16/10/2026 European Conference of Presidents of Parliament
Parliaments must “stand resolute as the guardians of shared values” against a backdrop of war and profound and rapid transformation on the international scene, Speakers of Parliament from across Europe have pledged, adding: “And in so doing, we continue to stand with Ukraine.”
A set of conclusions prepared by the Chairs and presented to participants at the end of the two-day European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Rome noted that the three themes of the conference formed a series of interconnected challenges: “Hybrid threats put to the test the resilience of democratic institutions, artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of work, and the rules-based international order is under pressure.”
“The common dimension is that these phenomena directly affect our societies, rights and democracies – and parliaments must stand resolute as the guardians of our shared values: human rights, democracy and the rules of law. In so doing, we continue to stand with Ukraine,” the conclusions said.
Some 70 Speakers or Deputy Speakers and around 500 delegates attended the conference, organised by PACE and hosted by the Italian Parliament, as well as the heads of a number of inter-parliamentary assemblies.
Countering hybrid threats
On the first of the three conference themes, participants agreed that “democratic resilience requires international solidarity”. Parliaments should adopt laws to counter evolving hybrid threats while upholding fundamental freedoms, put in place clear and firm regulations on social media, protect the integrity of elections and provide reliable real-time information to counter foreign information manipulation. “Democratic resilience is not only a question of laws: it is forged every day in our schools, workplaces and societies.”
Artificial intelligence and the labour market
On the second conference theme, participants said “people and their dignity must always remain at the centre of all transformations”. They called for lifelong learning and re-skilling, AI literacy for young Europeans, social dialogue, and fair sharing of AI-driven productivity to avoid deepening inequality. “Our ambition and promise to ourselves is to be a society capable of putting AI at the service of our citizens, improving the quality of life for all.”
Renewing the rules-based international order
On the third conference theme, participants agreed their parliaments must defend the rules-based international order through scrutiny, legislation, treaty ratification and implementing international court judgments. At the same time, they called for the development of norms in areas such as environmental protection and foreign interference. They pledged to support the UN system, apply international rules consistently, and uphold Ukraine’s right to a just and lasting peace.
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.