06/10/2026 European Conference of Presidents of Parliament
Threats against democracy, the challenge of AI and what parliaments can do to renew the rules-based international order will be the three headline themes at a summit of Speakers and Presidents of Parliament from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe and beyond which takes place in Rome on 15-16 October 2026, fifty years after the event was first held in the city.
Around 70 Speakers or Deputy Speakers and around 500 delegates are expected at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament, which is held every two years under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The conference is hosted this year by the Italian Parliament, which first hosted the event in Rome in 1975.
Speakers from the parliaments of several Council of Europe partner, observer and neighbouring countries will also attend, as well as the heads of several interparliamentary assemblies.
An opening ceremony at 10.30 a.m. on Thursday 15 October sees welcome addresses by the Presidents of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Lorenzo Fontana and the Italian Senate Ignazio La Russa, as well as PACE President Petra Bayr and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani (to be confirmed).
This will be followed by separate debates on the three themes, each introduced with keynote addresses from three national Speakers:
Ahead of the opening, there will be a working breakfast for women Presidents of Parliament attending the conference, on the theme “From backlash to breakthrough: women acting united for their rights” (closed to media). The Secretaries General of participating parliaments will also hold a working meeting on the sidelines of the event.
The first European Conference of Presidents of Parliament was held in 1975. It takes place in principle every two years, hosted alternately in Strasbourg and in the capital of a Council of Europe member state. The most recent conferences took place in Strasbourg (2025), Dublin (2023) and Athens (2021).
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Practical information for media
The conference takes place at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in the main hall of the Palazzo Montecitorio, on Thursday 15 October (10h30-18h30 CET) and Friday 16 October (10h15-12h30).
Social media hashtag #SpeakersSpeak2026.
Livestream:
The proceedings will be live-streamed via the WebTV of the Italian Chamber of Deputies in English, French, Italian, German and original languages.
Accreditation:
Media wishing to attend in person should request accreditation via this page (further information from [email protected], telephone +39 06 6760 9033). Accredited media and crews will be able to use the entrance at Via della Missione 4 from 8.30 a.m to 9.30 a.m. on both days of the conference.
Official parliament camera operators, photographers or press persons accompanying Speakers are invited to register via their parliamentary delegation.
Filming and photos, and other facilities for media:
Video recording and photography are not permitted outside the designated areas.
In the chamber, where the working sessions will take place, Galleries D and E will be reserved for camera crews and photographers. Both are equipped with audio feeds. Gallery F will be reserved for journalists.
An interview area will be set up in the Presidents Gallery, on the first floor of Palazzo Montecitorio. Journalists will have access to a dedicated press room in the Sala Rossa, which can be reached from the same gallery. Accredited journalists and media crews will be escorted to the relevant rooms by staff.
A selection of photographs from the conference, as well as the family photo, will be available on both conference sites.
For bilateral meetings, individual parliamentary delegations may accredit their own photographers and camera crews. No other photographic coverage of these meetings will be available.
Copies of speeches may be obtained directly from the parliamentary delegation concerned. The verbatim of what is said will appear on this page on the Monday after the conference.
Contacts:
PACE Communication Division: [email protected], tel. +33 6 30 49 68 20
Italian Parliament: [email protected], tel. +39 06 6760 9033