1. Focus of session
2. Reports by DCE members
3. Points of interest for the DCE
4. Other speeches by DCE members
1. Focus of session
Combating violence against women: joint debate
Conflict-related sexual violence is described in the Rome Statute as a crime against humanity[1] and a war crime[2] that is systematically employed as a tactic of war. In its
resolution on conflict-related sexual violence, PACE condemns such acts in the strongest possible terms.
©Council of Europe
An effective effort to fight conflict-related sexual violence requires coherent international measures, national policies on protecting victims, consistent prosecution of offenders and a reparations and rehabilitation programme to aid victims. The Assembly called on its members to ratify the
Istanbul Convention in order to advance the prevention of sexual violence. Remarks by Jean-Pierre Grin (SVP/VD) can be found on the
PACE website.
Gender-based violence is a widespread and complex problem impacting all member states of the Council of Europe, Switzerland included. In light of this, the winter session featured a debate on combating gender-based violence and inequality where three resolutions were discussed:
Challenges and progress on the Istanbul Convention,
Finding solutions to end marital captivity and
How men and boys can be ‘agents of change’ in confronting gender-based violence.
Remarks by Jean-Pierre Grin (SVP/VD) and Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS) on the three resolutions under discussion appear on the
PACE website.
Fourth summit meeting of heads of state and government in Reykjavik
Heads of state and government from the 46 Council of Europe members states will meet in Reykjavik on 16 and 17 May for the Iceland-led Reykjavik Summit. Summit meetings have only been held three times before, most recently in 2005. The meeting is meant to provide the organisation with a new strategic direction in the wake of Russia’s expulsion in March 2022. The summit aims to strengthen and support shared democratic values in Europe.
In its resolution, PACE calls on the heads of state and government at the Reykjavik Summit to focus on the following points:
- Giving the Council of Europe more political influence. The Summit should give a clear political signal to modernise the Council of Europe’s working methods.
- Reaffirming member states’ commitment to rules-based multilateralism as the core of the international order.
- Member states condemning the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine as a serious violation of international law and a threat to world peace and international security.
- Member states supporting the initiative to establish an ad-hoc international criminal court to investigate and prosecute the crimes of the Russian war of aggression.
PACE’s recommendations on the main points for the summit agenda are contained in
The Reykjavik Summit of the Council of Europe: United around values in the face of extraordinary challenges. Remarks by Damien Cottier (FDP/NE) can also be found on the
PACE website.
Emergency debate on legal and human rights aspects of the war in Ukraine
In its resolution,
Legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine, PACE unanimously demanded that a special international criminal tribunal be set up in The Hague to prosecute the Russian and Belarusian political and military leaders who ‘planned, prepared, initiated or executed’ Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Center for Civil Liberties, delivered a speech during this debate that was one of the highlights of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Winter Plenary Session.
Damien Cottier delivering his opening remarks at the emergency debate holding a copy of the 1864 Geneva Convention. © Council of Europe
You can find Damien Cottier’s (FDP/NE) speech on the subject on the
PACE website.
2. Reports by DCE members
Monitoring Committee report on the Republic of Moldova
The Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee) helps Council of Europe member states to fulfil their promises to uphold the highest democratic and human rights standards. Monitoring processes are currently underway for ten states (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine). The monitoring procedure involves regular visits by PACE rapporteurs, who conduct an ongoing dialogue with the authorities, as well as attending plenary debates to ensure that a state's progress and problems are honestly assessed.
Pierre-Alain Fridez delivering his opening remarks on the monitoring report on the Republic of Moldova. © Council of Europe
On Thursday afternoon, PACE discussed
The honouring of obligations and commitments by the Republic of Moldova, a report that Pierre-Alain Fridez (SP/JU) worked on as co-rapporteur. PACE welcomed the Republic of Moldova’s far-reaching reforms, notably in the judiciary and the fight against corruption. PACE also noted that Moldova faced numerous challenges, including the humanitarian crisis resulting from the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and high inflation rates.
Pierre-Alain Fridez’s speech can be found on the
PACE website.
Report on lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS)
On Friday PACE discussed the possibility of international regulation on the development and use of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS) and how to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and human rights. The resolution was based on a report by Damien Cottier (FDP/NE), president of the delegation.
Pierre-Alain Fridez delivering his opening remarks on the monitoring report on the Republic of Moldova. © Council of Europe
Under this
proposal, LAWS operating completely outside human control and without a responsible chain of command should continue to be banned under international law, as they are at present. For other lethal weapons systems that have a certain scale and degree of autonomy, PACE backed plans for international regulation to ensure appropriate human control, maintaining human responsibility and the obligation of accountability, as well as a series of measures to mitigate the risks.
You can find the speech by Damien Cottier (FDP/NE) on the
PACE website.
3. Points of interest for the DCE
PACE vice presidency
The Assembly elected its 19 vice presidents at the opening of its January session. Due to the vice presidency rules of rotation, Switzerland is generally entitled to a vice presidency for two years out of every five, which means the Swiss delegation is entitled to a Parliamentary Assembly vice president position in 2023 and 2024.
Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS) was elected for the 2023 vice presidency.
On 25 January 2023 Sibel Arslan exercised her role as PACE chair for the first time during the current events debate on recent tensions between Pristina and Belgrade. © Council of Europe
Visit to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)
Some members of the Swiss Delegation to the Council of Europe visited the ECHR as part of the winter session. Their visit provided an opportunity to gain a deeper insight into the workings of the court. Delegation members were also able to meet with Andreas Zünd, a Swiss judge at the ECHR.
From left: Marija Stosic (delegation secretary), Roland Büchel (SVP/SG), Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS), Andreas Zünd (ECHR judge), Anna Lea Gnägi (delegation secretary), Damien Cottier (FDP/NE), Daniel Rietiker (Swiss lawyer, ECHR), Nick Gugger (EVP/ZH), Alfred Heer (SVP/ZH).
4. Other speeches by DCE members
IS fighters returning to Europe
Since armed hostilities broke out in Syria in 2011, thousands of foreign fighters have joined the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, in some cases together with their families. A considerable number of them are EU citizens. PACE discussed how to handle the return of these fighters with reference to the report,
Addressing the issue of Daesh foreign fighters and their families returning from Syria and other countries to the member States of the Council of Europe.
The Assembly finds that an international tribunal would be the ‘best solution’ for prosecuting foreign IS fighters, given the international nature of their crimes (including genocide).
Remarks on this topic by Pierre-Alain Fridez (SP/JU) and Damien Cottier (FDP/NE) can be found on the
PACE website.
The environmental impact of armed conflicts
Environmental damage resulting from armed conflicts can be severe and long-lasting, and it is often also irreversible. Wars thus not only harm natural habitats and ecosystems but can also seriously affect human health well beyond the conflict area. This in turn undermines human rights to life and to a healthy environment. The
Environmental impact of armed conflicts resolution advocates for introducing ‘ecocide’, the severe destruction or deterioration of nature, into national and international legislation. PACE explicitly supports efforts to add ecocide to the International Criminal Court (ICC) statute as a new crime.
Remarks on this topic by Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS) and Jean-Pierre Grin (SVP/VD) can be found on the
PACE website.
Current affairs debate: Lachin corridor
The Lachin corridor is a strip of territory approximately 5 km wide which connects the Armenian border over 65 km to the territory called Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh by Armenia and Karabakh by Azerbaijan. It is a strategically important place in the region. On 12 December 2022, Azerbaijani forces began blockading this corridor. The blockade is located in an area controlled by peacekeepers from the Russian armed forces.
Pierre-Alain Fridez (SP/JU) gave a speech on the humanitarian consequences of this blockade, which can be found on the
PACE website along with a related
press release.
Open Council of Europe Academic Networks (OCEAN)
PACE issued a resolution calling for the establishment of
Open Council of Europe Academic Networks (OCEAN). The resolution emphasises the essential role of universities and research institutions in upholding the values of the Council of Europe and anchoring them in society. The OCEAN initiative aims to strengthen cooperation between the organisation and universities and research institutions. It particularly praised the work of the Academic Network on the European Social Charter and Social Rights (ANESC), set up in 2019, and the work of the Italian Universities Network against Gender Violence (UNIRE), set up in 2021 and funded by the Italian government. PACE’s resolution calls on member states to implement the initiative nationally and to create their own thematic networks.
Remarks on this topic by Sibel Arslan (Greens/BS) are available on the
PACE website.
[1] Article 7 of the Rome Statute:
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 1998 (un.org)
[2] Article 8 of the Rome Statute:
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 1998 (un.org)