10/04/2025 | 11:02:11 Dear colleagues, when we analyse the situation in a member state, we analyse it against the democratic standards and the pillars of democracy. I will remind you that those pillars are: rule of law, ensuring equality and justice, based, among other things, on separation of powers, second free and fair elections, and three; protection of human rights, safeguarding individual freedoms. If we analyse the situation in Georgia, for which we are here today, and if we analyse the time between the... 08/04/2025 | 17:19:13 Ukrainians banned Russian language. They banned their alphabet, they robbed their church, and killed civilians in Odessa. "It is under Mr Vladimir PUTIN's genius leadership that people of Ukraine are being liberated." is today's quote by Serb leader Mr Milorad DODIK in his another praise of the genius of Mr Vladimir PUTIN. When we talk about the Western Balkans, stereotypes are incredibly politically convenient. They are an anti-intellectual shortcut whose primary purpose is to prevent action... 27/01/2025 | 16:04:38 Dear Minister, thank you for your lively and inspiring introduction. In one of your interviews, you said you want to say "Europe first". While considering that we are in the Council of Europe, we want to say, well, for us, "Council of Europe first". In light of emboldened, we would say, extremist forces around the world and growing challenges to human rights, do you think that the Council of Europe should use this opportunity to take an even stauncher stand and more deliberate stand towards... 02/10/2024 | 18:36:04 Dear colleagues, what a miracle! Of all the topics that I expected to unite this chamber, I genuinely did not expect Bosnia to be one of them. And listening to you, I'm honoured and humbled and extremely grateful that the representatives of various political families of different ideological backgrounds agree. And I deeply agree with every single one of you who spoke so far on what needs to happen in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the upcoming years. So, perhaps, if Bosnia can unite us on this... 02/10/2024 | 10:09:44 Thank you. In the spring of 1992, American journalist Mr Ron HAVIV took photos of Serb soldiers brutally murdering civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and capturing an image of a soldier kicking a woman that he just shot. The images did not stop the war, did not stop genocide or ethnic cleansing. But we can take small satisfaction in the fact that these images were used at the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia as an evidence that resulted in the conviction of Mr Radovan... 01/10/2024 | 12:27:53 Are we okay now? Mister BERSET, thank you for your vision. We are obviously in an institution based on dialogue and we participate in dialogue. But not only that, we also create a vision and norms and behave by the rules. At the same time, we live in unfortunately interesting times and when democracy is challenged in the ways that it's challenged today, and when we are witnessing severe human rights abuses all around us, the question of our responsibility is more important than ever. In that... 26/06/2024 | 17:36:32 Thank you. Dear colleagues, Sometimes bold calls can remain, unfortunately, only that; bold calls. We are going to be entirely cynical – they can even be self-serving speeches expressing good intentions but without necessarily paving a way forward. Fortunately, this report is not such a report. It is bold. It is innovative. It is brave. My liberal colleagues and myself are delighted every time this institution is called to show greater ambition to show greater strength and to show greater... 18/04/2024 | 18:36:48 Ladies and gentlemen, Dear colleagues. I have a small question for you. Some of you are old enough to might have been politically active some decades ago. Some of you maybe remember the 90s. My question is do you remember where you were in the summer of 1992? Maybe some of you got married, maybe some of you got involved in politics, graduated, or perhaps summer of 1993, or perhaps summer of 1994, or perhaps summer of 1995. In summer of 1995, I was in my home town of Sarajevo, watching my... 17/04/2024 | 19:37:47 Thank you. As one of my favourite writers, Albanian writers, Ismail Kadare would say, the writer is always in some form or in some extent of exile, and there is always a distance. One can say the same for our authors of today's report, who so elegantly managed to take a distance, be objective, I would say measured, in their assessment of Albania's progress. I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate them on that. When we look at the situation and the fact that Albania has been under... 22/01/2024 | 17:18:05 Dear Madam Dunja MIJATOVIĆ, On behalf of the liberals are also in my personal capacity, I want to thank you for your incredible commitment, dedication, work and grace that you brought to this position. We live in interesting times of course as a curse, you as a Commissioner served in very interesting times, challenging times. I want to give you an opportunity, I wish to give you an opportunity to reflect for a second. Perhaps, if you had a chance to choose one thing that you would wish to be...