29/11/2024 Standing Committee
The Assembly’s Standing Committee opened in Luxembourg this morning with a welcome address from the Speaker of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies, an address by Luxembourg’s Defence, Mobility and Public Works, and Gender Equality and Diversity Minister, and a review by the PACE President of the Assembly’s achievements and milestones during his first year in office.
The Speaker of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler, in a welcome address, described the Council of Europe as a pillar of stability, unity and peace on the continent. Its role was all the more important in a world increasingly shaken by crises, he pointed out, warning of the serious threat to democracy: “I was born at a time when democracy was considered normal. It was unimaginable then that one day our countries could be in danger, for today that is no longer the case – democracy is under attack on all fronts. And if we do not defend it daily, we will have problems in the future.”
Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg’s Minister of Defence and Minister for Mobility and Public Works and for Gender Equality and Diversity, spoke about Luxembourg’s efforts to place “living together” at the heart of its six-month Council of Europe Presidency: “To counter the democratic backsliding and the growing threats to Europe, it is above all this concept of ‘living together’ which I value especially, to encourage mutual respect and understanding in our plural societies.”
PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos, for his part, reviewed the achievements of the first year of his Presidency, highlighting the Assembly’s steadfast support for Ukraine, progress towards the goals of the Reyjkjavik Declaration, engagement with Russian and Belarusian democratic forces, and its work on AI and human rights, among other achievements. The President also spoke about his work to communicate clearly and promote the Assembly’s work, including his new series of “Round table with the President” vodcasts, contributing to a jump in media coverage in the last year.
The President also issued a call for candidates for the second edition of the 60,000-euro annual Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, with nominations opening today, and announced the creation of a new 5,000-euro quarterly prize, the “Human Rights in Motion Award”, to reward documentary films which promote human rights and democratic values.
The Standing Committee, which acts on the Assembly’s behalf between plenary sessions, also held current affairs debates on the intensification of repression in Azerbaijan and on foreign interference as a threat to democracy, as well as discussing its observation of recent elections in the Republic of Moldova and in Bulgaria. It issued a statement on the situation in Georgia and held an exchange of views with Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset.