1604181130E

AA16CR10

AS (2016) CR 10

2016 ORDINARY SESSION

________________________

(Second part)

REPORT

Tenth sitting

Monday 18 April 2016 at 11.30 a.m.

In this report:

1. Speeches in English are reported in full.

2. Speeches in other languages are reported using the interpretation and are marked with an asterisk.

3. The text of the amendments is available at the document centre and on the Assembly’s website. Only oral amendments or oral sub-amendments are reproduced in the report of debates

4. Speeches in German and Italian are reproduced in full in a separate document.

5. Corrections should be handed in at Room 1059A not later than 24 hours after the report has been circulated.

The contents page for this sitting is given at the end of the report.

(Mr Agramunt, President of the Assembly, took the Chair at 11.35 a.m.)

1. Opening of the second part of the 2016 ordinary session.

The PRESIDENT – I declare open the second part of the 2016 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Dear colleagues, before we start our part-session, allow me to welcome in the Chamber the President of the Pan African Parliament, Mr Roger Nkodo Dang, who is at the Parliamentary Assembly during this part-session with a delegation from the Pan African Parliament.

(The speaker continued in Spanish.)

2. Statement by the President

The PRESIDENT – Dear colleagues, nothing is the same. Terrorism has hit Europe again at its heart. The attacks in Brussels are not only attacks against Belgium and its people; they are attacks on Europe, the values we share, our institutions and our way of life. Terrorism is now truly global, from Paris to Istanbul, from Beirut to Bamako, not to mention the daily attacks in Iraq. Those underscore the nature of the threat we are facing and reinforce our determination to defeat Daesh and other terrorist organisations.

I reiterate our solidarity with nations and individuals who have suffered from terrorism, and send our sympathies to the families of the victims. Colleagues, I ask you to observe a minute of silence for all the victims of terrorism, older and more recent.

(The Assembly observed a minute’s silence.)

Ladies and gentlemen, terrorists want to instil fear in our societies, not only by killing people in the most brutal way but by traumatising the whole population. The aim of terrorism is to make everyone fear that they will be a target. When they intimidate and attack our people, they instil doubts and fears, thereby making them more powerful. Terrorism wants to divide our societies, to destroy European unity, to spread confusion, and to undermine trust in our institutions and their capacity to protect citizens against terrorism, but we will not be intimidated and we will not be deterred. We will defend ourselves and combat terrorism and its root causes.

In doing that, I see two fundamental lines of action. First, we need a strong political narrative. We must stand together and protect our freedom. Only together will we overcome the fear that terrorists create.

Secondly, we must look into the root causes of terrorism and extremism. It is important to remember that the Brussels attacks, like the attacks in Paris last November, were carried out by European citizens. Defeating this internal threat requires reaching out to marginalised Muslim communities, where too many young people fall into jihadism because they see no prospects. We all represent our own local communities back home, and we must work with them, with civil society and with humanitarian organisations to reach the most marginalised groups and to promote cohesion and integration. We shall not make the same mistakes as we made in the past, when we pursued a policy of multiculturalism, which has isolated migrant communities in ethnic ghettoes. Different communities should live together and interact, not separately from one another.

Common problems can be solved only through joint efforts. No State can cope with all these challenges alone. Often after a barbaric attack, the immediate reaction is to step up security measures at the expense of individual freedom. That can have dangerous consequences. Far-reaching restrictive measures and policies serve only the terrorists’ goal, which is to weaken democratic societies by spreading fear and panic, turning citizen against citizen, feeding xenophobic sentiments, and further alienating and radicalising Muslim communities, especially the young. Let us not fall into that trap. Of course, appropriate security and police action must be taken and it is also necessary to adapt our legislative arsenal to new challenges, but any changes must be carried out cautiously after a serious debate, and with due regard for our human rights and rule of law standards.

Our response to terrorism must be the reaffirmation of core democratic values and the rejection of demagogic and xenophobic rhetoric. As political representatives, we have an important pedagogical role towards our citizens. The equation that no Muslim immigration equals no terrorist attacks is a wrong and dangerous idea that we must eliminate.

As you know, one of my priorities is to foster individual rights and freedoms so that all Europeans can live their daily lives without having their freedoms restricted by terrorist threats or conflict. I would therefore like to announce that we will launch during our forthcoming summer session a No Fear Campaign – the right to live without fear – to complement and further reinforce our on-going No Hate Campaign. I will hold meetings this week to develop that project further.

(The speaker continued in English.)

Our strengths are also our Achilles heel. It took 25 years to consolidate the Schengen Agreement, which allows the free movement of people across most of the European Union. The Schengen Agreement is one of Europe’s most visible and tangible achievements. It is the practical realisation of our ideal of building a continent without borders and dividing lines. Yet the refugee crisis represents a serious challenge to the Schengen Treaty and therefore to the very foundations of the European project. As the refugee crisis has escalated, divisions among European member States have intensified with respect to responsibility for sharing relocation and the shelter of refugees and asylum seekers. In what has been almost a domino effect, the divisions are straining European unity as never before and creating a breeding ground for populist rhetoric and political discourse.

Refugees require international protection under the United Nations Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. This is our international obligation and we must honour it by stepping up international co-operation and reinforcing multilateral mechanisms, while acknowledging the specific situation and concerns of frontline states that are most affected by the crisis.

At the same time, integration requires an effort on the part of the migrants and the host societies as part of a two-way process. In that context, we should not underestimate the risk linked to the far left and far right nationalist anti-immigration parties that call for their nations to turn inward. National interest must be sublimated to collective need. Emotional and populist rhetoric plays into the terrorists’ hands at the very moment when Europe must address the unprecedented crisis with unity and resolve.

Political extremist forces use doubts by the mainstream political parties to spread their populist ideas. This has harmful consequences for our institutions. It is time to come to broad agreement among all political forces to reject populist and extremist rhetoric. Our Assembly should set the example and we should denounce any populist xenophobic and intolerant rhetoric in our capitals.

A month ago, I held a series of meetings with European Union high level interlocutors in Brussels. The message was clear: the Council of Europe’s work remains fundamental to the success of the European integration project. Our Assembly must therefore shoulder its responsibilities and address the common interest of all Europeans from the 47 member States of our Organisation, irrespective of whether they belong to the European Union.

This week, we have the opportunity to hear the views of key European actors: the President of the European Commission, the President of Austria and the Prime Ministers of Turkey and of Georgia. I am sure that their vision and ideas will enrich our debate and I look forward to our exchanges of views.

After the end of the Cold War, we had the impression that the liberal values of democracy, individual freedom and the free market economy were spreading. We watched totalitarian regimes collapse and put our trust in transparency and the rule of law providing effective safeguards against the resurgence of authoritarian trends and the abuse of power. Yet today democracy is in retreat. Liberal values such as the rule of law and civil liberties are trampled too often. We are extremely concerned when some States take decisions that contradict democratic principles enshrined in their own constitutions. I particularly refer to interference with the operation of media outlets that criticise official government policies. In response to these challenges, our Assembly must sound the alarm bell and engage in a constructive political dialogue with the authorities on the basis of our standards and commitments.

Upon my election as President of the Assembly, I undertook to deal with the issue of political prisoners across the continent. I would like to share with you some of the results so far. Recently Azerbaijan freed a large number of political prisoners. As you are aware, I have been working extremely extensively on this issue and during my recent visit to Baku I received assurances that the authorities would soon take steps to address it. These assurances were largely met. I am relieved and happy that so many people could return to their families, sometimes after many years in prison. We have to acknowledge that the release of these persons is a step in the right direction. I see it as a sign of good will to pursue co-operation with the Council of Europe and to begin to address the systemic deficiencies, including in the functioning of the judiciary.

Equally, I welcome the recent decision of the authorities of Azerbaijan to proceed to a rerun of the parliamentary election in constituency No. 90. The results of this constituency were annulled due to irregularities and the rerun was recommended by the Council of Europe observers. I shall continue my talks with the authorities to address the cases of those remaining in detention, particularly the situation of Ilgar Mammadov, who has been in detention since February 2013 despite the European Court of Human Rights finding serious violations of the Convention in the legal proceedings against him. I also support the efforts of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to step up co-operation with the authorities, including through the so-called Article 52 report, to ensure full implementation of the Convention in Azerbaijan.

In Russia, unfortunately, our colleague Nadia Savchenko is still in prison, and I continue to call for her release and the release of all hostages kept by the Russian and Ukrainian sides as a result of the conflict.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is unacceptable that 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, conflicts continue to divide members of the European family. At the beginning of this month, violence sparked again in the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, causing a high number of casualties, including civilians along and around the contact line. I deplore this loss of life and the violence. Thanks to the clear and unequivocal calls to stop the violence by the international community, a fragile cease-fire has been put in place once again. I reiterate my strong belief that both sides have to de-escalate, end the violence and respect the cease-fire. I have always expressed full support for the territorial integrity of all 47 member States and called for international law to be respected. International law provides a legal framework for the peaceful settlement of disputes. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have to live up to the commitments they entered into after accession to the Council of Europe and find the political will to resolve in a peaceful manner the conflict that divides them.

Although the Council of Europe has no direct mandate in the settlement of the conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, I believe that parliamentary diplomacy may help bring positions closer. As elected representatives, we cannot afford not to talk to each other. We must build bridges and help restore confidence and trust, which are essential for any meaningful discussion about the settlement of conflicts. I shall continue to keep this issue high on my agenda. At the same time, I stress that as parliamentarians we have to set an example for our citizens and refrain in our discussions from the inflammatory rhetoric that we have sometimes seen before. We must show respect, caution and restraint in our statements and avoid personal attacks. Our Assembly is the house of democracy and we must live up to the high standards and expectations of our citizens.

(The speaker continued in Spanish.)

Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, as I am drawing my speech to a close, I want to share with you a thought about a very important issue. This week marks one of the most important commemorations of this decade in the literary world: the 400th anniversary of the deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare. Cervantes and Shakespeare, who both died in 1616, are universally acknowledged for their great literary achievements. Shakespeare witnessed one of the most spectacular attacks in early modern history, the Gunpowder Plot, which was an attempt by a group of fundamentalists to blow up King James I, together with other high dignitaries and Members of Parliament, in 1605. Today we would have called it a terrorist attack. Without doubt, his “Macbeth” was influenced by these events. By contrast, Cervantes’ character Don Quixote placed himself above the law to protect the oppressed against injustice and outrage. The pursuit of justice always has been Don Quixote’s credo. Shakespeare and Cervantes wrote about what we experience today when we witness the growth of uncertainty and scepticism and the disturbing progress of intolerance, violence and terrorism. Their works are part of our historic and cultural heritage. Let us remember this heritage and draw lessons from our past. Thank you for your attention.

3. Ratification of new credentials

The PRESIDENT – The first item on the agenda is the examination of credentials of new members. The names of the representatives and substitutes are in Document 14017. If no credentials are challenged, the credentials will be ratified. Are any credentials challenged?

The credentials are ratified. I welcome our new colleagues.

4. Election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Spain

The PRESIDENT – The next item on the agenda is the election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Spain. The candidate is Mr Antonio Gutiérrez. If there is no request for a vote, Mr Gutiérrez will be declared elected.

Since there has been no request for a vote, I declare Mr Antonio Gutiérrez as Vice-President of the Assembly. He will take precedence following the Vice-Presidents previously elected. I congratulate Mr Gutiérrez on his election.

5. Changes in the membership of committees

The PRESIDENT – Our next item of business is to consider the changes proposed in the membership of committees. These are set out in documents Commissions (2016) 04 and Addendum 1. Are the proposed changes in the membership of the Assembly’s committees agreed to?

They are agreed to.

6. Proposals for current affairs and urgent procedure debates

The PRESIDENT – Before we examine the draft agenda, the Assembly needs to consider requests for debates on current affairs and under urgent procedure. We will consider first the request for a current affairs debate, and then the requests for debate under urgent procedure.

The Bureau can approve only one request for a current affairs debate. At its meeting this morning, the Bureau decided to approve the request from the Socialist Group for a debate on “The case of the ‘Panama Papers’ and the concern about fiscal, social justice and public trust in our democratic system”. A previous request for an urgent debate on this subject has been withdrawn.

Does the Assembly agree with the decision of the Bureau that there should be a current affairs debate on this topic as set out in the draft agenda?

The proposal is agreed to.

The Bureau has decided that the current affairs debate will be opened by Mr Stefan Schennach of the Socialist Group.

We will now consider the requests for a debate under urgent procedure. I received a request from 21 representatives for a debate on “The Savchenko case”. I have decided that this request is not admissible under our rules as it is covered by a subject that is already on the draft agenda – namely, the debate on Thursday afternoon on “The humanitarian concerns with regard to people captured during the war in Ukraine”. Colleagues who wish to discuss the situation of Ms Savchenko will be able to do so during that debate. I will also be making a presidential declaration on the Savchenko case.

We come now to the request submitted by all five political groups, for an urgent debate on “After the Brussels attacks, the urgent need to address security failures and step up counter-terrorism co-operation”. This replaces two requests that were originally on the draft agenda from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe for a debate on “The need to improve European co-operation in countering and dismantling terrorist networks in the aftermath of recent attacks in Europe” and from the European Conservatives Group on “The dysfunction of Belgium and the potential dangers for citizens of Council of Europe member States”. They were both withdrawn by the respective groups last night.

At its meeting this morning, the Bureau approved this request, and therefore recommends to the Assembly that the matter be debated during this part-session as set out on the draft agenda as issued. Does the Assembly agree to this recommendation?

The Bureau’s recommendation is accepted, and the request for urgent procedure is therefore approved.

The Bureau proposes that the topic of the debate we have just agreed be referred to the Political Affairs Committee for report.

Is this agreed?

The reference is agreed to.

We come now to the request from the Migration Committee for a debate under the urgent procedure on “The situation of refugees and migrants under the European Union-Turkey Agreement of 18 March 2016.” At its meeting this morning, the Bureau approved this request, and therefore recommends to the Assembly that the matter be debated during this part-session as set out on the draft agenda as issued.

Does the Assembly agree with this recommendation?

The Bureau’s recommendation is accepted and the request for urgent procedure is therefore approved.

The Bureau proposes that the topic of the debate we have just agreed be referred to the Migration Committee for report.

Is this agreed?

The reference is agreed to.

7. Adoption of the agenda

The PRESIDENT – The next item of business is the adoption of the agenda for the second part of the 2015 ordinary session, Document 13996 prov 2. The draft agenda submitted for the Assembly's approval was drawn up by the Bureau on 3 March and updated this morning. I propose that the current affairs debate on the Panama papers be held this afternoon at 4 p.m. The urgent procedure debate on the European Union-Turkey agreement will be incorporated into the joint debate on migration, which is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at 5 p.m. The urgent procedure debate on “After the Brussels attacks, the urgent need to address security failures and step up counter-terrorism co-operation” will be held on Thursday afternoon at 6 p.m.

Is the draft agenda, as amended, agreed to?

It is agreed to.

Details of the debates are set out in each sitting’s organisation of debates document.

8. Time limits on speeches

The PRESIDENT – To enable as many members as possible to speak, the Bureau proposes that the speaking time be limited to three minutes all week.

Is that agreed?

It is agreed.

I may make further proposals on these matters as required.

9. Adoption of the minutes of proceedings of the Standing Committee

The PRESIDENT – The minutes of the meeting of the Standing Committee held in Paris on 4 March 2016 have been distributed (AS/Per (2016) PV 01). I invite the Assembly to take note of these minutes.

10. Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee

The PRESIDENT – The next item on the agenda is the debate on the progress report of the Bureau and Standing Committee, Document 14016 and Addenda I & II, and Doc. 14018, presented by Ms Ioanneta Kavvadia. I remind all members that speaking time in this debate will be limited to three minutes. The sitting must conclude at 1 p.m., so I propose to interrupt the list of speakers at about 12.55 p.m.

I will suspend the list of speakers at 1 p.m. and we will resume the debate at this afternoon’s sitting.

I call Ms Kavvadia to present the progress report. You have 13 minutes in total, which you may divide between presentation of the report and reply to the debate. Ms Kavvadia, you have the floor.

Ms KAVVADIA (Greece) – The dramatic events of the past few months have made it quite clear that Europe is facing major challenges. Barbaric terrorist acts have caused death and suffering in Brussels, further undermining the feeling of security of Europeans on the one hand and, on the other, exacerbating manifestations of Islamophobic hate speech by extremist groups and individuals. War has continued to rage in eastern Ukraine, while the country finds it difficult to progress towards necessary reforms. An escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh has involved several victims and highlighted once again the inherent volatility of any frozen conflict. Scores of people fleeing Syria and other countries have continued to arrive in Europe, while many others are stranded at closed borders on European soil. The European Union and Turkey have concluded an agreement on the return of refugees to Turkey, but both the substance of the agreement and its implementation raise human rights and humanitarian concerns.

It is hard to report on progress in such circumstances. I would like, however, to highlight what members of parliament can and should do, and what actions the Assembly has taken since the end of January. Terrorism will never advance the cause of those who use it unless we ourselves choose to limit the freedoms that constitute the foundation of our democracy. Of course, every State has the sovereign right to consider, decide and implement measures that are necessary for the security of its citizens. What we need to consider is how that legitimate and necessary defence can be compatible with the values of European legal culture. However huge the death toll, however enormous the psychological impact on Europeans and however imminent and serious the threat, European governments should make sure that the counter-measures they introduce do not lead to abusive restrictions on individual freedoms and rights, as enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights. Indeed, respect of human rights is the bottom line under which no responsible politician should go, as that would risk undermining the foundations on which European democracies are built and could betray the values we proclaim.

In that context, I would like to mention the wise decision taken by the President of France to withdraw the proposal to introduce the deprivation of nationality for citizens convicted of terrorism who hold dual nationality, which followed the opinion of the Venice Commission requested by the Assembly in Resolution 2090 on combating international terrorism while protecting the Council of Europe’s standards and values. The rapporteur was Mr Tiny Kox.

Serious concerns remain, however, especially in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Brussels. With the constant threat of terrorism, there is a risk that a state of emergency, which by definition is unnatural and temporary, could become a permanent, nearly normal state of affairs built into legislation, which would drastically restrict human rights and freedoms. Equally real is the risk of abuse of emergency measures to suppress activities and prosecute people who do not have the slightest connection with terrorism. An appropriate legal arsenal, in line with Council of Europe standards, is a necessary but not sufficient condition to defeat terrorism. Repression is not an alternative to prevention.

Stronger measures are needed to prevent radicalisation and to promote the values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in our member States. In a timely manner, the Assembly will address those issues on Tuesday in the joint debate on “Preventing the radicalisation of children by fighting the root causes” and “Towards a framework of competences for democratic citizenship”. When we look at the situation in Europe now, it is easy to see that the security threat comes not only from terrorism but from frozen conflicts, covered or open inter-state conflicts and widespread human rights violations. We need to take urgent actions to prevent the escalation of tensions and the reignition of frozen conflicts. In a recent statement, you, President Agramunt, recalled that both Armenia and Azerbaijan committed themselves, when joining the Council of Europe in 2001, to use only peaceful means for settling their conflict.

Finally, allow me to offer my support – I am certain that I speak on behalf of the entire Assembly in this regard – to the ongoing peace talks in Cyprus and to express my hope and conviction that a comprehensive, just and viable solution to that long dispute will be reached very soon.

As regards eastern Ukraine, I should like to mention the visit of Marieluise Beck and Kristýna Zelienková to Kiev and Mariupol from 4 to 7 April, in the context of the preparation of their reports, which focus respectively on the legal remedies to human rights violations on the Ukrainian territories outside the control of the Ukrainian authorities and on the political consequences of the crisis in Ukraine. The two committees will hold a joint hearing on Wednesday afternoon to give the rapporteurs the opportunity to debrief them about their impressions. I also welcome the recent mission to Crimea by the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ambassador Stoudmann, assisted by members of the Council of Europe’s Secretariat, which aimed to assess the human rights situation in the region. I look forward to the main findings of the report being shared with members of the Assembly.

I remind all honourable members of the Assembly that unfortunately during the past months we have had to work without our Russian colleagues. The causes for that have been discussed, but we should do our best, in Strasbourg as well as in Moscow, to work towards the normalisation of relations. The power of the Council of Europe to fulfil its mission to promote peace and democracy in Europe lies in the participation of all member States and in all the activities of the Organisation.

As regards human rights, I encourage the Secretary General to find pragmatic ways to ensure that those Europeans who live in areas of frozen conflicts can exercise their right to have access to the European Convention on Human Rights and benefit from the full range of human rights instruments and monitoring mechanisms operating under the aegis of the Council of Europe. I also welcome the release from prison of 149 people in Azerbaijan. I hope their freedom is guaranteed by law and in practice. I regret, however, that others, including Khadija Ismayilova and Ilgar Mammadov, remain in detention for having expressed their views. I hope they are freed as soon as possible. Anar Mammadli, the winner of the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, is one of those who was released from prison.

Colleagues, I take this opportunity to remind you that the nominations for the 2016 edition of the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize are open until 30 April. You can sponsor the candidatures of individuals or organisations that you consider worthy of the prize. Furthermore, let me note with great satisfaction and joy the release from prison of the former honourable member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Grigore Petrenco, the former vice-chairman of the Group of the Unified European Left. Thanks to our co-rapporteurs and all others who worked for his release from prison. That marks a victory for democracy and the human rights movement.

I would like to conclude my speech with a few words on migration. My country, Greece, because of its geography, is at the forefront of the reception of migrants and refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Those people are in need of international protection. Their rights must be guaranteed and their lives must be saved. Migration has proved to be not only a challenge but a test of the capacity of European States to uphold their values and principles, of their willingness to practise what they preach and to help each other share the responsibility of respecting human rights. The recent European Union-Turkey agreement raises concerns, especially regarding the violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Geneva Convention on refugees. All legal avenues contained in the agreement must be exhausted in order to remedy, as far as possible, those concerns. At the moment it is urgent that we seek common solutions instead of unilaterally closing European borders. It is now time for all European States to live up to their commitments in particular regarding the resettlement and relocation of refugees on the basis of a fair and proportionate quotas allocation system.

United Europe was founded on values such as solidarity, democracy and equality between partners, but those values are now rapidly losing ground. During this session, migration will occupy an important part of our deliberations, with a joint debate on the reports on “Human rights of refugees and migrants – the situation in the Western Balkans”, by Tineke Strik, and on "A stronger European response to the Syrian refugee crisis”, by Annette Groth. I call on the Assembly as a whole to step up its work on migration and asylum, and I hope that this debate will help achieve long-overdue progress in this area. Allow me to close my presentation with a special thank you to the members of the Parliamentary Assembly’s staff and with my compliments for their excellent work in preparing the report. Their contribution is indeed invaluable to our work as parliamentarians and members of the Assembly.

The PRESIDENT – Thank you, Ms Kavvadia. You have three minutes remaining. I call Mr Zingeris to speak on behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party, but I do not see him, so I call Mr Schennach to speak on behalf of the Socialist Group.

Mr SCHENNACH (Austria, Spokesperson of the Socialist Group)* – I thank our rapporteur. In her report she has put her finger on the open wounds we have in Europe at the moment. I support what you said, Mr President, with regard to the Brussels victims and the memory of them. We must find a way back to a Europe of security but not by sacrificing our basic rights. We must think about the basic rights of our citizens and respect them despite the fact we need to defend ourselves against violence through counter-terrorism measures. That is particularly so as those of us in this Organisation see the beginning of borders being set up between our national States. Perhaps for reasons of fear, Europe is enclosing itself. It was a very important step when Pope Francis showed a few days ago that we can deal with this in a different way. He flew to Lesbos with open hands.

The rapporteur mentioned Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied areas. That tragedy is a very important point that the Council of Europe must not forget, and I hope that my invitation to member States on both sides of the conflict will be heard. We must find a dialogue, because so many people have died in this conflict.

As the rapporteur pointed out, sometimes there are good things to report, such as the intervention in Moldova which has led to Grigore Petrenco being released from prison – although not into freedom as he is still under house arrest. Also, 17 political prisoners in Azerbaijan have been released, either through the intervention of the President or through the courts. On the list compiled by Amnesty International, there are now only seven political prisoners. In other words, there are defeats sometimes, but we also see progress as well. We would not have believed that we would be talking about the implementation of human rights now, but this is a serious situation and we have to come back to defend this.

Ms SOTNYK (Ukraine, Spokesperson of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) – The ALDE group has decided to devote this speech to Nadia Savchenko. Nadia, our colleague, has been illegally detained by the Russian Federation for two years now.

(Several members of the Assembly displayed a card bearing the inscription “#freeSavchenko”)

She was sentenced to 22 years. She is now dying, because 12 days ago she declared a dry hunger strike, without a drop of water or any food. Doctors have declared that she will not survive until our debate on Thursday. That is why our group decided to demand her urgent release and to ask all the member States to react and to do something today, not tomorrow, because she could die before Thursday.

That is why I ask all of you to stand up and show your solidarity with our colleague, Nadia, and show all the world that we want her to be free. Free Nadia Savchenko! I ask the Assembly to stand. Thank you.

(Many members of the Assembly rose.)

Mr LIDDELL-GRAINGER (United Kingdom, Spokesperson of the European Conservatives Group) – We have just seen from that demonstration what happens when we do not control our borders or situations well enough in Europe. Our heart goes out to the poor lady languishing in a jail in Russia.

The most important situation we face at the moment is mass migration. There is no doubt that Europe is in an appallingly difficult position. We have at all stages tried to be as humane as we can with people from throughout the world, but unfortunately so many people have decided that they want to come over that it has led to strain on civil and social society across Europe. It is not just people who are coming through Turkey, but also people who are coming up from the middle of Africa through Libya and Algeria, and crossing the Mediterranean to Italy and other countries.

The problem is that we are not able to cope. Our colleague from Austria, Mr Schennach, made an impassioned speech, and his country faces more problems than we do in the United Kingdom. But Europe cannot shirk its responsibilities where mass migration is concerned: it will not go away. Unfortunately, as we have seen – and I count all of us in this – we were all probably slow to realise the sheer scale of the humanitarian crisis that faced us as Europeans and parliamentarians. Our respective Parliaments – and again, I include all of us – did not realise quite how many people wanted to escape the situation they were in.

I do not for one minute think that the Turkish deal will solve all the ills of Europe, but it is a start in getting people to realise that if they do come over from Turkey to Greece, they will be sent back. We have to get people to understand that we can only take so many people. Unless integration takes its place in the very mainstream of what we are trying to do – and I will say this bluntly – the situations we have seen in Brussels, Ankara and other places that have been involved in terrorism, can and will happen again. We cannot avoid that; it is the nature of this.

Many countries across Europe have suffered, and this is not recent, because it goes back many years. Home-grown terrorists seem to be becoming more and more the norm, and I urge this Parliamentary Assembly to take the situation seriously. It will not get better until we stand up and say as a collective body, “We do not like what is going on because we have mass migration, and we are going to have to be hard in the way we deal with the situation.” If we are not, this will continue to be the norm, and more and more countries will put up borders, say no and disagree because they are feeling the strain more than others. Across Europe, that cannot be the right decision, so I urge the Parliamentary Assembly to stand up and be counted.

Mr HUNKO (Germany, Spokesperson of the Group of the Unified European Left)* – I, too, would like to congratulate our rapporteur on having picked out the most salient and important points and addressing them in her report. This is called a “Progress report” for the Parliamentary Assembly, and we deal with human rights and the rule of law. We attempt to develop those rights further, but unfortunately there has been a step backwards in some important areas. Mr Schennach spoke of that in regard to the so-called refugee crisis, and the reactions that it has triggered.

I think I speak on behalf of many when I say that Europe is building increasing numbers of fences and walls, but that is not the way we want to go. The European Union-Turkey deal is highly problematic, and I do not think it can be the solution to the refugee crisis. The solution can lie only on combating the causes behind the refugees – for example, the civil war in Syria and the prospects for a peaceful solution to that conflict – and we need to discuss that much more. We need to spend more energy on that, instead of building walls.

Unfortunately, member States are also experiencing military conflict, as addressed by the rapporteur – the escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the revival of the conflict in Donbass and what is happening in Turkey at the moment. The resurgence of violence between the Turkish State, and the PKK and the Kurdish population is very worrying and we should address it clearly.

We have referred to the situation of political prisoners. I was able to visit Petrenko in Moldova. He is no longer in prison but is, none the less, under house arrest. In Ukraine, there is the Savchenko case, as we have heard, but I would also like to mention the journalists in Ukraine who have been threatened with 12 to 15 years of imprisonment for speaking out against the war in Ukraine. We should cover all of them. We are talking about a campaign of fear, and we need a new campaign against fear because people in Europe are increasingly fearful.

Mr FARMANYAN (Armenia) – Almost two months have passed since the last part-session of the Assembly and today we discuss what has been done during that period. Evidently, our values have been brutally and cynically attacked. First, in the very heart of Europe, there were bloody terror attacks in Brussels. Then, on the south-eastern shore of our continent – in Nagorno-Karabakh –, Azerbaijan unleashed a large-scale military aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, violating international humanitarian law and committing war crimes.

The progress report refers to one of the controversial discussions we had here two months ago, in January. Let me recall that the voices against the controversial reports by Bob Walter and Milica Marković in this very Chamber were based on the tangible assumption that any attempt to approve groundless and one-sided resolutions – any one-sided and selective application of the principles of international law – will damage the peace process and serve as a smokescreen for the Azerbaijani autocratic leadership to resume large-scale military actions, undermining the peace process and threatening fragile stability in the entire region of South Caucasus.

While raising concerns, we had in mind the development of the events that, unfortunately, happened afterwards. Unfortunately, our concerns became a kind of bad prediction that cost hundreds of innocent lives from all sides of the conflict. While considering the progress report, we cannot jump over the efforts that the permanent bodies of the Assembly have taken – or, rather, mistaken – regarding this tragedy. A repeatedly clear message was delivered to Azerbaijani leadership since the very birth of escalation that there is no alternative to the peaceful settlement of the conflict and that war is not an option.

Presidents of France, the United States and Russia, heads of dozens of other countries and hundreds of foreign ministries, Secretaries-General of the UN, OSCE and the Council of Europe, high-level officials of the European Union and dozens of other international organizations joined their voices and reputations to deliver that unequivocal and uncompromised message to President Aliyev to stop military aggression.

The increasingly strong and univocal message of the international community to Aliyev was a window of hope for peace to avoid further escalation of the situation. However, Mr President, I am sorry, but your irresponsible rhetoric came to contradict our Assembly to the international community, this time not only by ignorance of excessive human rights violations in Azerbaijan, but by exceptionally dangerous wording clearly siding yourself with Azerbaijan, which added extra fuel to the fire.

Mr ARIEV (Ukraine) – In every Bureau sitting we touch on matters of occupied Crimea. I am grateful to the Council of Europe’s established special mission to Crimea for human rights matters. It was possible to open the door to the occupied peninsula and to find facts that confirmed that the present situation significantly affects the human rights of Crimea in many ways, as is reflected in the report to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe by Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann on his human rights visit to Crimea in January. Of course, it does not reflect all events owing to the limited mission mandate, but the last updates in Crimea are of grave concern. Despite all statements of the Russian occupation authorities, we see no adherence to basic human rights.

The last decision to forbid activity of Mejlis, the main representative organisation of Crimean Tatars, showed the continuation of persecution of this nation that has not accepted the Russian occupation of its land. That decision is very dangerous and could cause a sharp growing of tension on the peninsula.

Russia no longer has the will to follow democratic values or its obligations taken while joining the Council of Europe. The Kremlin’s “accept us as we are” policy looks childish at first glance, but it is definitely serious indeed. Russia tried to foist policy on the world in the first half of the 20th century, and we remember the terrible consequences in history. Other evidence is the situation in Donbass, which remains tense, and security provisions of the Minsk agreements are still far from fulfilment. There are shellings and attacks, and 7 000 regular Russian troops are located on the territory of the occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk region. I emphasise that only full demilitarisation of Donbass under the international security mission can be a credible threshold of the transition from the security phase to political settlement.

We stood up today to support Savchenko, but we should do something to really push Putin and the others who keep her hostage to release her. On Thursday, I will support in the resolution the proposal to impose sanctions on the people convicted of kidnapping Savchenko. We need to fulfil and impose the Savchenko measures to prevent future cases from happening.

Regarding Russian danger and irresponsible policy, the only one way to avoid bad consequences is to continue keeping sanctions against the Russian Federation. We should not accept blackmail or pressure because the only ground on which we have to stand is our common values and adherence to democracy, human rights and international law. That basis is strongest while we stand united and guided by common principles.

The PRESIDENT – Thank you, Mr Ariev. The next two speakers, Mr Zourabian and Mr Fischer, are not here so I call Mr Seyidov.

Mr SEYIDOV (Azerbaijan) – I express my gratitude to the rapporteur and to all our friends and colleagues from the Council of Europe because we have heard today that a lot of progress has been made by Azerbaijan. Pardons, the withdrawal of all restrictions and other kinds of problematic issues for NGO activities, liberal economic reforms and other very important things that created strong ties between Azerbaijan and Europe have been implemented and, already, are being built. This is very important for the future of Azerbaijan in the Council of Europe.

The timing of the criminal provocation of Azerbaijan is not accidental. This military provocation against our country comes at a time when Azerbaijan is doing its best to create new and very close ties with the western world – when the West is coming to Azerbaijan, and when the door of liberal reforms, human rights and democracy is opening in Azerbaijan. My dear friends, I am confident that indulging an aggressor and letting a criminal go without punishment never leads to favourable results and always leads to tragedy. If the report presented at the January part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly had been approved, I believe nothing would have happened. Unfortunately, the rejection of that report opened the door to Armenian militarism.

I want to stress one very important point. No one Azeri can be found in Nagorno-Karabakh or in other occupied territories, including in Armenia, yet more than 30 000 Armenians are living in peace in Azerbaijan. All attempts at provocation are made for one reason only: to prove the incompatibility of Azeris and Armenians. My dear friends, that is not true. We are always in favour of establishing peace. I invite my Azeri and Armenian colleagues to sit together. I invite Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azeris who have been cleansed from Nagorno-Karabakh to sit together here in the Council of Europe and to find a peaceful way to resolve this bloody conflict.

The PRESIDENT – Thank you, Mr Seyidov. Mr Gulyás from Hungary is not here, so I call Ms Pashayeva.

Ms PASHAYEVA (Azerbaijan)* – President, distinguished colleagues, I was going to talk about something else today: how we can do more to work together to combat terrorism and develop a dialogue. However, Mr Farmanyan said several things that are simply not true, so I feel forced to respond to his remarks.

Turana Hasanova, a 16-year-old, was killed by Armenian soldiers. Another woman’s husband was also killed. In the past few days, the ceasefire has been violated by Armenian soldiers. Thousands of people – families – are suffering in Azerbaijan because of the disruption to the ceasefire. As has been said, whole villages have been affected. They are full of people who have lost their homes because of Armenian aggression. We have videos and photographs as evidence of that aggression.

We know that murders have been carried out by the Armenian army. Unfortunately, what has been said here in the Chamber is not a reflection of either reality or the truth. Mr Farmanyan made a few remarks about you, Mr President, but you have always sought a just solution between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. You have always sought peace and a sustainable solution, which is why we have always supported your efforts.

In the past month, we have seen new aggression from the Armenians. Conflicts are breaking out not at the border of the two countries, but actually inside the part of Azerbaijan that is occupied by Armenia. The Armenians who have perished have done so in Azerbaijani territory. My question, therefore, is what were the soldiers who lost their lives doing in Azerbaijani territory? We seek the continued support of the Council of Europe. Thank you.

Ms NAGHDALYAN (Armenia) – Today, the migration crisis is one of the most important challenges that Europe is facing. More than 1 million migrants fleeing from war, conflict or persecution are looking for a better future in other countries. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this is the highest number since the Second World War. Wars in Syria and Iraq, and regional conflicts and crises in Afghanistan, in the Middle East and in some African countries have triggered the dramatic increase in the flow of refugees fleeing these regions to Europe.

Last March, the European Union and Turkey reached an agreement to stem the flow of migrants arriving on the Greek coast. According to this agreement, Turkey must receive more than €6 billion until the end of 2018, to cover the costs of dealing with the influx of refugees. Reached under the almost open blackmailing of Turkey, this agreement is being heavily criticised for various reasons. The country receives billions of euros to manage migration flows, which are generated in part by the actions of Islamic State. However, according to media reports, there are claims that Turkey is financially supporting Islamic State by purchasing oil from the terrorist group at low prices. The Daily Mail reported in August 2014 that many foreigners had joined the terrorist organisation in Syria and Iraq after travelling through Turkey. Thus Turkey appears to be a hub of the terrorist organisation.

Today, Islamic State is declining in Syria. This is encouraging. However, there are worrying signs that ISIS aims to destabilise other regions, including the South Caucasus. As you well know, on 2 April, Azerbaijan unleashed a large-scale aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh. Many media have reported the participation of Islamic State fighters in the ranks of the Azerbaijani army. Perhaps the presence and guidance of these thugs could explain the barbaric acts of violence committed by Azeri forces during four days of war. The list of war crimes includes the bombardment of civilian targets, including schools, using heavy rocket launchers, killing and mutilating civilians – children and elderly people – and ISIS-style beheading of already dead soldiers and showing off the heads to the cheering public. The senseless bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh has been stopped, for now, by the courage of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, credible fears remain about the possible expansion of ISIS to new regions that will definitely bring new wars and tragedies.

In conclusion, I add my voice to those who are calling to combine efforts to fight terrorism in all its forms, to take further measures to deal with radicalisation and hate speech, and to make some high-ranking rabid racists understand that war is not an option and that tolerance is an attribute of the strong.

Ms ZOHRABYAN (Armenia)* – In January, several of you voted in favour of a report on the so-called humanitarian problem around the Sarsang reservoir after the military aggression on the part of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s aim is not to resolve the humanitarian problem, but to take the Sarsang reservoir. It was necessary for Azerbaijan to get your support in the Parliamentary Assembly and from other international institutions to commit a military crime under the pretext of a humanitarian aim. If you look at the movement of military forces in Azerbaijan on that day, you will understand that you gave carte blanche to Azerbaijan through your vote.

On the night of 2 April, throughout the length of the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, large-scale offensive military actions took place and heavy weapons, including tanks, rocket launchers and aircraft, were deployed. During those actions, artillery units bombed Armenian defences and civilian targets. Four soldiers were killed. A child was killed in front of his brother on their way to school. Prisoners were tortured under the eyes of the civilised world. When the Azerbaijan army managed to control the village of Talish just for one day, Aliyev’s mercenaries tortured and killed the peaceful inhabitants who had remained there. When Aliyev’s mercenaries committed military crimes and bombed civilian targets, the President of our Assembly encouraged the Azeri military criminals. The President of the Assembly should have remained impartial and kept his neutrality because of the position that he occupies. The fact that the present President of the Parliamentary Assembly is the representative of Azerbaijan in our Assembly is well known. During foreign aggression by Azerbaijan, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly acted as Ilham Aliyev’s spokeperson. When he made his first visit to Azerbaijan after being elected President, he confirmed his loyalty to Aliyev’s tyranny. During that difficult period of military action, Agramunt made a declaration that openly encouraged Aliyev’s homicidal regime.

The Council of Europe is an organisation with 47 member States, and it should represent and defend the interests of 800 million Europeans. The President of such an organisation should be impartial and equitable and not someone who openly defends tyranny criminal Azerbaijan.

The PRESIDENT – That concludes the list of speakers. Ms Kavvadia, you have three minutes if you wish to reply.

Ms KAVVADIA (Greece) – It is common sense that there is no Europe without solidarity and humanitarism. Refugees are human beings; they are not just numbers. As I have said, these people are in need of international protection. Their rights must be guaranteed. Their lives must be saved. Closed borders cannot be the solution, and we cannot allow that to happen. I think that we can agree that the Greek people deserve all your support, and they deserve to be congratulated on all the help that they have given and solidarity that they have shown to the refugees, although Greece is in the middle of a deep economic crisis. It is time for Europe for rediscover its principal values. Something has really gone wrong, and now is the time to fix it. Thank you all for this interesting debate.

The PRESIDENT – The debate is closed.

I invite the Assembly to approve the decisions of the Bureau requiring ratification by the Assembly, as set out in the Progress Report, Document 14016 and Addenda I & II, and Document 14018.

The Progress Report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee is approved.

11. Next public business

The PRESIDENT – The Assembly will hold its next public sitting this afternoon at 3 p.m. with the Agenda that was approved this morning.

The sitting is adjourned.

(The sitting was closed at 12.55 p.m.)

CONTENTS

1. Opening of the part-session

2. Statement by the President

3. Ratification of new credentials

4. Election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Spain

5. Changes in the membership of committees

6. Proposals for current affairs and urgent procedure debates

7. Adoption of the agenda

8. Time limits on speeches

9. Adoption of the minutes of proceedings of the Standing Committee

10. Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee

Presentation by Ms Kavvadia, of the progress report of the Bureau and Standing Committee, Document 14016 and Addenda I & II, and Document 14018.

Speakers: Mr Schennach, Ms Sotnyk, Mr Liddell-Grainger, Mr Hunko, Mr Farmanyan, Mr Ariev, Mr Seyidov, Ms Pashayeva, Ms Naghdalyan, Ms Zohrabyan.

11. Date, time and agenda of the next sitting

Appendix I

Representatives or Substitutes who signed the Attendance Register in accordance with Rule 11.2 of the Rules of Procedure. The names of Substitutes who replaced absent Representatives are printed in small letters. The names of those who were absent or apologised for absence are followed by an asterisk

Pedro AGRAMUNT

Tasmina AHMED-SHEIKH

Brigitte ALLAIN/Anne-Yvonne Le Dain

Jean-Charles ALLAVENA*

Werner AMON*

Luise AMTSBERG/Annette Groth

Lord Donald ANDERSON

Paride ANDREOLI/Gerardo Giovagnoli

Ingrid ANTIČEVIĆ MARINOVIĆ

Sirkka-Liisa ANTTILA*

Ben-Oni ARDELEAN*

Iwona ARENT

Volodymyr ARIEV

Anna ASCANI/Tamara Blazina

Mehmet BABAOĞLU

Theodora BAKOYANNIS

David BAKRADZE

Gérard BAPT/Jean-Claude Frécon

Doris BARNETT*

José Manuel BARREIRO/Teófilo De Luis

Meritxell BATET/ Soraya Rodríguez Ramos

Deniz BAYKAL

Guto BEBB/Lord Richard Balfe

Marieluise BECK*

Ondřej BENEŠIK/Gabriela Pecková

Levan BERDZENISHVILI

Deborah BERGAMINI*

Sali BERISHA*

Włodzimierz BERNACKI

Anna Maria BERNINI/Claudio Fazzone

Maria Teresa BERTUZZI*

Andris BĒRZINŠ/Nellija Kleinberga

Jokin BILDARRATZ

Gülsün BİLGEHAN

Tobias BILLSTRÖM

Oleksandr BILOVOL

Ľuboš BLAHA*

Philippe BLANCHART

Maryvonne BLONDIN

Tilde BORK

Mladen BOSIĆ*

Anne BRASSEUR

Piet De BRUYN/Hendrik Daems

Margareta BUDNER

Valentina BULIGA

Dawn BUTLER

Nunzia CATALFO*

Elena CENTEMERO*

José CEPEDA

Irakli CHIKOVANI

Vannino CHITI/Francesco Verducci

Anastasia CHRISTODOULOPOULOU

Lise CHRISTOFFERSEN

Paolo CORSINI

David CRAUSBY

Yves CRUCHTEN*

Zsolt CSENGER-ZALÁN

Katalin CSÖBÖR

Geraint DAVIES

Joseph DEBONO GRECH*

Renata DESKOSKA*

Alain DESTEXHE

Manlio DI STEFANO*

Şaban DİŞLİ

Sergio DIVINA

Aleksandra DJUROVIĆ*

Namik DOKLE

Francesc Xavier DOMENECH*

Jeffrey DONALDSON*

Elvira DROBINSKI-WEIß

Daphné DUMERY/Petra De Sutter

Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE*

Nicole DURANTON/Jacques Legendre

Josette DURRIEU

Mustafa DZHEMILIEV/Andrii Lopushanskyi

Mikuláš DZURINDA*

Lady Diana ECCLES*

Franz Leonhard EẞL

Markar ESEYAN*

Nigel EVANS

Samvel FARMANYAN

Joseph FENECH ADAMI*

Cătălin Daniel FENECHIU*

Doris FIALA

Daniela FILIPIOVÁ/Ivana Dobešová

Ute FINCKH-KRÄMER*

Axel E. FISCHER*

Bernard FOURNIER*

Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO

Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ

Martin FRONC*

Sahiba GAFAROVA

Sir Roger GALE

Adele GAMBARO

Xavier GARCÍA ALBIOL

José Ramón GARCÍA HERNÁNDEZ*

Karl GARÐARSSON

Iryna GERASHCHENKO*

Tina GHASEMI

Valeriu GHILETCHI

Mihai GHIMPU/Alina Zotea

Francesco Maria GIRO

Pavol GOGA*

Carlos Alberto GONÇALVES*

Oleksii GONCHARENKO

Rainer GOPP

Alina Ștefania GORGHIU/Maria Grecea

Sylvie GOY-CHAVENT/Marie-Christine Dalloz

François GROSDIDIER/André Schneider

Dzhema GROZDANOVA

Gergely GULYÁS*

Emine Nur GÜNAY*

Valgerður GUNNARSDÓTTIR

Jonas GUNNARSSON*

Antonio GUTIÉRREZ

Maria GUZENINA/Susanna Huovinen

Márton GYÖNGYÖSI*

Sabir HAJIYEV

Andrzej HALICKI/Killion Munyama

Hamid HAMID

Alfred HEER

Gabriela HEINRICH*

Michael HENNRICH/Thomas Feist

Martin HENRIKSEN/Christian Langballe

Françoise HETTO-GAASCH*

John HOWELL*

Anette HÜBINGER*

Johannes HÜBNER

Andrej HUNKO

Rafael HUSEYNOV

Ekmeleddin Mehmet İHSANOĞLU

Florin IORDACHE*

Denis JACQUAT

Gediminas JAKAVONIS

Sandra JAKELIĆ*

Gordan JANDROKOVIĆ

Tedo JAPARIDZE

Andrzej JAWORSKI/Daniel Milewski

Michael Aastrup JENSEN*

Mogens JENSEN

Frank J. JENSSEN

Florina-Ruxandra JIPA/Viorel Riceard Badea

Ögmundur JÓNASSON

Aleksandar JOVIČIĆ*

Anne KALMARI*

Erkan KANDEMIR*

Marietta KARAMANLI/Pascale Crozon

Niklas KARLSSON/Eva-Lena Jansson

Nina KASIMATI

Vasiliki KATRIVANOU

Ioanneta KAVVADIA

Filiz KERESTECİOĞLU DEMİR

İlhan KESİCİ

Danail KIRILOV*

Bogdan KLICH/Aleksander Pociej

Manana KOBAKHIDZE

Haluk KOÇ

Željko KOMŠIĆ/Saša Magazinović

Ksenija KORENJAK KRAMAR

Attila KORODI

Alev KORUN/ Barbara Rosenkranz

Rom KOSTŘICA

Elvira KOVÁCS*

Tiny KOX

Borjana KRIŠTO*

Florian KRONBICHLER*

Eerik-Niiles KROSS/Raivo Aeg

Talip KÜÇÜKCAN

Ertuğrul KÜRKÇÜ

Athina KYRIAKIDOU

Yuliya L OVOCHKINA*

Inese LAIZĀNE

Pierre-Yves LE BORGN'

Jean-Yves LE DÉAUT*

Luís LEITE RAMOS

Valentina LESKAJ

Terry LEYDEN*

Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE

Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER

Georgii LOGVYNSKYI

Filippo LOMBARDI

François LONCLE*

George LOUCAIDES*

Philippe MAHOUX

Marit MAIJ

Muslum MAMMADOV

Thierry MARIANI*

Soňa MARKOVÁ/Pavel Holík

Milica MARKOVIĆ

Duarte MARQUES*

Alberto MARTINS*

Meritxell MATEU

Liliane MAURY PASQUIER

Michael McNAMARA/Seán Crowe

Sir Alan MEALE*

Ermira MEHMETI DEVAJA*

Evangelos MEIMARAKIS

Ana Catarina MENDES*

Jasen MESIĆ

Attila MESTERHÁZY*

Jean-Claude MIGNON

Marianne MIKKO

Anouchka van MILTENBURG

Orhan MİROĞLU

Olivia MITCHELL*

Arkadiusz MULARCZYK

Thomas MÜLLER/Jean-Pierre Grin

Oľga NACHTMANNOVÁ*

Hermine NAGHDALYAN

Marian NEACȘU/Titus Corlăţean

Andrei NEGUTA

Zsolt NÉMETH

Miroslav NENUTIL

Michele NICOLETTI

Aleksandar NIKOLOSKI*

Johan NISSINEN/Markus Wiechel

Julia OBERMEIER*

Marija OBRADOVIĆ*

Žarko OBRADOVIĆ*

Judith OEHRI

Carina OHLSSON/Azadeh Rojhan Gustafsson

Suat ÖNAL

Ria OOMEN-RUIJTEN

Joseph O'REILLY*

Tom PACKALÉN

Judith PALLARÉS

Ganira PASHAYEVA

Florin Costin PÂSLARU*

Jaana PELKONEN*

Agnieszka POMASKA

Cezar Florin PREDA

John PRESCOTT*

Mark PRITCHARD*

Lia QUARTAPELLE PROCOPIO*

Carmen QUINTANILLA

Kerstin RADOMSKI/Sybille Benning

Mailis REPS/Jaak Madison

Andrea RIGONI

François ROCHEBLOINE

Melisa RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ

Helena ROSETA*

René ROUQUET

Alex SALMOND

Vincenzo SANTANGELO*

Milena SANTERINI*

Nadiia SAVCHENKO/Sergiy Vlasenko

Deborah SCHEMBRI*

Stefan SCHENNACH

Paul SCHNABEL*

Ingjerd SCHOU

Koos SCHOUWENAAR

Nico SCHRIJVER*

Frank SCHWABE

Predrag SEKULIĆ

Aleksandar SENIĆ*

Senad ŠEPIĆ

Samad SEYIDOV

Paula SHERRIFF

Bernd SIEBERT*

Adão SILVA

Valeri SIMEONOV*

Andrej ŠIRCELJ

Arturas SKARDŽIUS/Egidijus Vareikis

Jan ŠKOBERNE

Serhiy SOBOLEV

Olena SOTNYK

Lorella STEFANELLI

Yanaki STOILOV/Valeri Jablianov

Karin STRENZ

Ionuț-Marian STROE*

Dominik TARCZYŃSKI

Damien THIÉRY*

Antoni TRENCHEV*

Krzysztof TRUSKOLASKI

Goran TUPONJA*

İbrahim Mustafa TURHAN*

Nada TURINA-ĐURIĆ*

Konstantinos TZAVARAS

Leyla Şahin USTA

Dana VÁHALOVÁ

Snorre Serigstad VALEN

Petrit VASILI

Imre VEJKEY/István Hollik

Stefaan VERCAMER

Birutė VĖSAITĖ

Nikolaj VILLUMSEN/Rasmus Nordqvist

Vladimir VORONIN

Viktor VOVK*

Nataša VUČKOVIĆ*

Draginja VUKSANOVIĆ/Marija Maja Catović

Karl-Georg WELLMANN*

Katrin WERNER*

Jacek WILK

Andrzej WOJTYŁA

Morten WOLD/Ingebjørg Godskesen

Gisela WURM

Jordi XUCLÀ

Serap YAŞAR

Leonid YEMETS

Tobias ZECH*

Kristýna ZELIENKOVÁ

Marie-Jo ZIMMERMANN

Emanuelis ZINGERIS

Naira ZOHRABYAN

Levon ZOURABIAN

Vacant Seat, Cyprus*

ALSO PRESENT

Representatives and Substitutes not authorised to vote

Hans Fredrik GRØVAN

Kerstin LUNDGREN

Anne MULDER

Observers

Ulises RAMÍREZ NÚÑEZ

Partners for democracy

Abdelali HAMIDINE

Mohamed YATIM