PACE elected its new President at its summer session in Strasbourg (25-29 June 2018). VIPs addressing members included the Croatian and Slovak Prime Ministers as well as the Luxembourg Foreign Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, presented the communication from the Committee of Ministers. An exchange of views with the organisation's Secretary General was also scheduled.

Among the items on the agenda was the protection of human rights defenders as well as new restrictions on NGO activities in member states.

The Assembly discussed the humanitarian situation of refugees in the countries neighbouring Syria and held a joint debate on the extra-territorial processing of asylum claims and the creation of safe refugee shelters abroad as well as the human rights impact of the external dimension of EU asylum and migration policy, with the participation of Dimitrios Vitsas, Minister of Immigration Policy of Greece.

Forced marriage in Europe and the balance between the best interest of the child and the need to keep families together were also scheduled for debate.

Also on the agenda were the persecution of LGBTI people in the Chechen Republic, the deliberate destruction and illegal trafficking of cultural heritage, and women in the economy.

An urgent debate was been requested on "Threats to the health and life of Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea".