1. Focus of the session
2. Speeches by DCE members
3. Special sessions, fringe events and meetings
1. Focus of the session
Ukraine
The situation in Ukraine was again the focus of discussions at the PACE session. In an urgent debate on 'The situation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, forcibly displaced or transferred to the Russian Federation or Ukrainian territories under the de facto control of the Russian Federation', the Assembly heard from Ukraine's First Lady
Olena Zelenska, who joined by video link.
In a
resolution based on a report by
Paulo Pisco (Portugal, SOC), PACE called for the safe return of Ukrainian children who were deported to Russia or Russian-occupied territories. The Assembly welcomed the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants against the Russian President and the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights. The relevant Committee had already held an exchange in January with the Director of the Center for Civil Liberties of Ukraine, Oleksandra Matviichuk.
There was also a
current affairs debate on 'Russia's role in escalating tensions in the Republic of Moldova'.
#RoadToReykjavik
On 16 and 17 May 2023, a summit of Council of Europe heads of state will be held in the Icelandic capital for the first time since 2005. Switzerland will be represented at this summit by President Alain Berset. The President of the DCE, National Council member Damien Cottier (FDP, NE), will be part of the official delegation. The Assembly held a current affairs debate on the summit on Tuesday 25 April, during which parliamentarians heard a statement
by Síofra O'Leary, President of the European Court of Human Rights, and also an address by Icelandic Foreign Minister
Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir. One of the Assembly's main concerns at present is the question of setting up a special tribunal for the crime of aggression, which it had unanimously demanded at the winter session. The Reykjavik summit would be an appropriate opportunity for participating heads of state and government to issue a clear statement in favour of this. Iceland's President
Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, addressing the Assembly as part of his country's Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, concluded his
speech with the words, "In three weeks or so, European heads of state and government will gather in Iceland at the Council of Europe's fourth summit since its establishment. Let us hope that it will be a fruitful gathering, to the benefit of the peoples of Europe. What I know for certain is the established truth: while the Council of Europe may not be the centre of power on this continent, it can and should remain its conscience".
Political strategies to prevent, prepare for, and face the consequences of natural disasters
In the wake of the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the Assembly called on its member states in a
resolution to provide more support to the authorities of Turkey and Syria. The Assembly made a general call to better prepare for natural disasters and extreme events and to take measures to mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. The right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment was also discussed. Regarding disaster management, the Assembly called for better allocation of funds, more resilient institutions, stronger decentralised solutions and efforts to combat corruption.
The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons issued a
statement urging member states to facilitate the issuance of emergency visas to the populations affected by the earthquakes who may wish to be reunited temporarily with their loved ones. In this context, the Committee also specifically welcomed the initiative of the Swiss authorities.
The PACE website contains the speeches by
Sibel Arslan (Greens, BS) and
Jean-Pierre Fridez (SP, JU) in response to the resolution.
2. Speeches by DCE members
European Convention on Human Rights and national constitutions, and implementation of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights
In two draft resolutions, PACE addressed the member states' relationship to the
European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the
European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The fact that the latter's position in relation to national constitutions is repeatedly questioned in some member states poses significant challenges for the Council of Europe. The Assembly explored the question of how to address these tensions. In the discussion, the fact that some states do not fulfil their obligations to implement ECtHR judgments was again raised. In his role as Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights,
Damien Cottier described the ECHR as the backbone of the Council of Europe and in fact its
raison d'être.
In two resolutions, based on reports by
George Katrougalos (Greece, UEL) and
Constantinos Efstathiou (Cyprus, SOC), PACE called on its member states, and others, to abide by and take all necessary steps to implement, swiftly, the final judgments of the ECtHR and to refrain from taking any steps that could exacerbate any potential conflict between the national constitutional order and the ECtHR.
Assessing the functioning of the partnership for democracy
The PACE website contains the speeches of
Jean-Pierre Grin (SVP, VD) who spoke on the "Partnership for Democracy" programme.
3. Special sessions, fringe events and meetings
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy held a joint hearing on 'Ensuring accountability for the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine: the role of the Council of Europe'.
Damien Cottier led the hearing together with the Chairperson of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
Zsolt Németh (Hungary). This hearing follows previous work by the Council of Europe on the possible establishment of a register of damage to record and document claims for compensation as a result of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.
The Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media held a public hearing on whether to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media and the Monitoring Committee held a joint hearing on the ongoing persecution of journalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. The meeting was led by the chairpersons of these three committees
(Damien Cottier,
Yevheniia Kravchuk and
Piero Fassino respectively).
List of hearings (some with video recordings):
here
In his capacity as Rapporteur on illegal pushbacks on land and sea (Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons),
Pierre-Alain Fridez made a
statement on 27 April on a change in the law in the Republic of Lithuania. The Lithuanian Parliament recently approved an amendment to its border control law which aims, among other things, to legalise pushbacks at the Lithuanian border with Belarus. Pierre-Alain Fridez expressed his fears that this will make it very challenging to ensure effective access to fair and individualised procedures. He pointed out to the Lithuanian Parliament that "legalising pushbacks does not mean such practices are lawful by international and ECHR standards".
PACE President
Tiny Kox and the leaders of the PACE political groups expressed their solidarity with Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison and whose wife, Evgenia Kara-Murza, was present at the event. Mr Kox then also criticised the detention of Belarusian activists
Ales Bialiatski and
Maria Kalesnikava. All three are winners of the Council of Europe's Václav Havel Human Rights Prize. On behalf of PACE, the President expressed his support for the persecuted opposition leaders in Russia and Belarus.