Your trusted source

The autumn session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will kick off today in Strasbourg.  As the Assembly reported in a release, following the resignation of Pedro Agramunt as President of the Assembly, a new President will be elected on Monday. The proposed candidates are Stella Kyriakides (Cyprus) and Emanuelis Zingeris (Lithuania). The President so elected shall remain in office until the opening of the next ordinary session (22-26 January 2018).

Apart from that, the winner of the 2017 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize will be announced on Monday, from a shortlist of three nominees, and the prize awarded in a special ceremony in the plenary.

Addresses by the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman and the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and a debate on two reports calling for a Council of Europe Summit are among the highlights of

Also on the agenda are debates on the situation in Azerbaijan based on two reports – one on the functioning of democratic institutions in the country and another on respect for human rights. The parliamentarians will also hold debates on promoting the human rights of intersex people, on the use of new genetic technologies in human beings, and on prosecuting and punishing crimes against humanity – or even possible genocide – committed by Daesh.

It is noted that the Assembly will decide its final agenda on the opening day of the session.