The Assembly was instrumental in introducing institutionalised parliamentary observation of elections in Europe. Its first initiative was monitoring the electoral process of a state in 1974 in the context of the return of Greece to the Council of Europe. Founded on 5 May 1949 by ten states, in 1989 the Organisation had 23 members. Since … Read more
PACE offers ‘self-service’ video clip tool With the aim of promoting parliamentary debate on social media, the Assembly offers an online tool which allows video clips from PACE plenary sessions to be swiftly edited, downloaded and posted on social media or the web. The “self-service” tool enables to download extracts from member and guests speeches … Read more
Partners for democracy By its Resolution 1680 (2009) the Assembly decided to establish a “partner for democracy” status. This status aims at developing co-operation with parliaments of non-member States of neighbouring regions as a means of consolidating democratic transformations and promoting stability, good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The national … Read more
Legal Affairs and Human Rights News Sharia versus the Convention on Human Rights: protect human rights regardless of religious practices 14/12/2018 Legal Affairs and Human Rights The committee is greatly concerned that Sharia law, including provisions clearly contrary to the European Convention on Human Rights, is applied officially or unofficially in several Council of Europe … Read more
Committee meetings Although committees deal in particular with reports, they have great freedom to discuss any matter within their competence when they agree to do so. They organise hearings, colloquies or conferences on particular subjects, the findings of which can then be used for the preparation of reports to the Assembly. Sessions and sittings … Read more
The parliamentarians who make up PACE come from the national parliaments of the Organisation’s 47 member states. They meet four times a year to discuss topical issues and ask European governments to take initiatives and report back. These parliamentarians speak for the 800 million Europeans who elected them. They broach the issues of their choice, … Read more
Composition and working methods of committees Committees are composed of representatives or substitutes of the Assembly. All committees (with the exception of the Committee on the Honouring of obligations and commitments by member states, known as the Monitoring Committee and the Committee of Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs) have an equal … Read more
The Assembly has a framework for ensuring the transparency of its work and the accountability and integrity of its members, in place for many years. This was significantly improved in 2017 and is regularly updated, ensuring that members act in line with the highest ethical standards. The Code of Conduct spells out what is expected … Read more
How are judges of the European Court of Human Rights elected? The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe elects the judges of the European Court of Human Rights, providing them with democratic legitimacy. According to the European Convention on Human Rights, judges must “be of high moral character and possess the qualifications required for … Read more
Václav Havel Human Rights Prize 2018 awarded to Oyub Titiev Strasbourg, 08.10.2018 – The sixth Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – which honours outstanding civil society action in defence of human rights – has been awarded to the head of the Grozny office of the Memorial Human Rights Center in Chechyna, Oyub … Read more
Strasbourg, 22-26 June Speeches by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, and the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic are among the highlights of the PACE 2015 Summer Session (Strasbourg, 22-26 June). Debates on the agenda include consideration of the annulment of the previously ratified … 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
In today’s world, many men face challenges with erectile dysfunction (ED), a common condition that affects both physical and emotional well-being. Generic Cialis, a treatment based on the active ingredient Tadalafil, has emerged as a reliable and affordable solution for managing ED. Offering the same therapeutic effect as branded Cialis, generics provide long-lasting benefits at … 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
