A debate on the application by Kosovo* for membership of the Council of Europe, and vote on a draft opinion, will be a highlight of the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), taking place in Strasbourg on 15-19 April 2024.

There will also be a joint debate on “Alexei Navalny’s death and the need to counter Vladimir Putin’s totalitarian regime and its war on democracy”, and on “the arbitrary detention of Vladimir Kara-Murza and the systematic persecution of anti-war protestors in Russia and Belarus”, together with a third report proposing targeted sanctions against the individuals involved in Mr Kara-Murza’s detention, conviction and earlier poisoning.

The Assembly is also due to discuss support for the reconstruction of Ukraine, including a proposal to use frozen Russian state assets for this purpose, with the participation of the Chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.

An urgent debate concerning the “draft Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law” has been requested – the Assembly is due to give its statutory Opinion on this new Council of Europe draft treaty – as well as a current affairs debate on “the role of the Council of Europe in preventing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza”.

Personalities due to address the Assembly include HSH Hereditary Prince Alois von und zu Liechtenstein, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova Mihail Popşoi. Liechtenstein Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler will present the communication from the Committee of Ministers in the framework of Liechtenstein’s Presidency of the Council of Europe. Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinovic Burić will hold her usual question time.

Other debates foreseen include the freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI people in Europe, and a joint debate on “mainstreaming the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment” and on Council of Europe strategies for healthy seas and oceans.

The parliamentarians will also discuss the protection of children against online violence, and hold a joint debate on the relationship between the majority and the opposition in a democracy, and on good practice in referendums.

Finally, the Assembly will debate the honouring of obligations and commitments by Albania – including a proposal to end the full monitoring of this member state.

The Assembly will adopt its final agenda on the first day of the session.

* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.

Special session page

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Note to editors

Due to ongoing renovation work in the debating chamber of the Palais de l’Europe, the plenary sittings are held in the debating chamber of the European Parliament.

All committee activities and meetings, as well as all side events, will take place in the Palais de l’Europe premises, as will all media-related activities (press room, interviews, press briefings, MediaBox, etc.)

Practical information

Press accreditation: please fill in this accreditation form. More details here, or contact the Council of Europe Communications Directorate via [email protected].

Website: the agenda, documents, voting results, speakers lists, video recordings of each sitting (in English and in the original languages), as well as the verbatim record of each sitting (in English, French, German and Italian), are available on the special session page. News items on all debates appear on the Assembly’s home page.

Webcast: the session is webcast live (in French, English, German, Italian and Spanish) on PACE’s website. Each sitting is also streamed live via the Assembly’s YouTube channel in original languages, scrollable in mid-stream, and a recording made available immediately after it ends.

Video clips: an online tool allows video clips from plenary sessions to be swiftly edited and downloaded.

Social media: follow the Assembly’s official accounts via X (#PACEspring2024) and Facebook.

Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93, [email protected].

Monday 15 April 2024

Doc. 15960 (Report on credentials) Examination of credentials of representatives and substitutes Doc. 15959 (Progress report) Activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee (26 January – 15 April 2024) Doc. 15959 Add. 2 (Progress report) Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Doc. 15946 (Report) Relationship between the parliamentary majority and the opposition in a democracy Doc. 15940 (Report) Promoting the revised Code of Good Practice on Referendums

Tuesday 16 April 2024

Doc. 15938 (Communication) Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights List and curricula vitae of candidates submitted by the Government of Ireland Doc. 15959 Add. 2 (Progress report) Election of Judges to the European Court of Human Rights Doc. 15949 (Communication) Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights List and curricula vitae of candidates submitted by the Government of Latvia Doc. 15924 (Communication) Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights List and curricula vitae of candidates submitted by the Government of Liechtenstein Doc. 15932 (Report) Support for the reconstruction of Ukraine Doc. 15941 (Committee Opinion) Support for the reconstruction of Ukraine Doc. 15958 (Report) Application by Kosovo* for membership of the Council of Europe Doc. 15957 (Request for an opinion) Transmission by the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary Assembly for consultation of the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in accordance with Statutory Resolution (51) 30

Wednesday 17 April 2024

Doc. 15939 (Report) Sanctions against persons on the “Kara-Murza list” Doc. 15953 (Report) Freedom of expression and assembly of LGBTI people in Europe Doc. 15950 (Report) The honouring of obligations and commitments by Albania

Thursday 18 April 2024

Doc. 15955 (Report) Mainstreaming the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment with the Reykjavik process Doc. 15956 (Report) Towards Council of Europe strategies for healthy seas and oceans to counter the climate crisis Doc. 15951 (Request for an opinion) Draft Framework Convention on artificial intelligence, human rights, democracy and the rule of law Doc. 15947 (Report) Post-monitoring dialogue with Bulgaria

Friday 19 April 2024

Doc. 15954 (Report) The protection of children against online violence Doc. 15871 (Report) Strengthening a youth perspective in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly Doc. 15872 (Committee Opinion) Strengthening a youth perspective in the work of the Parliamentary Assembly

https://pace.coe.int/en/pages/session-202404