an election observation, we are not dealing with our own country, so that we really do have a neutral attitude. In fact, what I've noticed over the years is... 10/04/2025 | 16:22:49 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Dear colleagues, First of all, I'd like to reiterate a few fundamentals. I'm in favour of the two-state solution. Israel has the right to exist and to have a state. The Palestinian people have the right to exist and to have a state. The attack perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October 2023 represents an unacceptable and deeply condemnable escalation; an escalation, because the conflict did not begin on 7 October. Finally, I call for the immediate release of all hostages... 08/04/2025 | 19:50:37 Thank you, Mister Chairman. Thank you for this debate. Rarely do we come across such a willingness on the part of speakers to say what's really on their minds. And indeed, we've heard it all. I'd like to say that I'm not surprised by this clash of values. A lot of things have been said by one side of the Chamber that are in contradiction with the values I hold, and certainly the majority of this Assembly; and, above all, they are in contradiction with certain values found in the Convention... 08/04/2025 | 18:49:36 Mister Chairman, Ladies and gentlemen, Dear colleagues, All our countries have signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, a founding text that enriches us with shared values – human rights, the rule of law, democracy – but also commits us. And under Article 4 of Protocol No. 4 to the European Convention on Human Rights, collective expulsions of foreign nationals are formally prohibited. This obligation is also enshrined in European Union law, in accordance with Article 19 of the...