At the start of the meeting, the Chair, on behalf of the Committee of Ministers, expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the terrorist attack which took place in Saint Petersburg on 3 April and assured the Russian authorities of the Committee's support. The Ministers' Deputies then held a minute of silence in memory of the victims.

The Deputies held an exchange of views on the abolition of the death penalty, on the basis of the Secretary General’s document “Policy of the Council of Europe in relation to the Death Penalty and Challenges and Policy Options”. They then proceeded to their six-monthly review of the overall situation regarding the death penalty.

The Deputies also held exchanges of views with:

• Mr Jyrki Katainen, Vice-President of the European Commission, on the Commission’s White Paper on the Future of Europe; and
• Ms Siobhán Mullally, President of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), following her presentation of GRETA's 6th general activity report.

The other items examined by the Deputies appear in the Agenda and the decisions adopted are available in the meeting file.