Events

A debate on the decision-making process of the Assembly concerning credentials and voting will be a highlight of the Summer session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).

During the session, which marks the 70th anniversary of the Council of Europe, PACE will elect a new Secretary General of the Organisation. On 24 June, Amélie de Montchalin, French Minister of State for European Affairs, will present the Communication from the Committee of Ministers, and on 26 June, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal, will address the Assembly.

Items on the agenda include a debate on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination and the rule of law in Malta; a joint debate on ending violence against women and achieving gender equality; ending violence against children, with a statement by United Nations Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children Maud de Boer-Buquicchio; and ending coercion in mental health.

The Assembly will also discuss the situation in Syria, post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria, the murder of Boris Nemtsov, and pushback action by member States, as well as the budget of the Council of Europe and PACE. A free debate is also on the agenda.

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Following the decision taken on 6 May by the Turkish Supreme Election Council to cancel the 31 March election of the Mayor of Istanbul, a delegation from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities will observe the re-run of the mayoral election on 23 June 2019, at the invitation of the Turkish authorities.

Prior to the Election Day, the delegation will hold meetings in Ankara and Istanbul with members of the Supreme Election Council of Turkey (YSK) and the Istanbul Province Election Board, representatives of the diplomatic corps, NGOs and the media. Exchanges are also planned with candidates running in the election and with party representatives. On 23 June, the Congress delegation will be deployed to polling stations in Istanbul to observe the voting process.

The preliminary conclusions will be presented by the Head of the delegation at a press conference on 24 June at 11 am (local time), in Istanbul, Hotel Dedeman, Room Esen.

The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body (GRECO) will publish its annual report reviewing 49 countries’ action against corruption in 2018, notably with respect to the measures to tackle corruption in respect of MPs, judges and prosecutors, as well as its most recent evaluation round addressing corruption prevention with regard to central governments and law enforcement agencies. Marin Mrčela, President of GRECO, and Gianluca Esposito, GRECO’s secretary, will present the report at the Council of Europe office in Brussels (85 avenue des Nerviens) from 11 a.m.

Contact in Strasbourg: Jaime Rodriguez, tel. +33 3 90 21 47 04; Contact in Brussels: Andrew Cutting, tel. +32 485 21 72 02