Patrick Penninckx, Head of the Council of Europe Information Society Department, took part as a guest speaker in a meeting of the European Parliamentary Association on 14th September, 2023. He presented to MEPs from different political groups the current efforts of the Council of Europe to ensure that human rights are strengthened and not undermined by artificial intelligence. The speaker explained the mandate and activities of the Council of Europe Committee on Artificial Intelligence (CAI) and its cooperation with the EU and other partners. He further presented the outline of the Framework Convention, discussed AI applications which may interfere with the respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and proposed mitigation measures. The draft convention is scheduled for completion in March 2024.

The European Parliamentary Association includes over 100 MEPs, as well as a number of ambassadors and consuls to the Council of Europe and works to foster exchanges between the Parliament and the Council through various events, such as conferences, dinner debates, and breakfast meetings.