02/10/2025 | 10:13:48 President, colleagues, I congratulate Mr Iulian BULAI on his excellent presentation. At the end of this resolution, it's observed that matters of defence fall out with our remit. That may be strictly correct in a military sense, but this assembly is concerned with the defence of democracy, the defence of human rights, the defence of peace, defence of the right to self-determination. Colleagues, in 1962, the then US Secretary of State, Dean ACHESON, observed that Great Britain had lost an... 01/10/2025 | 17:52:43 Thank you, President. And thank you, colleagues. I appreciate the constructive contribution to this debate from all colleagues. Of course, many alluded to the requirement for a compensation fund, and quite a number referred to the potential complexities of dealing with the frozen assets of the Russian Federation. Ms Laura CASTEL, Mr Tony VAUGHAN, Ms Mariia MEZENTSEVA-FEDORENKO included. Colleagues, I would remind you that when Alexander the Great arrived in the city of Gordium in what is now... 01/10/2025 | 17:11:10 President, Colleagues, I'm pleased to be able to introduce my report on the draft Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine. The Council of Ministers will seek to adopt this draft Convention during October, and the text will then be opened for signature at a diplomatic conference in The Hague on 16 December 2025. The matter is therefore one of urgency and a priority for the Council of Europe. But not only for the Council of Europe, but also for Ukraine. The text... 25/06/2025 | 20:14:03 Thank you, Mr President. I would like to congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Titus CORLĂŢEAN, on his opinion regarding the draft amending protocol to the Warsaw Convention. I should say that it was unanimously adopted by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. The draft protocol underlines the Council’s commitment to adapting our legal framework in response to evolving challenges. Since its adoption twenty years ago, the Warsaw Convention has served as a vital tool in the fight against... 24/06/2025 | 11:29:42 Thank you, Mister President. Colleagues, what is apparent, I believe, taking a cross section of the views expressed here, is the need for us, as the Assembly, and a need for the Committee of Ministers to ensure that the terms of the Convention and its protocols reflect not only the fundamental rights and freedoms that they are intended to encompass, but also the democratic desires and the democratic aims of the state parties to the Convention. I welcome the open letter that I didn't receive... 24/06/2025 | 10:08:41 Thank you, Mr President. Colleagues. Montesquieu’s seminal work on political science The Spirit of Law, published in 1748, addressed his ideal constitutional model which encompassed the separation of powers between a legislature, an executive and a judiciary. This was the model for the United States constitution and, in a looser sense, for the Council of Europe. The Council, of course, comprises a Parliamentary Assembly as a legislature, a Committee of Ministers as an executive and a Court of... 30/01/2025 | 12:23:01 Thank you, Mister President. Thank you, colleagues. The Treaties of Westphalia in 1648, which are sometimes referred to as the Peace of Westphalia, established the international law principle of state sovereignty. The Peace of Westphalia was based upon the concept of coexisting sovereign states and the recognition of a sovereign state's right to decide its own face and future. What is perhaps less well known is that it established the precedent for peace reached by diplomatic congress and... 30/01/2025 | 11:06:39 Thank you, Mister President. Could I begin by thanking Lord HERMER for his contribution to this debate? I agree with everything he had to say, with one qualification. He referred to the commitment of the new United Kingdom government to the convention and the rule of Law. There is nothing new about the United Kingdom's commitment to the convention and the Rule of law. It has been there since 1951. But despite Mr Tony VAUGHAN's observations, I think we can forgive Lord HERMER one party... 28/01/2025 | 19:58:05 Thank you, Madam President, and thank you colleagues. Despite the constraints of time that we've been under here, I would like to thank all colleagues for their clear and considerate contribution to this matter. The engagement of private military and security companies, although it can be valuable in specific context, does pose significant risks if left unregulated. The existing regulatory gap should be filled with a robust framework that ensures accountability, transparency, and the... 28/01/2025 | 19:32:36 Apologies. Thank you, President. Thank you, colleagues. Could I begin by expressing my gratitude to the rapporteur, Mister Orlando, who has unfortunately left this Assembly and could not present this report for debate in the plenary. I'm therefore presenting this report on his behalf in my capacity as Chair of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights. The context for our deliberations is both historical and, indeed, contemporary. As we know, the use of mercenaries has ancient roots...