Council of Europe: Agenda, News and more

Bureau adopts draft Declaration on Türkiye; Congress to debate dismissal of mayors on 27 March

Meeting in Strasbourg on 24 March, ahead of the Congress’ 48th session, the Congress Bureau adopted a draft Declaration on dismissals of mayors in Türkiye and decided to include in the session’s agenda a debate under urgent procedure on this issue. Acting in the wake of the arrest and detention…

Congress strengthens its partnership with the Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities

On 24 March 2025, ahead of its 48th plenary session in Strasbourg, the Congress signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ukrainian Association of Amalgamated Territorial Communities (AATC) to increase co-operation, as well as jointly advocate and foster good democratic governance and local…

Council of Europe Secretary General’s Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine carried out her first visit to Ukraine

Following her nomination as Special Envoy of the Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine in February 2025, Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir engaged in her first fact-finding mission to Ukraine on 19-20 March 2025. “I am committed to making every possible…

Congress: Mayor İmamoğlu’s detention is an assault on democracy; he must be released

The President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Marc Cools, has made the following statement on behalf of the Congress: “We deplore the decision to place Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu in detention, and demand his immediate release. “Putting Mayor…

The Bureau of the Assembly calls for the immediate release of Ekrem İmamoğlu, Mayor of Istanbul

Meeting in Strasbourg today, the Bureau of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) made the following statement: “The Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly expresses its grave concern at the arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu from the Republican People’s Party (CHP), just…

Ukraine’s reconstruction, local and regional democracy in Georgia: highlights of the Congress’ session

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will hold its 48th session from 25 to 27 March 2025 in Strasbourg, France. The session will include the first-ever participation of a delegation of Belarusian democratic forces, following the Congress Bureau’s decision in…

PACE Spring Session

Urgent debates on “The situation in Georgia and follow up to Resolution 2585 (2025) ‘Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Georgia’”; on “The arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul and the state of democracy and human rights in Türkiye…

Special Tribunal for Ukraine: Secretary General welcomes completion of technical discussions

Commenting on the completion of the final meeting of the Core Group* on a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, Secretary General Alain Berset said: “I welcome the successful outcome of the Core Group’s meeting and the finalisation of the necessary technical legal…

Post-Election Analysis Conference: reflecting on Moldova’s electoral resilience and lessons learned

A Post-Election Analysis Conference was held in Chisinau on 18-19 March 2025 to evaluate Moldova’s presidential election and republican constitutional referendum from 20 October 2024. The…

Parliamentary Assembly President and key-note speakers share insights at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament

In a series of MediaBox interviews, the President of the Assembly and key-note speakers participating in the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament shared their views on the main topics discussed during the event. Watch the interviews on YouTube below: • Theodoros Rousopoulos, President…

“Being a Member of Parliament is one of the riskiest professions”, the Speaker of the House of Commons says

“It is shocking and heart breaking to think that being a Member of Parliament, representing a constituency’s interests, is one of the riskiest professions in the country”, today Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons said today addressing the European Conference of Speakers of…

Despina Chatzivassiliou: “Enhancing the efficiency of parliamentary information through AI has become one of our strategic priorities”

“Enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of parliamentary information through AI has become one of our strategic priorities. With nearly seven years of practical experience, we have directly observed both the considerable benefits and significant considerations inherent in the deployment of AI…

Lorenzo Fontana: ‘Parliamentary Assemblies must reaffirm the value of democratic confrontation and counter all forms of violence against politicians’

Speaking today at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments in Strasbourg, Lorenzo Fontana, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, spoke of the worrying phenomenon of violence against politicians “which has a serious impact on civil coexistence and the very resilience of…

European parliamentary summit: ‘Unity and solidarity are the strongest defense against intents to undermine democracy and peace’

“Our unity and solidarity are the strongest defense against malign foreign and domestic forces intent on undermining democracy and peace”, today said the PACE President, Theodoros Rousopoulos, presenting the conclusions of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament. “The Conference looks…

Slovenian Speaker calls for action against gender-based violence in politics

Addressing the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament on violence against politicians, Urška Klakočar Zupančič, President of the National Assembly of Slovenia, called for greater attention to the growing wave of hostility targeting elected officials, particularly women. “Verbal violence…

Kidawa-Błońska: “Freedom of speech is the foundation of our European identity”

Addressing the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament today in Strasbourg, Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Marshal of the Senate of Poland, called on European leaders to stand firmly in defense of freedom of expression. “We must actively fight for it,” she urged, warning that this fundamental…

Four Croatian municipalities receive European Label of Governance Excellence

On 19 March in Sibenik, four Croatian cities (Crikvenica, Ludbreg, Pazin and Vrgorac) were awarded the European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE) at an event to mark the opening of the Local Government Week conference organised by the Association of Cities of the Republic of Croatia. Opening…

Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir: ‘Safeguarding freedom of expression is crucial for the preservation of democracy and human dignity’

“In an era marked by digital transformation and rising societal divisions, safeguarding freedom of expression is crucial for the preservation of democracy and human dignity,” today said Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, addressing the European Conference of…

How the horror of Sharpeville lit a beacon of hope: marking the 60th anniversary of the International Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD)

Francesco Verducci (Italy, SOC), General Rapporteur on combating racism and intolerance made the following statement on the occasion of the International day for the elimination of racial discrimination (21 March): On this International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial…

Pedro Rollán: “Defending freedom of expression means defending our democracies and freedoms

“Freedom of expression is one of the main pillars on which our democracies and the future of our societies are based. Without freedom of expression, there may be something else, but not full democracies. Therefore, it is essential to protect it with all the means at our disposal”, today said…

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