21/11/2025 Standing Committee | President
At the opening of a meeting of the Assembly’s Standing Committee in Chisinau PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos pledged the Assembly’s support for the priorities of the new Republic of Moldova Presidency, which began earlier this month, declaring they were “perfectly consistent” with the Assembly’s own priorities. The Standing Committee – made up of around 60 of the Assembly’s leading parliamentarians – traditionally meets in the capital of the country holding the Presidency.
In his opening address, the President also again underlined the Council of Europe’s ongoing support for Ukraine, and defended the European Convention on Human Rights against recent populist attacks. Hasty attempts to modify the Convention for the sake of short-term political gain “will only further weaken our institutions, encourage populists and, ultimately, reduce protection that our citizens need perhaps more than ever,” he said.
He added: “The beauty of Convention is that it can indeed be changed to adapt to the evolving environment in which it operates, and this was envisaged by its authors 75 years ago. But if changes are ever needed, they must be discussed calmly, thoroughly and democratically – never under the pressure of populism.”