Athens, 14 October 2021

European Conference of Presidents of Parliament of Council of Europe member states to be held in Athens

The Presidents and Speakers of Parliament of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, as well as of states with observer and partner for democracy status and of Parliamentary Assemblies of International Organisations, will meet on the 21st and 22nd of October 2021 in Athens, in the framework of the Conference organised jointly by the Hellenic Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). 

The President of the Hellenic Parliament Constantine Tassoulas, the President of the PACE Rik Daems and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić will open the Conference on Thursday 21 October.

About 50 Presidents/Speakers and 300 representatives are expected to participate in order to discuss three important current issues:

• Democracies facing the Covid-19 public health crisis: sharing experiences

Keynote speeches by the President of the Romanian Senate Ana Dana Dragu, the Speaker of the Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvieyenko and the President of the National Council of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka.

• #EnvironmentRightNow: national parliaments and the right to a healthy and sustainable environment

Keynote speeches by the Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia Kakha Kuchava, the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland Anu Vehviläinen and the Member of the Advisory Council on Youth Spyros Papadatos.

• The common future of all European citizens

Keynote speeches by the President of the Belgian Senate Stephanie D’Hose, the President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Annita Demetriou and the President of the National Assembly of Slovenia Igor Zorčič.

In parallel, the Meeting of the Secretaries General of Parliament of the participating Parliaments and Parliamentary Assemblies will take place on Friday 22 October, chaired by the Secretary General of the Hellenic Parliament George Mylonakis and the Secretary General of the PACE Despina Chatzivassiliou. The items on the agenda will be:

- Parliaments after the pandemic

- The European Centre for Parliamentary Research and Documentation (ECPRD) activity report

- ECPRD priorities and programme for 2022-2023

Lastly, bilateral meetings will be held between participating Presidents/Speakers, while participants will also be guided around the anniversary exhibition for the 200 years since the Greek Revolution held at the Hellenic Parliament and around the modern art exhibition at the former Public Tobacco Factory, a Hellenic Parliament building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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