30/01/2026 Session
Addresses by Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan were among highlights of the winter plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which took place in Strasbourg from 26 to 30 January 2026.
There were urgent debates on "Threats against the international order: the case of Greenland", on "Political crisis in the broader Middle East: the need to protect human rights and the rights of all minority groups" and on the “65th anniversary of the European Social Charter”.
There were current affairs debates on “Safeguarding the system of international justice”, with the participation of German Justice Minister Stephanie Hubig, and on “Ensuring accountability, humanitarian protection and respect for international law in Gaza and the West Bank after the ceasefire”.
A ceremony was held to mark the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust.
Other debates were held on the commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine and the security of the European continent; on the need for a ban on conversion practices; and on elections in times of crisis. The Assembly also adopted its opinion on a new protocol to the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine concerning the involuntary placement and treatment of persons in mental health care.
The Assembly also held a farewell ceremony for its outgoing President and elected its new President. Mihai Popşoi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, also presented the traditional communication from the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers and answered questions from parliamentarians. The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, addressed the parliamentarians and took questions.
On the agenda were debates on the honouring of obligations and commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina, on post-monitoring dialogue with North Macedonia, on developments in the Assembly's monitoring procedure, and on the observation of the early parliamentary elections in the Kyrgyz Republic. Finally, the parliamentarians discussed strengthening democracies with young people, socialising at schools, and inclusive and participatory education.
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Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93, [email protected]