The Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe – members of the Council for Democratic Elections – will hold a joint debate on the status and rights of domestic and international election observers and their operational environment, in Paris on 28-29 April 2026.
The objective is to highlight the role of impartial election observation as a cornerstone of safeguarding electoral integrity and strengthening public trust in democratic institutions. This event, which is a contribution towards the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe, will bring together – besides the three conveners – policy makers in charge of elections, electoral management bodies and relevant election-related institutions from the Council of Europe’s 46 member states, as well as representatives from OSCE/ODIHR, the European Parliament, the EEAS, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and NGOs involved in election observation.
As electoral environments grow increasingly complex, election observation becomes an essential component in responding to democratic backsliding. In this changing context, it is fundamental to reinforce the legitimacy of democratic processes by guaranteeing that election observation is not only allowed in every country but also effectively facilitated. Yet in many Council of Europe member States, international and domestic election observation faces a range of persistent and emerging challenges, both legal and practical.
Where legal frameworks are inadequate or lacking, election observers are left without sufficient guarantees regarding their status, rights and protection, hindering their ability to fulfil their role effectively. Recent election observation reports have noted other obstacles such as limited access to remote or politically sensitive areas, restrictions on accreditations and rights, new voting procedures and the use of digital tools.
These issues will be on the agenda of the joint debate, which will be opened on 28 April at 2.30 pm at the OECD site (2 rue André Pascal, 75016 Paris) by President of the Parliamentary Assembly Petra Bayr, Congress President Gunn Marit Helgesen and Venice Commission President Marta Cartabia. Three sessions that follow will focus on legal frameworks for election observation, security and operational challenges, and fostering co-operation for enhanced electoral integrity and public trust.
The opening and closing sessions are open to the media upon prior accreditation and will be live-streamed under these links for opening (28 Apil, 2.30 pm) and closing (29 April, 4.30 pm). To receive accreditation, journalists should confirm their attendance to Ms Laure Launaro ([email protected]) by 23 April 2026 by providing their first name, last name, media outlet, email address, a valid press card and an ID.
Contacts:
PACE Communication Division: Ms Nathalie Bargellini, Press Officer, [email protected]
Congress Communication Unit: +33 (0)3 88 41 38 90
Venice Commission: Ms Carmen Morte-Gomez ([email protected]); Ms Ioana Pastinaru ([email protected])
