01/10/2026 | 19:32:01 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Mr President, Dear colleagues, Imagine a woman who has worked in the same company for twenty years. She knows its customers, remembers what went wrong and helps new colleagues find their feet. Then artificial intelligence arrives. She helps introduce it, explains how the work is done and corrects its mistakes. The business becomes more productive and more valuable. When she goes home, however, her concerns are familiar: the bills, her... 01/10/2026 | 18:52:10 Madam President, Dear colleagues, When we discuss Europe's demographic future, we often begin with a number: the birth rate. But I would like us to begin with a family. Imagine a woman and a man who want a child but cannot find a home they can afford. Imagine a single mother trying to keep her job when childcare ends before her working day does. Imagine a couple raising children while caring for parents who are living longer and need more support. These are not separate social problems... 30/09/2026 | 11:35:53 Dear colleagues, For years, this debate has been trapped between two uncomfortable ideas. One is that whoever pays for journalism will eventually call the tune, and the other is that journalists should somehow rise above money altogether, as though independence required them to work like saints. Neither idea pays for an investigation. A journalist needs time to obtain documents, check claims and speak to sources. An editor needs enough income to publish the story even when it angers an... 24/06/2026 | 11:45:01 Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, I would like to sincerely thank the rapporteur, Ms Deborah BERGAMINI, for choosing this timely and strategically important topic and for preparing a report that goes beyond technology and addresses one of the defining political challenges of our time. This report is about artificial intelligence (AI), but in reality, it is about democracy, power and trust. Artificial intelligence is becoming a new source of economic, political and geopolitical power. For... 23/06/2026 | 17:11:43 I would like to start by commending the report of Ms Victoria TIBLOM and Mr Yunus EMRE. It is concentrated mainly on the current political and social tensions in Serbia. I fully support the calls on the Serbian authorities to avoid the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force against protesters and members of the student movement. At the same time, we expect that the authorities have to investigate promptly, independently and effectively cases of violence against protesters and cases of... 22/06/2026 | 17:37:07 (Undelivered speech, Rules of Procedure Art. 31.2) Madam Chair, First of all, I would like to thank the rapporteur and the election observation mission for their work and for their balanced assessment of the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria. The report rightly highlights the growing role of social media, the spread of disinformation and the increasing polarization of political debate. In my view, however, one trend deserves particular attention. Politics is increasingly moving from the... 02/10/2025 | 20:08:33 I shall now put the amendment to the vote. The vote is now open. The vote is now closed. I call for the result to be displayed. The amendment is rejected. This was the last amendment of the draft resolution. We will now proceed to vote on the draft resolution contained in Document 16243, as amended. A simple majority is required. The vote is now open. I close the vote now, and I call for the result to be displayed. The draft resolution in Document 16243, as amended, is adopted. We are a... 02/10/2025 | 20:02:01 Thank you. The Committee rejected this amendment with a two-thirds majority. I shall now put the amendment to the vote. The vote is now open. The vote is now closed. I call for the result to be displayed. The amendment is rejected. This was the last amendment. So we now proceed to vote on the draft resolution contained in Document 16244 as amended. A simple majority is required. The vote is now open. Now it's open. The vote is now closed. I call for the result to be displayed. It's adopted... 02/10/2025 | 17:17:07 Thank you, Chair. Honourable colleagues, First, let me congratulate Ms Ingjerd Schie SCHOU for her foresighted report and pay the tribute to her 16 years of devoted service to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, during which she was a remarkable teacher to many of us. The representative democracy is facing a profound crisis. Across Europe, election outcomes reveal growing mistrust of institutions and mainstream parties. Political parties have started to lose their role as... 01/10/2025 | 18:18:39 Thank you, President. Distinguished members of the Parliamentary Assembly, Bulgaria joined the Council of Europe in 1992, affirming its unwavering commitment to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and the principles of multilateralism and co-operation. For the past 26 years, Bulgarian authorities have engaged actively and constructively in the post-monitoring dialogue with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a process which I believe has fully achieved its purpose...