Athens, 17 June 2022

Summer Session of Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE)

The Hellenic Parliament delegation, headed by Mrs Dora Bakoyannis, and MPs Theodoros Roussopoulos, Dimitrios Kairidis, Georgios Katrougalos, Nina Kasimati, Georgios Papandreou, Fotini Pipili, Anastasios Hadjivassiliou, Sokratis Famellos and Alexandros Triantafyllidis will participate in the PACE Summer Session which takes place in Strasbourg from 20-24 June 2022.

The President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and the King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander will address the Plenary on Wednesday June 22, and on June 23, respectively.

In line with the usual practice, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović-Burić, will deliver a speech, while the Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney, representing the Irish Chairmanship of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers, will brief the Assembly on the priorities of his country's Presidency.

Topics to be discussed in the framework of the Session include a report on recent security challenges in Europe and the role of the Council of Europe, followed by a high-level panel and interactive discussion on "Uupholding Democratic Security in Europe" with the participation of Mr Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ireland and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Mr Pekka Haavisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Mrs Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary General of the Council of Europe and Mrs Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the major opposition in Belarus.

A joint debate will take place on reported cases of political prisoners in the Russian Federation, and the need to restore human rights and the rule of law in the North Caucasus.

Other topics to be debated include reports on :

- Humanitarian consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, with a special focus on internal and external migration,

- Protection and alternative care for unaccompanied and separated children of immigrants and refugees

- Justice and security for women in peace reconciliation.

 

Discussions will be held on the following topics as well:

-The role of political parties in fostering diversity and inclusion: a new Charter for a non-racist society

- Control of on-line communication: a threat to media pluralism, freedom of information and human dignity

- Preventing and combating anti-Semitism in Europe

- Ensuring accountability for the downing of flight MH17

- Fighting vaccine-preventable diseases through quality services and anti-vaccine myth-busting

Finally, the Assembly will debate observation results of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia (3/4/2022), Malta’s honouring of its Council of Europe membership obligations, and review its partnership for democracy with the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic.

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