28/01/2025 | 10:10:05 Dear colleagues, The sitting is open. I remind members that they should insert their badge before taking the floor. As you begin your speech, please press the microphone “request” button once only. This morning the Agenda calls for the election of three judges to the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Andorra, Armenia and Slovenia. The list of candidates and biographical notices are to be found in Documents 16085, 16080 and 16027. The opinion of the Committee is presented in... 27/01/2025 | 16:28:58 So, dear colleagues, it is time now to thank Mr Xavier BETTEL for his address to our Assembly and for the answers given to the questions. Dear Xavier, thank you so much for being with us today. We now come to the joint debate on the Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee. With this, we will consider the report from the ad hoc Committee on Observation of the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia. We shall also consider the report from the Committee on the Honouring of... 27/01/2025 | 15:35:22 Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, it is a distinct honour to welcome Mr Xavier BETTEL, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of Luxembourg and Chair of the Committee of Ministers to this Assembly. Dear Minister, dear Xavier, you are no stranger to European institutions, we all know that, having visited Strasbourg on several occasions in 2018, as far as I remember, in your capacity as Prime Minister, a position that you served for a long time, for your country. You addressed the... 27/01/2025 | 13:01:16 Thank you, your All Holiness. Since you have ended your speech replying to the question of my esteemed colleague about Pope Francis, allow me to share the moment that I had with him last November in his office when I told him "greetings from the Ecumenical Patriarchate". He was really happy. And it was impressive for me that in a room full of history, in a room full of experiences, and in a room full of memories, Pope Francis led me to his desk and he showed me that the only one picture that... 27/01/2025 | 12:06:11 The next item on the agenda is the election of Vice-Presidents of the Assembly. I have received 15 candidatures according to the Rules. They are set out in Document AS/Inf (2025) 01. If there are no requests for votes for one or more candidates, the candidates proposed by the national delegations will be declared elected. Since there has been no request for a vote, I declare the candidates elected as Vice-Presidents of the Assembly. Their order of precedence will be determined by their age... 27/01/2025 | 11:54:48 Thank you so much. Dear Secretary General, dear Alain, Madam Secretary General of the Assembly, dear Despina, Ambassadors, Members of the Assembly, Dear colleagues, honourable former presidents of this Assembly, I wish to start by expressing my gratitude for re-electing me as President of this Assembly for a second term. I also consider my re-election as a vote of confidence and approval of the work I have been doing since becoming Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe President in... 04/10/2024 | 11:12:17 Thank you, Zeynep. Dear colleagues, The next item on today's agenda is the continuation of the debate on the progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and the Standing Committee, Document 16045, Addendum 3. At its meeting this morning, the Bureau of the Assembly has proposed several references to Committees. They are set out in Document 16045, Addendum 3. These references must be submitted for ratification by the Assembly in accordance with Rule 26.3. Are there any objections to these... 03/10/2024 | 17:12:11 Thank you, Mariia. Dear colleagues, as it was just announced by the Chair of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO wishes to propose that the report be referred back to the Committee. On this motion, one speaker is in favour and one is against, and they can head, of course, equally. Ms MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO had already spoken in favour. Does anyone wish to oppose this motion? No. Now we are going to vote. The Assembly is going to vote, and I remind... 03/10/2024 | 17:05:21 Thank you. The debate is closed. The Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination has presented a draft resolution [Doc. 16043] to which no amendments have been tabled. We will now proceed to vote on the draft resolution. A simple majority is required. The vote is open. The vote is closed. I call for the results to be displayed. The draft resolution is adopted. The next item of business this afternoon is the debate on the Report by Mr Fourat BEN CHIKHA titled “Protecting the human rights... 03/10/2024 | 16:06:47 The sitting is open. I thought that you were applauding me on entering the room but it was for somebody else. But anyway, thank you for being here with us and having the opportunity to watch how this Assembly is working. Dear colleagues, I remind you that you should insert your badge before taking the floor. As you begin your speech, please press the microphone button once only. The first item of business this afternoon is the debate on the Report titled “Preventing and combating violence...