In his opening address at the Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Assembly President Jean-Claude Mignon took stock of his action over the past twelve months. Having been re-elected for a new one-year term, he also presented the priorities for his presidency.
"I shall naturally endeavour to continue into 2013 the action we initiated in 2012. I shall strive in particular to ensure that the co-operation with the European Union is as pragmatic as possible." Frozen conflicts are another key priority: "While we cannot replace intergovernmental diplomacy, we can, and this is the essence of parliamentary diplomacy, facilitate dialogue, encourage discussions between the elected representatives of European States involved in conflict, without the preconditions which are often used as a pretext for refusing dialogue" he said.
He went on to add: "Furthermore, I would like to underline the importance of our action in our Member States in order to support them and help find solutions to situations of tension and internal conflict."
