The democratic conscience of Greater Europe The Assembly brings together 324 men and women from the parliaments of the Council of Europe’s 47 member states. Though it contains many voices, reflecting political opinion across the continent, its mission is to uphold the shared values of human rights, democracy and the rule of law that … Read more

  The Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, which aims to reward outstanding civil society action in the defence of human rights in Europe and beyond, was launched on 25 March 2013 at a ceremony in Prague (Czech Republic). To be awarded each year by the Assembly, in partnership with the Václav Havel Library and the … Read more

Most of the reports debated in plenary session or at the Standing Committee are prepared by a committee. The nine general committees of the Assembly are the following: Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy (AS/Pol) Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (AS/Jur) Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development (AS/Soc) Committee on Migration, … Read more

With the Terrorism: #NoHateNoFear initiative, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe wishes to encourage all players in society to stand firm against the terrorist threat by refusing to give in to hatred or fear. Certainly, terrorism must be combated, but this fight must be waged with due regard for the values which unite … Read more

Political Affairs and Democracy News New guidelines for fair referendums 11/12/2018 Political Affairs and Democracy Political Affairs Committee unanimously adopted a draft resolution aimed at updating the Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice on Referendums, following, in particular, the increasing use of referendums. More A PACE delegation at the UN ponders how to uphold common … Read more

The Bureau and the committees The Bureau The President, twenty Vice-Presidents, the Chairpersons of the political groups or their representatives as well as the Chairpersons of the general PACE Committees or their substitutes make up the Bureau of the Assembly. The big countries have a permanent seat in the Bureau; the smaller countries take turns. … Read more

Detail of decisions taken by the Committee at each meeting Détail des décisions prises par la Commission à chacune de ses réunions Date English Français 2016 25/01/2016 AS/SOC 001 AS/SOC 001 15/03/2016 AS/SOC 002 AS/SOC 002 17/03/2016 AS/SOC/CSE 001 AS/SOC/CSE 001 18/04/2016 AS/SOC 003 AS/SOC/003 02/06/2016 AS/SOC 004 AS/SOC/004 21/06/2016 AS/SOC 005 AS/SOC/005 08/07/2016 AS/SOC/PRIX … Read more

Detail of decisions taken by the Committee at each meeting Détail des décisions prises par la Commission à chacune de ses réunions Date English Français 2018 12/01/2018 AS/CDH 001 AS/CDH 001 24/01/2018 AS/CDH 002 AS/CDH 002 12/04/2018 AS/CDH 003 AS/CDH 003 15/06/2018 AS/CDH 004 AS/CDH 004 27/09/2018 AS/CDH 005 AS/CDH 005 2017 13/01/2017 AS/CDH 001 … Read more

When is it appropriate for government members, civil servants or parliamentarians to accept gifts? How often are judges offered bribes? When does legitimate lobbying cross the line into undue influence? What role can investigative journalists play in revealing corrupt practices? What should parliaments be doing to root out corruption? Corruption is theft. It also subverts … Read more

Diary Print version December 2018 Month January February March April May June July August September October November December Year 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 … Read more

Did you know? The Joint Committee is the organ of co-ordination of the Council of Europe. Secretariat – 6.229 – +33/3 88.41.2370 Reference texts Resolution (51) 30 C, Statute of the Council of Europe Functioning Terms of reference The functions of the Joint Committee are: to examine the problems which are common to the Committee … Read more

  Strasbourg, 30 September-4 October 2013   Strasbourg, 05.09.2013 – Addresses by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić and the Speaker of the Russian State Duma Sergey Naryshkin will be among highlights of PACE’s forthcoming autumn plenary session (30 September-4 October). Also on the agenda are debates on national security and access to … Read more

  Strasbourg, 8-12 October   At its autumn session in Strasbourg (8-12 October 2018), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) discussed the strengthening of its decision-making process concerning credentials and voting. The winner of the 2018 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize was announced on Monday 8 October, from a shortlist of three … Read more

  Anne Brasseur “I am proud to be the president of an Assembly which brings together 324 parliamentarians from 47 European countries, representing 820 million people. To benefit from this diversity, we must not only foster permanent dialogue and mutual respect but also make the effort to understand others, taking account of their backgrounds, their … Read more

Political groups In order to develop a non-national European outlook, the formation of political groups in the Parliamentary Assembly has been promoted and from 1964 onwards they were granted certain rights within the Rules of Procedure. At present the Assembly counts six political groups: the Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD); the Socialists, Democrats … Read more

  The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly was held in Vienna at the Austrian Parliament on Friday 22 November 2013 under the Austrian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. After the opening of the meeting by PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, the President of the Austrian National Council, Reinhard Todt, gave a … Read more

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  The PACE Standing Committee meets in Sarajevo on 22 May, ahead of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s six-month chairmanship of the Council of Europe. The parliamentarians will hold an exchange of views with Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak on his country’s priorities, and are also due to debate children’s rights, the criminalisation of irregular migrants and cultural … Read more

On this website you will find the texts adopted by the parliamentary assembly, its public working papers (“the Documents”) and the Assembly records. Adopted Texts The Assembly can adopt three different types of texts: recommendations, resolutions and opinions. Recommendations contain proposals addressed to the Committee of Ministers, the implementation of which is within the competence … Read more