AA18CR19
AS (2018) CR 19
2018 ORDINARY SESSION
________________
(Third part)
REPORT
Nineteenth sitting
Monday 25 June 2018 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.
(Sir Roger Gale, the most senior Vice-President of the Assembly, took the Chair at 11.35 a.m.)
1. Opening of the part-session
The PRESIDENT – I declare the third part-session of the 2018 ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe open.
When I found myself in this position a few months ago, I did not entirely expect that I would be occupying the same seat under similar circumstances again. I had the temerity to say, at that time, that I thought it would possibly be the shortest tenure of office of a President in the history of the Parliamentary Assembly. I think I can confidently say that this morning, you will be gratified to know, it will be even shorter.
It is a sad fact of political life that, as we say in Britain sometimes, the people have spoken – damn them! The fortunes of war have militated against Michele Nicoletti, our immediate past President, and it is a sadness, I am sure, on a non-partisan basis that he has lost his seat in the Italian Parliament and therefore will shortly have to forgo his seat in the Assembly. I know that the Assembly would want me to wish him well in whatever the future holds, and to thank him enormously, not just for his tenure of office as President of the Assembly but for the many years of service he has afforded as the leader of the Socialist Group, and before that. Michele, good luck, we wish you the very best. [Applause.]
2. Examination of credentials
The PRESIDENT – The first item on the agenda is the examination of Members’ credentials. The names of the members and substitutes are in Document 14581. If no credentials are challenged, the credentials will be ratified.
Are any credentials challenged?
The credentials are ratified. I welcome all new colleagues to what I trust will be happy and fruitful deliberations of the Assembly.
3. Election of the President of the Assembly
The PRESIDENT – The next item on the agenda is the election of the President of the Assembly. I have received only one candidature, set out in Document AS/Inf (2008) 08 rev: that of Ms Liliane Maury Pasquier from Switzerland.
I therefore declare Ms Maury Pasquier elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for this ordinary session.
Ms Maury Pasquier, Liliane, may I be the first to congratulate you on your election? Please come and take your chair of office. [Applause.]
(Ms Maury Pasquier, President of the Assembly, took the Chair in place of Sir Roger Gale.)
4. Address by the President of the Assembly
The PRESIDENT* – Ladies and gentlemen, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, Secretary General of the Assembly, I am deeply touched by the great honour that you have shown me and the confidence that you have placed in me by electing me President of our Assembly, and I thank you most sincerely. I will do my utmost to show myself to be up to the task of fulfilling this highly responsible role, which is as demanding as it is exciting. I thank my colleagues in the Swiss Parliament and delegation, my political group and all other political groups for having respected the agreements that we concluded, as well as those of you who have committed yourselves in recent years to the values of the Council of Europe. I thank you all for your invaluable support.
As you know, my election is the result of the unfortunate outcome of the latest Italian elections, which saw not only the victory of nationalist forces, but the non-re-election of my predecessor, Michele Nicoletti, to whom I wish to pay the tribute he deserves. From the moment he entered the Assembly, he embodied our values with strength and commitment. He has done a wonderful job of directing our work, seeking solutions to the various problems we face in a particularly difficult context, which I would call an institutional earthquake.
(The speaker continued in Italian.)
Dear Michele, the result of the Italian elections on 4 March was a shock to all of us, and I have no doubt that it must have been even more of a shock for you. Unfortunately, it painfully highlights the difficulties faced by all members of this Assembly, who must be present in their own country and constituency while also being active in Strasbourg. You rose to this challenge in the most commendable way, taking on the presidency of this Assembly and bringing your dedication, skills and commitment to finding solutions to the problems that weaken us. Sadly, that commitment has not been rewarded. Knowing you, I am sure that you will continue to work hard to promote the values we share and that we will have the opportunity to meet again to defend those values together. Thank you for everything. You have all my good wishes for the future. [Applause.]
(The speaker continued in French.)
Dear colleagues, the institutional earthquake to which I referred has shaken our Assembly, threatening to severely damage its credibility, its honour and, as a direct result, the confidence that citizens have in this institution. I am of course thinking of the allegations of corruption that have insidiously affected a body that is supposed to be, among other things, responsible for promoting democracy. That goes to show that, despite its limited decision-making power – one of the few areas where it does have that power is in the election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights – the work of our Assembly affects the images of its member States and the day-to-day lives of the peoples of Europe. Even before gauging the extent of the damage, the Assembly reacted to the evil that appeared to be eating away at it as early as 2012 by adopting a code of conduct. New developments since then prompted it last year to enhance the accountability of its members holding important elected positions and, above all, to adopt a genuine strategy to combat the cancer of corruption. That evil, although difficult to detect and even more difficult to prove, cannot be tolerated even where there are mere suspicions.
Like cancer, corruption affects the whole body – parliamentary in this case – and requires a long struggle. The Assembly as a whole, and each of its member States, therefore has a responsibility to apply and follow up on the measures recommended by the independent investigation body. Under my presidency, the Assembly will continue its efforts to regain its honour and move towards total transparency. However, national governments and parliaments must also, as the report calls on them to do, take the necessary measures in respect of the cases mentioned and report back to the Assembly by the end of 2018. Over and above the specific alleged cases, they must work to prevent corruption within their ranks.
If the crisis or earthquake that I have referred to ultimately makes it possible to build stronger foundations for the Assembly itself and for other national or international institutions, it will not have been in vain and, better still, will have helped to strengthen the values that we share. Those values are not for sale – no more than the Council of Europe can be bought through gifts or other undue promises. The values of the Council of Europe need more than ever to be promoted, transmitted and put into practice here, on the continent of Europe and beyond, because the headwinds do not blow only within this institution. The rise of extremism, violence and repression in a tense migration and security context requires us tirelessly to reaffirm what unites us loud and clear. Worrying developments and the major attacks in several European countries against freedom of expression, freedom of the media, freedom of assembly, equality and the protection of minorities make that a necessity. Human rights, democracy and the rule of law must turn the tide on suffering, exploitation and poverty. Our answer to exclusion, hatred and the ideology of “everyone for themselves” must be justice, solidarity and cohesion.
It will be impossible to promote peace without the active involvement of each and every one of us and the States that we represent. The spirit of exchange, dialogue and mutual respect for our differences, unity and diversity must enable us to work together. Despite a difficult financial situation, the Council of Europe and our Assembly in particular will not allow themselves to be weakened, even if that means redefining our priorities and working methods. While the Council of Europe cannot be bought, it will never let itself be sold off. I invite us all, as an Assembly, to see what it is that unites us and to resist the buffeting and battering that directly threaten this institution. These sovereigntist attacks are sometimes voiced by founding members of the Council of Europe – this powerful instrument for the protection of fundamental rights on the European continent. From simple mistrust to the suspension of the European Convention on Human Rights, not forgetting attempts to limit its scope, these challenges can also be seen in my country, Switzerland, which will soon be voting on a text designed to ensure the primacy of national constitutional law over international law. By attacking the Council of Europe and its fundamental instruments, the Convention and the Court, it is the citizens of Europe who are being attacked, thereby weakening their rights and their protection in their relationship with the State.
Staying with Switzerland for a while, my presidency will inevitably be imbued with the culture of my country, which has long practised direct democracy. During my term of office, I want to facilitate exchanges and help to get us working together to come up with constructive solutions. Just as I will be bringing something of Switzerland to Strasbourg, I will take something of Strasbourg back to Switzerland. I intend to take advantage of my presidency to promote the often little-known Council of Europe in my country and to strengthen the ties that historically, culturally and deeply unite my country with this institution. After all, Switzerland is the cradle of the Geneva Conventions, the Red Cross and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
(The speaker continued in English.)
Switzerland is multilingual, as is the Council of Europe. As you will have noticed, I speak here mainly in French, one of the official languages of the institution. That is not unintentional. Language is more than a simple means of communication; it is the very reflection of a culture, the differences between minorities and respect for our cultural diversity, all of which are part of the rich tapestry of Europe, necessitating the use of the multiple languages and resisting the predominance of a single language. That is why, even though I can speak and understand English, I now speak mainly in French, my own language, despite some forays from time to time into the language of Shakespeare. I hope that it will remain possible for us all to continue to speak as much as possible in our own languages in this Chamber.
I am also particularly proud to be a female President. So far, only three women have presided over this Assembly, and they did so wonderfully. Those women are: Leni Fischer, Anne Brasseur and Stella Kyriakides. I had the chance to see Anne and Stella in their role as President, and to appreciate their great qualities. In keeping with our values of equality and representation, I believe it is important to apply to ourselves the parity that we demand in other forums and contexts, such as, for example, in our lists of judges.
Although women are not a minority in society, when it comes to climbing political, economic and academic ladders, they mostly remain on the bottom rungs and, like oxygen, they become scarcer the higher one goes. We have a conviction that a true democracy cannot forget half of humanity, and that women must be represented with dignity, including in high office. I will seek to embody that during my presidency. The promotion of equality, its integration in all political fields and measures, and in the functioning of this Assembly, will be one of my priorities in line with the Council of Europe’s gender equality strategy 2018-23.
(The speaker continued in French.)
Colleagues, I have often found in the past that speeches lasted for too long, and I would not want to abuse the exceptional attention that you are giving me today. I simply stress again the importance that I attach to our work as Members of Parliament, and to the dignity of a Parliament that brings together representatives from 47 different countries around such important shared values. The term “Assembly” takes on its full meaning here. This is more than a meeting; it is a union rich in its diversity, which focuses on the Europe that we aspire to build together alongside our fellow citizens – a united Europe where respect for human dignity is the pillar of society. Thank you very much indeed for your attention and confidence. [Applause.]
5. Election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Italy
The PRESIDENT* – The next item on the agenda is the election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Italy. I have received a candidacy according to the rules, which is that of Mr Michele Nicoletti. If there is no request for a vote, the candidate proposed by the national delegation will be declared elected without the need for a vote.
Since there has been no request for a vote, under Rule 16.4 I declare Mr Nicoletti elected as Vice-President of the Assembly, with my congratulations. [Applause.]
Ms KYRIAKIDES (Cyprus) – On behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party, I wish to thank the outgoing President, Mr Nicoletti, for being such a calm and steady force over the past six months, and for looking forward and bringing about change, even in a short period. We have all appreciated his short presidency, and I hope we will be able to work with him closely in other areas in the future. I also welcome and congratulate the incoming President, Ms Maury Pasquier. I have had the honour of working with her in various committees and roles, and I am sure she will continue to work with transparency and credibility to strengthen our Assembly in fulfilling its role in protecting human rights and the rule of law. On behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party, congratulations Madam President.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you very much for those heartening words and for the invaluable co-operation that will continue to drive us forward.
Mr KOX (Netherlands) – I wish to say only that, probably for the first time ever, I do not have anything to add to the statement by the President of the Group of the European People’s Party, which I fully endorse.
6. Changes in the membership of committees
The PRESIDENT* – Our next business is to consider the changes proposed in the membership of committees, which are set out in document Commissions 2018 (06) and Addendum 1.
Are there any objections to the proposed changes? There are no objections, so the changes are agreed to.
7. Requests for debates under urgent procedure
The PRESIDENT* – Before we examine the draft agenda, the Assembly needs to consider two requests for debate under urgent procedure – a request from Mr Emmanuelis Zingeris and 24 other members for an urgent debate on “Threats to the health and life of Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea”, and a request from the Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group for an urgent debate on “International obligations of Council of Europe member States: to protect life at sea”.
For the sake of clarity, I point out that this morning the Bureau agreed to hold those two debates under urgent procedure, taking them in the sequence in which they were tabled. The Assembly must first consider the request for a debate under urgent procedure on “Threats to the health and life of Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea”. At the meeting this morning the Bureau expressed its support for that request, and recommended that the matter be debated during this part-session, as set out in the draft agenda. If the proposal is agreed to, we will decide the time and date for the debate when the agenda is agreed to. Does the Assembly agree to that recommendation for an urgent debate?
I see no objection.
The Bureau’s recommendation is accepted, and an urgent debate on “Threats to the health and life of Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea” will take place during this part-session.
The Assembly must now decide on the committee that will consider this issue, and we suggest that the debate we have just agreed to be referred to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights.
Is that agreed?
There is no objection, so the reference is agreed to.
At its meeting this morning the Bureau took note of the requests for urgent debate, and agreed to support a debate on “International obligations of Council of Europe member States: to protect life at sea”. It therefore recommends to the Assembly that this matter be debated during this part-session as set out in the draft agenda. If this is proposal is agreed to, we will decide the time and day for the debate when the agenda is agreed to.
Does the Assembly agree to this recommendation?
I see no objection.
The Bureau’s recommendation is accepted, and the debate on “International obligations of Council of Europe member States: to protect life at sea” will take place during this part-session.
The Bureau proposes that the topic of the debate we have just agreed to be referred to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons for the report.
Is that agreed?
There is no objection, so the Bureau’s proposal is accepted.
8. Adoption of the agenda
The PRESIDENT* – The next item of business is the adoption of the agenda for this part-session. The draft agenda was drawn up by the Bureau on 31 May 2018 and updated this morning, and it has been distributed.
I remind members that we have just agreed to hold two urgent debates. The Bureau therefore proposes that the urgent debate on “Threats to the health and life of Ukrainian prisoners in the Russian Federation and occupied Crimea” take place as the first item on business on Thursday morning. The Bureau also proposes that the urgent debate on “International obligations of Council of Europe member States: to protect life at sea” be incorporated into the planned joint debate on Wednesday afternoon, and that the Wednesday afternoon sitting be extended by 30 minutes until 8.30 p.m. to accommodate that.
Is the draft agenda agreed to?
I see no objection, so the draft agenda, as amended, is agreed to.
In the light of the large number of debates and in order to accommodate as many speakers as possible, the Bureau proposes that speaking time be limited to three minutes all week, except Friday.
Is that agreed? It is agreed.
9. Approval of the minutes of proceedings of the Standing Committee (Zagreb, 1 June 2018)
The PRESIDENT* – The minutes of the meeting of the Standing Committee in Zagreb on 1 June 2018 have been distributed (AS/Per (2018) PV 02).
I invite the Assembly to take note of these minutes.
10. Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee/
Observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan (11 April 2018)
The PRESIDENT* – The next item on the agenda is the debate on the progress report of the Bureau and Standing Committee, Document 14579 and Addenda 1 and 2, and Document 14582, presented by Mr Alfred Heer.
This will be combined with consideration of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau on the observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan on 11 April 2018, Document 14584, presented by Mr Viorel Riceard Badea.
I remind members that speaking time in this debate will be limited to three minutes. I will have to interrupt the list just before we adjourn at 1 p.m.
The debate will continue this afternoon, after the communication from the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers.
I call Mr Alfred Heer to present the progress report of the Bureau and Standing Committee. You have 13 minutes in total, which you may divide between presentation of the report and reply to the debate.
Mr Heer, you have the floor.
Mr HEER (Switzerland) – I congratulate you on your new job, Madam President, and thank our former President, Mr Nicoletti, for the job he did for us.
You have all received the files regarding the activities of the Assembly’s Bureau and Standing Committee. I was nominated as rapporteur for this session on the progress report, which covers the activities of the Bureau and Standing Committee in Zagreb on 1 June, and from the end of the last part-session on 27 April until 24 June. I take this opportunity to thank the Croatian authorities for the excellent organisation of the Standing Committee meeting in Zagreb.
First, the Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau on the role and mission of the Parliamentary Assembly had an exchange of views at its meeting in Zagreb on a revised memorandum prepared by its chairman, and decided to declassify it. The document lists the proposals of various participants and proposes concrete ways to follow up this work. It is based on contributions from 38 participants, including the six political groups. A draft report will be discussed by the Ad Hoc Committee at its meeting during this part-session on 26 June.
My second point is about the guidelines for the observation of elections by the Parliamentary Assembly and the code of conduct for international election observation missions. As is stressed in the guidelines, “the observation of elections plays an important role in the assessment of the democratic governance and the overall political situation of the country in question.” To ensure the credibility of the Parliamentary Assembly’s conclusions following election observations, new measures were introduced to prevent any undue influence. A new key element is the need to make a declaration of any actual or potential conflict of interest concerning Assembly members or members of their families, whether related directly or indirectly to the country concerned in an election observation.
The report on the observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan will be presented by my colleague, Mr Viorel Badea. There were also early presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey yesterday. The Assembly sent a 33 member delegation to Turkey to observe the conduct of those elections, alongside observers from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The delegation had planned to meet the presidential candidates; leaders and representatives of the political parties competing in the early parliamentary elections; the chairman and members of the Supreme Board of Elections; the Radio and Television Supreme Council; and representatives of the media and civil society before observing the voting on 24 June. I will not go into further detail, because it will be up to the group of election observers to write a report and present their findings to us on the elections in Turkey.
Thirdly, in the light of Resolution 1903 (2012): promoting and strengthening transparency, accountability and integrity of Parliamentary Assembly members”, on 31 May, the Bureau adopted new rules on access to and movement and security within the Council of Europe during sessions of the Parliamentary Assembly and meetings of Assembly committees and sub-committees, which are included in the progress report. They supersede the previous rules and decisions on that matter. The regulation is based on certain principles that the Assembly intends to promote in the organisation of its activities and its mode of operation: respect for the parliamentary function; serenity of parliamentary debates; confidentiality of certain parliamentary proceedings; efficiency of parliamentary work through an improvement in the level of participation; the safety and security of persons and property; and the principle of reciprocity in relations with non-parliamentary actors.
Fourthly, on 31 May, the Bureau decided to grant the title of honorary president to Ms Anne Brasseur, the President of the Assembly from 2014 to 2016. I thank Anne Brasseur for her great achievements throughout her membership of the Parliamentary Assembly and her leadership of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. I wish her all the best for the future.
I draw your attention to Document 14580, the follow-up to the report of the Independent Investigation Body. It is very important that the follow-up on the unfortunate topic of corruption is done properly. The President mentioned in her speech that corruption is destroying our work. We are glad that the Croatian chairmanship announced in Zagreb that this is one of its main priorities for the next half year.
As we have heard, an agreement has been reached between “The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” and Greece about the name. I do not want to comment on that further because it is not yet definite, but I will say that our former President played a very important role.
A point that does not affect us directly is that the United States, an old democracy, has left the United Nations Human Rights Council – a clear sign that multilateralism is not en vogue anymore. Needless to say, that is a hard hit to the institution, and we can only hope that it will not affect the Council of Europe. We are also a multilateral body and it is important that at least the Council of Europe will be able to fulfil its task during the coming months and years.
We also see the European Union in a crisis, if we consider what is happening with refugees. Every nation is looking out for itself and here, too, it seems that multilateralism is out of fashion. We can only hope and I urge members of the Council of Europe to think about each and every individual citizen of our 800 million people, and perhaps think less about our national State, national party or the issues that we represent, because at the end we all represent human rights, democracy and the rule of law for each and every citizen of our member States, from Iceland in the west to those furthest east, which are probably Azerbaijan or the Russian Federation.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Mr Heer. You still have four minutes to reply to the debate.
I now call on Mr Badea to present the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau on the observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan. You have three minutes, Mr Badea.
Mr BADEA (Romania)* – Thank you very much, Madame President, for calling me to speak.
The Assembly participated on 9 April to 11 April, as a delegation that I had the honour of leading, in the international observation election mission on the snap elections in Azerbaijan on 11 April. We had the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the OSCE on board as well. According to the public results that were released, Ilham Aliyev has won a fourth term as president for a seven-year period, with 87% of the vote on a turnout of about 75%, which is very much on a par with the elections in 2008 and 2013.
The elections had been planned for October 2018, but were brought forward to April. In 2016, there was a referendum and amendments to the constitution, which consolidated the powers of the president. An electoral code was introduced, governing the referendum. During the time that we were present, our delegation split up into 19 teams, which followed the elections in Baku and the surrounding region.
I will just underline the following main points as far as the electoral process is concerned. First, the electoral process occurred in an immature competition framework and there was a restriction on rights and fundamental freedoms, particularly the freedom of the media and freedom of expression, including for online journalism.
The Azeri authorities were positively minded towards the observers from outside, who were free to do their work in the pre-electoral period. The electoral administration had the necessary resources to prepare the elections in an effective way.
On the actual day of the election, however, there were many mistakes, including a lack of transparency, frequent infringement of electoral procedures and even insults and slander, which are still considered to be crimes in Azerbaijan. Since 2016, they have been crimes that lead to the perpetrator being sent to prison, and they include offences committed online. So, there was no criticism at all by the other seven candidates of the main candidate.
Given that context, there is a need for very close co-operation between the Baku authorities and the Council of Europe, particularly the Venice Commission, the OSCE and the ODIHR, to correct all the serious shortcomings that fell short of international standards during the election procedure.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Mr Badea.
We can now move to the speakers list, beginning with the speakers on behalf of political groups. The first speaker is Mr Andreas Nick from Germany, on behalf of the Group of the European People’s Party.
Mr NICK (Germany, Spokesperson for the Group of the European People’s Party)* – I will speak about three points that appear in the report on the activities of the Bureau. The first relates to the follow-up to the results of the independent investigation body in respect of corruption allegations. I refer to the Rules Committee and the chair of that Committee, and I thank them very much indeed for the fact that in a very short space of time that Committee was able to look into some of the most critical cases and arrive at very clear and transparent decisions.
An important step in terms of the credibility of this Assembly as a whole is the fact that we were able, very quickly but very fairly, to arrive at robust decisions. Colleagues who had unjustly been criticised or impugned were rehabilitated, as it were, but elsewhere, where it was necessary, we took the right and objective decisions.
As a second step, colleagues referred to have been asked to state their positions. I hope that they will avail themselves of that possibility and I hope that the national Parliaments and authorities that we called upon at the last part-session to take matters in hand proceed with the same sense of detail and thoroughness; I am referring in particular to my own country.
The other point I will refer to concerns election observation missions. I think we have adapted and adjusted our rules in that respect when it comes to observing elections, to ensure that the role of an election observer, if that role is to be performed properly, implies a measure of objectivity and neutrality. It is thanks to that that we can confer credibility on our work, and it is particularly important that we look critically at participation in unofficial election observation missions. I think we have agreed that, if someone participates in an unofficial election mission, they cannot participate officially in a Council of Europe election observation mission.
I will be a little bit critical. We know that we have members in Turkey and that one member of the Assembly acted as an OSCE member but was rejected by the Turkish authorities in that capacity. Notwithstanding the fact that we have to be unprejudiced, unbiased and neutral when it comes to election observation missions, there can be no question of individual colleagues being denied participation in an election observation mission.
I will just speak briefly about the Ad Hoc Committee. It is important after this week that we move on to the next stage, whereby we can come forward with specific proposals in the Rules Committee and the Political Affairs Committee, and that we make a clear distinction between procedural issues, which are very controversial politically, including in my own group, and which exercise the minds of many colleagues, and move into the next stage.
I express my thanks to past President Nicoletti and all those who have done some really good work in the context of the Ad Hoc Committee.
Mr SCHWABE (Germany, Spokesperson for the Socialist Group)* – Perhaps first of all, I can say as the new chairman of the group – I became chairman in a kind of domino effect – that we of course congratulate President Maury Pasquier, and we thank Mr Nicoletti for the excellent work that he has done at a very difficult time, when we have had to press integrity reset button, as it were, in this Assembly.
We have to realise that this Organisation has indeed reached a turning point – a turning point for democratic development in Europe. We could perhaps compare this phase to 1990 and the years that followed. Our democracies are under great stress, as are human rights, given the migrant situation, and all societies are going through this. If the Council of Europe did not already exist, it would have to be founded now. That is why it is so important that we have embarked on this phase, described in the report, to clarify the allegations against us. The networks that have been built up were intended not to protect human rights, but to protect the governments that are infringing on human rights. We need to attack those networks and introduce change. If we continue along that road, the Council of Europe will have an enormous opportunity to endow itself with new importance and integrity as a voice for democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
The new rules that have been introduced have been described as new rules for transparency. There is now the need to make declarations, and new rules about how we participate in international election observation missions – we have to fulfil all sorts of criteria. There are clear sanctions against people who fall foul of these rules. Mr Agramunt, Mr Xuclà, Mr Preda and others have been punished, and other cases are being discussed this week.
On the question of electoral observation, it is vital that we participate only if we do so jointly with the OSCE. We might think that we can do this with the ODIHR, but we are blind if we do not do it with the OSCE. We need to have people on board who are independent of the governments involved. That has now been clarified.
I would like briefly to say something about Azerbaijan, given that I participated in that election observation mission. I would not have thought that we would have to fight about who should be a member of that IEOM, or what our position would be on an election that clearly was neither free nor fair. That fight was very difficult, but I think that in the end we sent the right message, jointly with the OSCE. That is so important. I think that in future, having been endowed with these new rules, we will have fewer problems with such electoral observation missions.
Mr LIDDELL-GRAINGER (United Kingdom, Spokesperson for the European Conservatives Group.) – I congratulate you on your election, Madam President. I wonder whether any country or organisation represented here, private or public, would ever say, “Next year, our budget will stop in June or July.” We are going to run out of money, if we are not careful. The Secretary General, who unfortunately is not in his place, has said that we will be okay until next May or June, but what will we do after that? We have just gone through a very difficult time with corruption, as Frank Schwabe said, and now we are running out of money. Why? It is because the Russian Federation and Turkey have made decisions, based on their own ideas, and that is fine. That is up to them; this is a democratic Organisation. Would any country or organisation now say, “Well, we will wait to see what happens”? That isn’t good enough, colleagues.
If this Organisation is to thrive and survive, it has to be on a sure footing: one of democracy and our work on human rights, as we have just heard. But we are not hearing an awful lot about the budget. Unless we sort out the budget for next year, we will be in serious trouble. I am told, as a member of the Presidential Committee and of the Bureau, that the Secretary General has a cunning plan. Apparently he has already presented this three-point plan, but not to us. We need to know now, because the fickle finger of fate will point to all of us if we have financial problems. We will be asked why we did not sort this out. Will we all blame the Secretary General? No, because our countries will blame us. We are the democrats. We are the parliamentarians. We represent our nations and our parties here, and they will ask us what we did about this. What are we going to tell them? Will we say, “Well, we really didn’t have much to do with it, and we weren’t really sure what was going on”? That will not be good enough, colleagues.
This Organisation will be 70 years old next year. How can we tell people that we are going to have a wonderful celebration – incidentally, there is no budget for that anyway – but then we will have no money to carry on? I am told that this structure that we are sitting in is now unsafe, and that the only reason the French authorities have not shut it down already is that this is an international Organisation. That just about sums up the situation we are in. I urge colleagues to ask the questions: why are we in this position; and why is this Organisation, which depends on its own democracy to go forth, not taking seriously its responsibility to manage its own budget? Because that fickle finger of fate is starting to move. In one year’s time we will hit a brick wall. If anyone thinks that the Russians are coming back just because we balance our budget, they will have to think again.
Mr van de VEN (Netherlands, Spokesperson for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe.) – May I first congratulate you, Madam President, on behalf of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, on your election as President of our Parliamentary Assembly? We note that your candidacy did not give rise to a lengthy or heated debate. We thank Mr Nicoletti for his statesmanship in guiding us through a difficult period over the past six months.
I congratulate Mr Heer on an excellent report and on his introductory comments. I have two questions relating to corruption. First, our staff have spent a lot of time working on this issue, for example in the Ad Hoc Committee. I wonder whether they might be overburdened by this focus on corruption, and what the consequences might be for our other work. Does Mr Heer have a view on that?
Secondly, there is in the Parliamentary Assembly an awareness of corruption, but how is it developing? Mr Heer has been looking at the issue for the past three months. How does he think that awareness is developing, and are we really solving the problems? What does the future hold? The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe really wants us to follow up on this.
Mr KOX (Netherlands, Spokesperson for the Group of the Unified European Left.) – I thank our colleague Mr Heer for his progress report, which the Group of the Unified European Left endorses. I wish you well in your new role, Madam President. I wish our former President, Mr Nicoletti, well in his new career as an academic; I hope that in future we can invite him back to be an expert. First and foremost, however, he is now a Vice-President of our Parliamentary Assembly, and I congratulate him on that. I am looking forward to working with you, Madam President, although you are going to speak French and I am not going to speak Dutch, because I cannot afford that part of your proposal that we all speak in our native languages. Nevertheless, we will communicate in an excellent way.
By the way, the fact that we had this easy transition of power shows that our rotation agreement between the political groups is functioning, and I warn the Parliamentary Assembly that that means that in 2022 we will have a President from the Group of the Unified European Left sitting in the Chair. We will ensure that he or she tries to be as excellent as Michele was, and as you surely will be, Madam President.
I have one remark with regard to the Ad Hoc Committee. On Tuesday I hope that we will be able to adopt a report produced by Mr Nicoletti, and on Friday we will have the follow-up in the Bureau. We have already agreed that there will be a report from the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy – I have the honour to be its rapporteur on the future challenges facing our Assembly. On Friday, we have to decide on an immediate report from the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs about harmonising the rules of the Assembly with those of the Committee of Ministers.
We have to work hard. We have had this excellent discussion among the 47 member States, and now we have to ensure that we do not lose momentum but take decisions. In the end, we are politicians, and we cannot postpone decisions for ever and ever. In October, I hope that we will be able to address the questions posed by the report of Michele Nicoletti and to come to a decision. In the end, politicians take decisions, so that is something that should happen.
I have two last remarks, the first on Azerbaijan. Mr Badea produced an excellent report. It is harsh for the Azeri Government, but it is there, it is real and it has to have consequences. I say to Mr Seyidov, the leader of the Azerbaijan delegation: Mr Ilgar Mammadov should be released now.
I make a similar call to the Turkish delegation, which is largely not present, but some people are here: after the elections that took place yesterday, release Selahattin Demirtaş. Politicians should not be in prison; politicians should be in politics and parliaments. I hope that whatever the political group we are in, we can support that idea. It is good that the leaders of five of the political groups sent this message to Turkey: release Mr Demirtaş; he should not be in jail but in politics.
Ms FILIPOVSKI (Serbia, Spokesperson for the Free Democrats Group) – First and foremost, on behalf of the Free Democrats Group, I thank the honourable former President of the Assembly, Michele Nicoletti, for his dedication and commitment, and for his efforts and good work during the past six months as head of this Assembly. We wish you the very best for the future. We also congratulate the new President, Liliane Maury Pasquier. I wish you every success in your new role, and I look forward to working together for equality and the participation of all members and political groups of this Assembly.
We need to start a new phase with mutual trust and an assumption of faithfulness among the members if we are to overcome the atmosphere of the past few years. The Free Democrats Group commits to making this august Assembly a political forum devoted to enhance true dialogue and genuine co-operation among fellow and diverse parliamentarians. It is the Assembly’s responsibility to make that happen by implementing the recommendations of the report on the role and mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe promoted by Nicoletti.
I also point out that the elections that have taken place in recent months send us some clear messages about the urgent challenges in Europe. We cannot turn a blind eye to the evidence that the migration policies of recent years have been made piecemeal and do not provide a solution to this great challenge of our times. The result of yesterday’s elections in Turkey invites us to think about how important it is to keep channels of dialogue open between those who think differently. We celebrate any initiative to restore the calm and constructive atmosphere of this Assembly. However, we think that the conclusions of the investigation body should have dealt with allegations about other countries.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Mr Filipovski. The rapporteur has the opportunity to respond immediately to the spokespersons for the political groups, or at the end of the debate.
Mr HEER (Switzerland)* – I will speak now, please. I have two or three comments.
Mr Schwabe said that, if the Council of Europe did not exist, it would have to be founded today. One might also wonder whether in the present circumstances the Council of Europe can exist – that might be one of the sorry conclusions to reach.
(The speaker continued in English.)
Mr Liddell-Grainger asked us what we did in our national parliaments; I ask him what he did in his parliament – he could go to the British Parliament to ask for more money for the Council of Europe. If everyone did that, we would have enough money in our Parliamentary Assembly. So it is up to us, and we should not blame anyone else if we are running out of money. It is our fault, all of us – all our countries that are not willing to contribute more money to our institution.
In response to Mr van de Ven on corruption, the problem is that national legislation is different in every country. Corruption is not treated in the same manner, so what might be an offence in some people’s country might not be an offence in Switzerland or another country. That is the problem we should tackle. If we can find common ground in the Council of Europe to treat corrupt behaviour, we can treat it in the same way in all 47 member States.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Mr Heer. We now continue with the list of speakers. I call Mr Zsolt Németh.
Mr NÉMETH (Hungary) – On behalf of the Hungarian delegation, President, I thank your predecessor and congratulate you on your election.
I will touch on three subjects, the first of which is national minorities. I welcome the Croatian presidency, which is tackling the issue seriously. In Europe, 50 million people are from minorities. I welcome last week’s conference here in Strasbourg on the framework convention and the language charter. The Council of Europe can be proud of that mechanism. I urge you, Madam President and the whole Parliamentary Assembly, to strengthen it.
Secondly, on the western Balkans, I express more than satisfaction; I endorse the Greco-Macedonian deal. It is an important compromise of identities. For that very reason of identity, the situation has been extremely difficult, and now it is our job to bring in the Macedonians and the other western Balkan countries into the process of Euro-Atlantic integration.
Thirdly, illegal migration has been the most prominent issue in the recent Hungarian elections, as it is on the agendas of the European Union and the Council of Europe. In Hungary, soon after the elections we adopted the so-called “stop Soros” package, and I draw your attention to two of its features: first, making facilitation of illegal migration a criminal offence. Establishing that as a cross-European legal norm is an important question for the whole Council of Europe.
We have discussed multilateralism. Yes, multilateralism is important – European integration is a fantastic achievement – but so is constitutional identity. We must be flexible and accept constitutional solutions in member States. I am grateful to the Venice Commission for its co-operation and its report on the package. Thank you very much for your attention.
Ms SMITH (United Kingdom) – Congratulations on your election, Madam President.
The importance of the Council of Europe’s work is perfectly illustrated by its presence as an observer at elections, which highlights its role in promoting democracy. I served recently as a member of the Council of Europe delegation to the election observation mission in Azerbaijan. As has been said, that election took place in a restrictive political environment and under a framework that curtailed fundamental rights and freedoms. Even the nomination of candidates was problematic, with their verification a cause for particular concern. The campaign lacked genuine competition. Opposition candidates failed to openly challenge the presidential incumbent; indeed they actively supported his campaign to secure re-election. The media environment in which the election took place was highly restrictive, with a large proportion of output dominated by coverage of the incumbent and scarce opportunities offered to other candidates. On polling day itself, observers – me included – witnessed ballot box stuffing. Voting procedures were assessed negatively at 12% of the 1,300 polling stations, and observers assessed a disregard of procedures or deliberate falsifications at more than half the counts.
ODIHR’s initial findings and preliminary conclusions painted an accurate picture of the election, highlighting those concerns and many others. It was therefore surprising that, when the Council of Europe delegation was presented with those initial findings on the Friday morning following the election, attempts were made to undermine them and to recommend in their stead a favourable and positive picture of the election. Luckily, that attempt to undermine the work of ODIHR and of all the delegations present at the election did not succeed.
If this Organisation is to stand up for the rule of law, democracy and human rights, it must show integrity and report things as it sees them, rather than as it wants to see them. It must be allowed to report in a fair and factual manner, and it must always shine a light on any abuses, corruption or malpractice it witnesses in a democratic process. To do otherwise would bring this Organisation into disrepute, and rightly so. It would also be entirely wrong and against the founding principles of the Council of Europe.
Mr ARIEV (Ukraine) – First, let me congratulate you on your election, Madam President. I strongly believe that you will keep standards high and defend the values of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
I would like to say a bit more about the Ad Hoc Committee. Yes, we are in discussions about how to improve the functioning and work of the Assembly, but during the meetings I have attended the committee has focused on how to meet the Russian Federation’s requirements, or – let me say this clearly – its blackmail, with respect to its return to the Chamber. We should be more focused on how to make our procedure more transparent and how to exclude corruption from the Assembly. It is not the matter of the Russian Federation or other things but corruption – members of the Assembly doing favours to member States by closing their eyes to violations of human rights – that really erodes the Assembly. I hope that we do not do that with the Russian Federation. The Russian Federation should meet the requirements of the Council of Europe, but we are discussing how to change our rules to meet its requirements rather than how to compel it to meet the obligations and requirements it accepted when it entered our Organisation.
I understand that the Russian matter is important, especially given that the Russian Federation is using budgetary instruments against us, but I agree with Ian Liddell-Grainger that, at a time when we should be trying to understand whether we have enough money for things such as committee papers, it is not a good idea to arrange luxury receptions with chocolate fountains. Will we have a financial crisis but hold firm on our values, or have a crisis of values due to problems with our income? This is a turning point for the Assembly, and I hope that we give a proper answer to that question, based on the values of the Council of Europe.
Mr GONCHARENKO (Ukraine) – I congratulate you on your election, Madam President. I have witnessed your work in the Assembly for several years, and I feel that the main reason you are here is to defend the values of the Council of Europe, so I am sure you will be a good President of our Assembly, as Mr Nicoletti was. Unfortunately, that was not the case with Mr Agramunt, which is why the end of his time as a member of our Assembly was so shameful. I say not only to you, Madam President, but to everyone: please do not forget about those values.
This institution was established to defend core values such as human rights and the rule of law. On human rights, one of the worst things happening on our continent is what is occurring with the more than 70 Ukrainian prisoners in occupied Crimea, Donbass and the Russian Federation. Some of them, including film director Oleh Sentsov, are on hunger strike. Mr Sentsov has been on hunger strike for more than 40 days, so his life is on the edge. This is a question of life and death. I am thankful to the Bureau and to all Assembly members for agreeing to hold an urgent debate about that issue on Thursday, but I emphasise that everyone can contribute to saving those people’s lives: you can address the Russian ambassador in your country, you can raise questions with ministers in your national Parliament, you can bring the issue up with your president, and so on. This really is a question of life and death. The lives of more than 70 people depend on what we do here in our Assembly. That is why this issue is so important.
Since the Assembly’s last part-session in April, the Ukrainian Parliament, in close co-operation with the Venice Commission, has adopted a law to create an anti-corruption court. That court will be unique and specific to our country – you will not find one like it in any other country in Europe. We want to fight corruption. We understand that it is a huge issue and a big threat not only to our country but to the whole of Europe – and even to our Assembly, as we know from recent events. Please do not give anyone an opportunity to blackmail us. Do not give anyone an opportunity to say that any country – the Russian Federation, for example – can buy our indulgence and pay money to do whatever it wants. That is not right. We should fight corruption and the violation of human rights, and we should do so together. That is why this Organisation was founded, so let us go ahead.
Mr HUSEYNOV (Azerbaijan) – I was one of the official observers of the recent presidential elections in Azerbaijan, and I was extremely pleased that they turned out to be the expression of the will of the absolute majority of the people of Azerbaijan. Certain forces worked hard to prevent that from happening, however; they wanted the outcome of the elections to be not an expression of the people’s will, but an affirmation of their own intentions. I am glad that those black forces failed to overcome the will of the people of Azerbaijan. All those pressures had the counter-effect of increasing the confidence and loyalty of the Azerbaijani people towards their elected leader.
The year 2018 is a remarkable one for the people of Azerbaijan. Exactly 100 years ago, Azerbaijan established the first democratic republic in the Muslim east. One hundred years ago, Azerbaijan founded its first national parliament and granted the people a lot of freedoms. Azerbaijan gave women the right to vote and to be elected much earlier than did most of the countries represented here. Unfortunately, in 1920, Azerbaijan underwent occupation and was forced to live under a communist regime for 70 years. We have enjoyed our regained independence for 27 years, and we are on the path to democracy again. Because we lost our independence, we appreciate it perhaps even more than do the countries that have been independent for centuries. Our free, transparent and democratic elections are an additional confirmation of that independence.
On 28 May, our independence day, President Ilham Aliyev said that in former times there had been a lot of pressure on us from people abroad who did not want us to pursue our policy independently; they wanted us to follow orders and instructions from abroad. We did not agree with that, and no matter how difficult it was, we endured and struggled. We pursued our independent policy and progressed our country. Our President said that, today, those pressures almost do not exist. I do not think that they have completely gone, however; they target Azerbaijan’s independence, as well as those of our policies that are not dictated from outside. I believe with all my heart that no power can turn us from our right path, hinder our independent policy or break the will of our people. The course and outcome of the recent presidential elections are a triumph of the will of the Azerbaijani people, who have made the right choice.
Ms BARTOS (Hungary) – In the next few minutes, I want to share with colleagues some of my experiences and conclusions. I participated in the observation mission on the early presidential election, on behalf not of the Council of Europe, but of Centrist Democrat International. First, I thank the people of Azerbaijan for their hospitality. I spent three days in Baku, arriving the day before the election. On the day of the election, a Portuguese colleague and I visited 25 polling stations in the capital. We observed the opening and closing of the polling stations, as well as the subsequent counting of the votes. We did not see or learn of anything out of the ordinary in the transaction of the voting.
CDI produced a report that set out the collective experience of the mission. The report mentions some imbalances, which were mostly in the field of media coverage and the use of public funds. We remarked positively on the fact that the candidates were able to campaign without restriction. Restrictions on fundamental human rights such as freedom of assembly, association, speech and conscience were not observed during the election campaign. Although there were a few cases of misuse of administrative resources in favour of one candidate, the election campaign was held in a free environment.
During the preparations for the election, the meetings of the central election committee were open to media representatives, observers and non-governmental organisations. The final conclusion of the CDI mission was that the voting process was well organised; that the election was held in a democratic, transparent, free, fair and peaceful environment without unlawful interference; and that voters expressed their opinions freely. The invitation of international observation missions contributed to the transparency of the election. CDI considers that the outcome of the presidential election is an expression of the will of the people of Azerbaijan.
Let me end by mentioning some other multilateral and bilateral relations. Hungary supports the conclusion of the new partnership agreement between the European Union and Azerbaijan. In our view, Azerbaijan is a strategic partner in for the European Union, not only in the field of energy, but in areas including trade, transport and security. Hungary is proud to serve as NATO’s contact point embassy in Baku, because Azerbaijan is one of the most reliable alliance partners and plays a key role in regional security. There are many fields of co-operation, and participation in observation missions is just one of them.
The PRESIDENT* – I give the floor to the last of this morning’s speakers, Ms Pashayeva. The debate on the progress report will resume this afternoon.
Ms PASHAYEVA (Azerbaijan) – Dear friends, do you know how many international organisations observed the presidential election in Azerbaijan? The election was watched by 894 international observers, from 61 organisations and 59 countries. The majority of international observers are of the unanimous opinion that the presidential elections in Azerbaijan were transparent, free and democratic in line with the norms and principles of international standards. Most of them gave positive feedback about voters. Only the OSCE and the observation mission of the Council of Europe demonstrated a different position in the final report. Hundreds of international observers who directly observed the election said that it was free, fair, democratic and transparent, but the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe did not want to hear their voices. We have to ask: why?
The Parliamentary Assembly must put an end to double standards on Azerbaijan, because that approach is the biggest obstacle to the further expansion of co-operation between the Council of Europe and Azerbaijan. By actively participating in the presidential election in Azerbaijan, the people voted for their candidate. Equal opportunities were created during the propaganda campaign for the candidates. President Ilham Aliyev’s victory was predicted by a series of surveys held by foreign and domestic organisations prior to the election, as well as by the exit polls on election day. Heads of European and world countries, as well as Secretary General Jagland, congratulated the President of Azerbaijan on his election victory. Given all that, I call on colleagues to approach the issue with more objectivity, and I hope that they will do so.
Just 100 years ago, Azerbaijan was the first country to form a parliamentary democracy in the Muslim east, giving women the right to vote and stand for election. Serious steps are being taken to develop democracy in Azerbaijan since it regained its independence after fighting the Soviet occupation, and those reforms are ongoing. Given that Azerbaijan is a bridge between the west and the east – between the west and the Muslim world – it is important for us all that the Assembly shows greater support for Azerbaijan.
The PRESIDENT* – Thank you, Ms Pashayeva.
I must now close the sitting. We shall resume on this progress report at 4 p.m., following the communication from the Committee of Ministers.
You are welcome to attend the handover ceremony, which will take place in the lobby outside the Chamber.
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 agreed this morning.
The sitting is closed.
(The sitting was closed at 1 p.m.)
CONTENTS
1. Opening of the part-session
2. Examination of credentials
3. Election of the President of the Assembly
4. Address by the President of the Assembly
5. Election of a Vice-President of the Assembly in respect of Italy
6. Changes in the membership of committees
7. Requests for debates under urgent procedure
8. Adoption of the agenda
9. Approval of the minutes of proceedings of the Standing Committee (Zagreb, 1 June 2018)
10. Progress report of the Bureau and the Standing Committee/Observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan (11 April 2018)
Presentation by Mr Heer of the progress report of the Bureau and Standing Committee, Document 14579 and Addenda 1 and 2, and Document 14582.
Presentation by Mr Badea of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Bureau on the observation of the early presidential election in Azerbaijan (11 April 2018), Document 14584.
Speakers: Mr Nick, Mr Schwabe, Mr Liddell-Grainger, Mr van de Ven, Mr Kox, Ms Filipovski.
Response of Mr Heer, Rapporteur
Mr Németh, Ms Smith, Mr Ariev, Mr Goncharenko, Mr Huseynov, Ms Bartos, Ms Pashayeva
11. Next public business
Appendix / Annexe
Representatives or Substitutes who signed the register of attendance in accordance with Rule 12.2 of the Rules of Procedure. The names of members substituted follow (in brackets) the names of participating members.
Liste des représentants ou suppléants ayant signé le registre de présence, conformément à l’article 12.2 du Règlement. Le nom des personnes remplacées suit celui des Membres remplaçant, entre parenthèses.
ÅBERG, Boriana [Ms]
ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Thorhildur Sunna [Ms]
AGHAYEVA, Ulviyye [Ms]
AGRAMUNT, Pedro [M.]
AMON, Werner [Mr]
AMORUSO, Francesco Maria [Mr] (BERNINI, Anna Maria [Ms])
ANAGNOSTOPOULOU, Athanasia [Ms]
ANTTILA, Sirkka-Liisa [Ms]
APOSTOL, Ion [Mr] (GHIMPU, Mihai [Mr])
ARIEV, Volodymyr [Mr]
ARNAUT, Damir [Mr]
BAKRADZE, David [Mr]
BAKUN, Wojciech [Mr]
BALÁŽ, Radovan [Mr] (PAŠKA, Jaroslav [M.])
BARTOS, Mónika [Ms] (CSÖBÖR, Katalin [Mme])
BATRINCEA, Vlad [Mr]
BAYR, Petra [Ms] (HAIDER, Roman [Mr])
BECHT, Olivier [M.]
BENNING, Sybille [Ms] (BEYER, Peter [Mr])
BESELIA, Eka [Ms] (KATSARAVA, Sofio [Ms])
BEUS RICHEMBERGH, Goran [Mr]
BOSIĆ, Mladen [Mr]
BRENNER, Koloman [Mr] (GYÖNGYÖSI, Márton [Mr])
BÜCHEL, Roland Rino [Mr] (MÜLLER, Thomas [Mr])
BUSHKA, Klotilda [Ms]
CANNEY, Seán [Mr] (COWEN, Barry [Mr])
CEPEDA, José [Mr]
CHRISTODOULOPOULOU, Anastasia [Ms]
CHRISTOFFERSEN, Lise [Ms]
CHUGOSHVILI, Tamar [Ms]
CILEVIČS, Boriss [Mr] (BĒRZINŠ, Andris [M.])
CORSINI, Paolo [Mr]
COURSON, Yolaine de [Mme] (SORRE, Bertrand [M.])
DALLOZ, Marie-Christine [Mme]
D’AMBROSIO, Vanessa [Ms]
DAMYANOVA, Milena [Mme]
DONCHEV, Andon [Mr] (HRISTOV, Plamen [Mr])
EBERLE-STRUB, Susanne [Ms]
ESSL, Franz Leonhard [Mr]
FARMANYAN, Samvel [Mr]
FATALIYEVA, Sevinj [Ms] (GAFAROVA, Sahiba [Ms])
FOURNIER, Bernard [M.]
FRIDEZ, Pierre-Alain [M.]
GAILLOT, Albane [Mme]
GALE, Roger [Sir]
GATTI, Marco [M.]
GAVAN, Paul [Mr]
GHILETCHI, Valeriu [Mr]
GOGA, Pavol [M.] (KRESÁK, Peter [Mr])
GOGUADZE, Nino [Ms] (PRUIDZE, Irina [Ms])
GONCHARENKO, Oleksii [Mr]
GONZÁLEZ TABOADA, Jaime [M.] (BARREIRO, José Manuel [Mr])
GORGHIU, Alina Ștefania [Ms]
GORROTXATEGUI, Miren Edurne [Mme] (BUSTINDUY, Pablo [Mr])
GOUTTEFARDE, Fabien [M.]
GRAF, Martin [Mr]
GRECH, Etienne [Mr] (CUTAJAR, Rosianne [Ms])
GROZDANOVA, Dzhema [Ms]
GUNNARSSON, Jonas [Mr]
GUTIÉRREZ, Antonio [Mr]
GUZENINA, Maria [Ms]
HAJDUKOVIĆ, Domagoj [Mr]
HALICKI, Andrzej [Mr]
HASANOV, Elshad [Mr] (HAJIYEV, Sabir [Mr])
HEBNER, Martin [Mr] (KLEINWAECHTER, Norbert [Mr])
HEER, Alfred [Mr]
HEINRICH, Frank [Mr] (VOGEL, Volkmar [Mr])
HERKEL, Andres [Mr] (KROSS, Eerik-Niiles [Mr])
HOPKINS, Maura [Ms]
HOVHANNISYAN, Arpine [Ms]
HOWELL, John [Mr]
HUNKO, Andrej [Mr]
HUSEYNOV, Rafael [Mr]
JENSEN, Mogens [Mr]
JØRGENSEN, Jan E. [Mr] (HENRIKSEN, Martin [Mr])
KALMARI, Anne [Ms]
KAPUR, Mudassar [Mr] (EIDE, Espen Barth [Mr])
KARLSSON, Niklas [Mr]
KAVVADIA, Ioanneta [Ms]
KLEINBERGA, Nellija [Ms] (LAIZĀNE, Inese [Ms])
KOBZA, Jiři [Mr] (BENEŠIK, Ondřej [Mr])
KOPŘIVA, František [Mr]
KOVÁCS, Elvira [Ms]
KOX, Tiny [Mr]
KVATCHANTIRADZE, Zviad [Mr]
KYRIAKIDES, Stella [Ms]
KYTÝR, Jaroslav [Mr]
LACROIX, Christophe [M.]
LEITE RAMOS, Luís [M.]
LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Inese [Ms]
LIDDELL-GRAINGER, Ian [Mr]
LOGVYNSKYI, Georgii [Mr]
LOMBARDI, Filippo [M.]
LOPUSHANSKYI, Andrii [Mr] (DZHEMILIEV, Mustafa [Mr])
LOUCAIDES, George [Mr]
MAELEN, Dirk Van der [Mr] (DUMERY, Daphné [Ms])
MAIRE, Jacques [M.]
MALLIA, Emanuel [Mr]
MARKOVIĆ, Milica [Mme]
MARQUES, Duarte [Mr]
MASIULIS, Kęstutis [Mr] (BUTKEVIČIUS, Algirdas [Mr])
MASSEY, Doreen [Baroness]
MAURY PASQUIER, Liliane [Mme]
MAVROTAS, Georgios [Mr] (MEIMARAKIS, Evangelos [Mr])
McCARTHY, Kerry [Ms]
MEHL, Emilie Enger [Ms]
MELKUMYAN, Mikayel [M.] (RUSTAMYAN, Armen [M.])
MOTSCHMANN, Elisabeth [Ms]
MULARCZYK, Arkadiusz [Mr]
MUNYAMA, Killion [Mr] (TRUSKOLASKI, Krzysztof [Mr])
NAUDI ZAMORA, Víctor [M.]
NÉMETH, Zsolt [Mr]
NENUTIL, Miroslav [Mr]
NICK, Andreas [Mr]
NICOLETTI, Michele [Mr]
NISSINEN, Johan [Mr]
OBRADOVIĆ, Marija [Ms]
OBRADOVIĆ, Žarko [Mr]
OEHME, Ulrich [Mr] (BERNHARD, Marc [Mr])
OHLSSON, Carina [Ms]
OMTZIGT, Pieter [Mr] (MULDER, Anne [Mr])
OOMEN-RUIJTEN, Ria [Ms]
O’REILLY, Joseph [Mr]
PACKALÉN, Tom [Mr]
PANTIĆ PILJA, Biljana [Ms]
PARVIAINEN, Olli-Poika [Mr] (PELKONEN, Jaana Maarit [Ms])
PASHAYEVA, Ganira [Ms]
POCIEJ, Aleksander [M.] (KLICH, Bogdan [Mr])
POLIAČIK, Martin [Mr] (KAŠČÁKOVÁ, Renáta [Ms])
POMASKA, Agnieszka [Ms]
POPA, Ion [M.] (BRĂILOIU, Tit-Liviu [Mr])
PSYCHOGIOS, Georgios [Mr] (KASIMATI, Nina [Ms])
PUPPATO, Laura [Ms] (BERTUZZI, Maria Teresa [Ms])
RAUCH, Isabelle [Mme] (LOUIS, Alexandra [Mme])
REICHARDT, André [M.] (DURANTON, Nicole [Mme])
REISS, Frédéric [M.] (ABAD, Damien [M.])
REISS, Frédéric [M.] (ABAD, Damien [M.])
RIBERAYGUA, Patrícia [Mme]
RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ, Melisa [Ms]
SANDBÆK, Ulla [Ms] (KRARUP, Marie [Ms])
SCHÄFER, Axel [Mr]
SCHENNACH, Stefan [Mr]
SCHMIDT, Frithjof [Mr]
SCHOU, Ingjerd [Ms]
SCHWABE, Frank [Mr]
SEKULIĆ, Predrag [Mr]
SEYIDOV, Samad [Mr]
SHEHU, Tritan [Mr]
SMITH, Angela [Ms]
SOBOLEV, Serhiy [Mr]
STELLINI, David [Mr]
STEVANOVIĆ, Aleksandar [Mr]
STRIK, Tineke [Ms]
SUTTER, Petra De [Ms] (VERCAMER, Stefaan [M.])
SVENSSON, Michael [Mr]
TAMAŠUNIENĖ, Rita [Ms]
TARCZYŃSKI, Dominik [Mr]
THÓRARINSSON, Birgir [Mr] (ÓLASON, Bergþór [Mr])
TOMIĆ, Aleksandra [Ms]
TOUHIG, Don [Lord] (WILSON, Phil [Mr])
TRISSE, Nicole [Mme]
ULLRICH, Volker [Mr]
VAREIKIS, Egidijus [Mr]
VEJKEY, Imre [Mr]
VEN, Mart van de [Mr]
VENIZELOS, Evangelos [M.] (TZAVARAS, Konstantinos [M.])
VERDUCCI, Francesco [Mr] (QUARTAPELLE PROCOPIO, Lia [Ms])
VITANOV, Petar [Mr] (JABLIANOV, Valeri [Mr])
VOGT, Günter [Mr] (WENAWESER, Christoph [Mr])
WASERMAN, Sylvain [M.]
WOLD, Morten [Mr]
XUCLÀ, Jordi [Mr] (BILDARRATZ, Jokin [Mr])
YEMETS, Leonid [Mr]
ZINGERIS, Emanuelis [Mr]
ZOHRABYAN, Naira [Mme]
ZSIGMOND, Barna Pál [Mr]
Also signed the register / Ont également signé le registre
Representatives or Substitutes not authorised to vote / Représentants ou suppléants non autorisés à voter
AČIENĖ, Vida [Ms]
ATSHEMYAN, Karine [Ms]
AZZOPARDI, Jason [Mr]
EIDE, Petter [Mr]
FILIPOVSKI, Dubravka [Ms]
JORDANA, Carles [Mr]
JUHÁSZ, Hajnalka [Ms]
KANDELAKI, Giorgi [Mr]
KELLEHER, Colette [Ms]
KERN, Claude [M.]
LUNDGREN, Kerstin [Ms]
MAKHMUDYAN, Rustam [Mr]
MARUKYAN, Edmon [Mr]
MASŁOWSKI, Maciej [Mr]
OVERBEEK, Henk [Mr]
RUSSELL, Simon [Lord]
RUSTAMYAN, Armen [M.]
SHEPPARD, Tommy [Mr]
SOLEIM, Vetle Wang [Mr]
TORNARE, Manuel [M.]
ZAVOLI, Roger [Mr]
Observers / Observateurs
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Partners for democracy / Partenaires pour la démocratie
ALAZZAM, Riad [Mr]
ALQAISI, Nassar [Mr]
ALQAWASMI, Sahar [Ms]
AMRAOUI, Allal [M.]
MUFLIH, Haya [Ms]
SABELLA, Bernard [Mr]