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Sexta-feira, 15 de março de 2024 II Série-D — Número 21
XV LEGISLATURA 2.ª SESSÃO LEGISLATIVA (2023-2024)
S U M Á R I O
Delegações da Assembleia da República:
— Relatório referente à participação nas Reuniões do Bureau e da Comissão Permanente da Assembleia Parlamentar do Conselho da Europa (APCE), que tiveram lugar em Vaduz, Liechtenstein, nos dias 27 e 28 de novembro de 2023. — Relatório referente à participação na II Cimeira Parlamentar da Plataforma Internacional da Crimeia, que teve lugar em Praga, Checa, a 24 de outubro de 2023.
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DELEGAÇÃO DA ASSEMBLEIA DA REPÚBLICA
RELATÓRIO REFERENTE À PARTICIPAÇÃO NAS REUNIÕES DO BUREAU E DA COMISSÃO
PERMANENTE DA ASSEMBLEIA PARLAMENTAR DO CONSELHO DA EUROPA (APCE), QUE TIVERAM
LUGAR EM VADUZ, LIECHTENSTEIN, NOS DIAS 27 E 28 DE NOVEMBRO DE 2023
Vaduz, Liechtenstein, 27 e 28 de novembro de 2023
No âmbito da Presidência do Liechtenstein do Comité de Ministros (novembro de 2023 a maio de 2024), a
Assembleia Parlamentar do Conselho da Europa (APCE) realizou as reuniões do Bureau e da Comissão
Permanente, em Vaduz, Liechtenstein, nos dias 27 e 28 de novembro de 2023.
A Deputada Edite Estrela (PS), Presidente da Delegação da
Assembleia da República à Assembleia Parlamentar do Conselho da
Europa (APCE) e Vice-Presidente da APCE, participou em ambas as
reuniões.
Bureau, 27 de novembro
A reunião do Bureau teve início sob a presidência do Presidente
da APCE, Tiny Kox.
Da agenda da reunião (Anexo 1) destaca-se as comunicações do
Presidente da APCE, Tiny Kox, da Secretária-Geral e do Secretário-Geral Adjunto do Conselho da Europa, o
seguimento da Cimeira de Reiquiavique, a agenda da reunião da Comissão Permanente, o projeto da ordem
de trabalhos da 1.ª Parte da Sessão Plenária de 2024 (22 a 26 de janeiro) e a situação das Missões de
Observação Eleitoral realizadas e previstas (Polónia e Sérvia).
Pedidos de debates de temas de atualidade:
• «Espanha e Estado de direito: situação atual», apresentado pelo grupo CE/DA; os membros do Bureau
decidiram recomendar à Comissão Permanente a não realizar este debate;
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• «Espiral de violência e crise humanitária no Médio Oriente: encontrar uma saída pacífica», apresentada
pelos líderes dos grupos políticos; o Bureau decidiu recomendar à Comissão Permanente que realize
este debate e designou o Deputado Aleksander Pociej (Polónia, PPE/CD) como primeiro orador;
• «Orçamento e prioridades do Conselho da Europa e seguimento da Cimeira de Reiquiavique»,
apresentada pelos líderes dos grupos políticos; decidiu recomendar à Comissão Permanente a
realização deste debate e designou a Deputada Ingjerd Schie Schou (Noruega, PPE/CD) como primeira
oradora;
Primeira Parte da Sessão Plenária de 2024 (Estrasburgo, 22 a 26 de janeiro):
A Comissão acordou em realizar a Sessão segundo o modelo e de acordo com o calendário apresentado
pela Secretária-Geral da Assembleia Parlamentar, tal como estabelecido no anteprojeto de ordem do dia.
Decidiu que a Assembleia procederá à eleição dos juízes do Tribunal Europeu dos Direitos Humanos e de
outras personalidades de alto nível do Conselho da Europa, em conformidade com o procedimento normal de
votação secreta previsto no Regimento (n.º 11 do artigo 40.º), utilizando boletins de voto e urnas.
Observação das eleições
Polónia: Eleições legislativas antecipadas (15 de outubro de 2023): aprovação do Relatório da Missão de
Observação;
Sérvia: Eleições legislativas antecipadas (7 de dezembro de 2023): aprovou a lista dos membros da
Comissão ad hoc constituída para o efeito;
Comissão Permanente, 28 de novembro
A Sessão de abertura da Comissão Permanente
contou com as intervenções do Presidente da
Assembleia Parlamentar do Conselho da Europa,
Tiny Kox, e do Presidente do Landtag (Parlamento),
Albert Frick, seguindo-se uma troca de pontos de
vista com a Ministra dos Negócios Estrangeiros, da
Educação e do Desporto, Dominique Hasler.
O Presidente agradeceu à Presidência letã
cessante do Comité de Ministros e deu as boas-
vindas à nova Presidência do Liechtenstein. O
Presidente recordou que a guerra de agressão
levada a cabo pela Federação Russa continua a ter consequências desastrosas tanto dentro como fora da
Ucrânia. A paz e a justiça são mais necessárias do que nunca, incluindo no Médio Oriente, onde o ataque
terrorista do Hamas e a ação militar das Forças de Defesa de Israel já custaram milhares de vidas. O
Presidente exortou os parceiros da Assembleia em Israel e na Palestina a manterem o cessar-fogo e a
relançarem o processo de paz com vista a uma solução baseada na existência de dois Estados. Referindo-se
ao papel crucial da Assembleia na preparação da Cimeira de Reiquiavique e na obtenção do seu resultado
positivo, o Presidente salientou a importância de uma boa cooperação e de uma sinergia eficaz entre o Comité
de Ministros e a Assembleia na implementação das decisões da Cimeira. O sistema de proteção dos direitos
humanos deve ser reforçado, em especial garantindo a plena aplicação dos acórdãos do Tribunal Europeu dos
Direitos Humanos. O combate à violência contra as mulheres deve continuar a ser uma prioridade. A este
respeito, o Presidente remeteu para a declaração conjunta feita por ocasião da sua visita ao México e
congratulou-se com o compromisso assumido por este país no sentido de aderir à Convenção do Conselho da
Europa para a Prevenção e o Combate à Violência contra as Mulheres e a Violência Doméstica (Convenção
de Istambul).
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Da agenda (Anexo 3) destaca-se os debates de atualidade sobre «Orçamento e prioridades do Conselho
da Europa e seguimento da Cimeira de Reiquejavique» e «Espiral de violência e crise humanitária no Médio
Oriente: encontrar uma saída pacífica».
Evento sobre o Prémio Vigdís para o Empoderamento das Mulheres
No âmbito do evento sobre o Prémio Vigdís para o
Empoderamento das Mulheres, a Comissão Permanente
realizou um painel de debate interativo moderado pela
Deputada ucraniana Mariia Mezentseva, Presidente da
Comissão para a Igualdade e da Não Discriminação da APCE,
com a participação do Presidente da APCE, Tiny Kox, da perita
em igualdade de oportunidades do Liechtenstein, Bernadette
Kubik-Risch, do Presidente da Associação para os Direitos
Humanos do Liechtenstein, Wilfried Marxer e Rósa Björk
Brynjólfsdóttir, membro do painel de seleção do Prémio Vigdís
para o Empoderamento das Mulheres, Gabinete do Primeiro-
Ministro da Islândia, seguida de uma troca de pontos de vista (Anexo 5).
De salientar ainda os debates sobre «Modificação hereditária do genoma humano» (Comissão de Assuntos
Sociais, Saúde e Desenvolvimento Sustentável) e «O racismo institucional das autoridades policiais contra os
ciganos» (Comissão de Igualdade e Não Discriminação).
Foram adotadas a Resolução 2523 (2023) e a Recomendação 2264 (2023).
Palácio de São Bento, 11 de março de 2024.
A Assessora Parlamentar, Ana Maria Guapo.
ANEXOS
Anexo 1 – Agenda da reunião do Bureau;
Anexo 2 –Súmula da reunião do Bureau;
Anexo 3 – Agenda da reunião da Comissão Permanente;
Anexo 4 – Súmula da reunião da Comissão Permanente;
Anexo 5 – Registo do debate do painel interativo e da troca de pontos de vista.
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AS/Bur (2023) OJ 12 REV2 26 November 2023
Bureau of the Assembly
Draft agenda
This draft agenda, addressed to members of the Bureau of the Assembly, is the convocation to the meeting
Copy to secretaries of delegations and political groups, and Heads of Secretariats of the Assembly’s general committees
Meeting documents will be published on PACE Apps (restricted access)
Date: 27 November 2023 –2.30 pm to 5.15 pm
Venue: Vaduz (Vaduzer-Saal, Giessenstrasse 3, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein)
1. Communication by the President[AS/Bur (2023) 60]
2. Agenda[AS/Bur (2023) OJ 12 REV2]
Draft decision: to adopt the draft agenda
3. Minutes[AS/Bur (2023) PV 10; AS/Bur (2023) PV 11]
Draft decision: to approve the draft minutes of the meetings held on 9 and 13 October 2023
4. Communication by the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council ofEurope[Written communication]
Draft decision:to take note of the communication by the Secretary General and the Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the Council of Europe
5. Follow-up to the Reykjavik Summit
Draft decision: to take note of the information provided
6. Meeting of the Standing Committee in Vaduz (28 November 2023)
6.1. Requests for current affairs debates
On 14 November 2023, the EC/DA Group requested that the Assembly holds a current affairs debateon “Spain and rule of law; current situation”
On 26 November 2023, the leaders of the five political groups requested that the Assembly holds currentaffairs debates on “Priorities of the Council of Europe and follow up to the Reykjavik Summit” and on“Spiral of violence and humanitarian crisis in the Middle-East: finding a peaceful way out”
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ANEXOS
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Draft decision: to decide whether to recommend to the Assembly to hold these debates and, if so, to appoint the first speakers
6.2. Consideration of the draft agenda [AS/Per (2023) OJ 04 rev]
Draft decision: to take note of the draft agenda
7. First part-session of 2024 (Strasbourg, 22-26 January)[AS/Bur (2023) 59]
Draft decision: to draw up the preliminary draft agenda for the first part-session of 2024
8. Application for membership set out in the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the Secretary Generalof the Council of Europe, in line with Statutory Resolution (51) 30[Letter; CM/Del/Dec(2023)1464bis/2.4 ; DD(2022)200; AS/Bur (2023) 64]
Draft decision: to take note of the report submitted to the Bureau by the two eminent lawyers, and todecide to declassify it
9. References and transmissions to committees[AS/Bur (2023) 58; letter]
Draft decision: to approve the proposals contained in the document, to be ratified by the StandingCommittee
10. Elections observation
10.1. Poland: early parliamentary elections (15 October 2023)[Doc. 15861]
Draft decision: to approve the report by the observation mission
10.2. Serbia: early parliamentary elections (17 December 2023) [List; press release]
Draft decision: to approve the final list of members of the ad hoc committee to observe these elections
11. The situation of the children in Ukraine (Paris, 15 December 2023)[List]
Draft decision: to approve the list of members of the ad hoc committee to take part in the event and toappoint its Chairperson
12. Issues raised by committees
12.1. Committee on Legal Affairs and Human rights [Letter]
Draft decision: to decide whether to authorise Ms Azadeh Rojhan (Sweden, SOC) to carry-out a fact-finding visit to Kosovo* in early December 2023 (dates to be confirmed), in her capacity as Rapporteur for opinion on the “Statutory Opinion on the application for membership set out in the letter of 12 May
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security CouncilResolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
2022 addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in line with Statutory Resolution (51) 30”
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12.2. Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination [Letter]
Draft decision: to decide whether to authorise Ms Béatrice Fresko-Rolfo (Monaco, ALDE) to carry-out a fact-finding visit to Kosovo* in early December 2023 (dates to be confirmed), in her capacity as Rapporteur for opinion on the “Statutory Opinion on the application for membership set out in the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, in line with Statutory Resolution (51) 30”
13. Other business
Items possibly to be dealt without debate:
14. Composition of the Monitoring Committee, the Committee on Rules of Procedure, Immunitiesand Institutional Affairs and the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court ofHuman Rights[Lists of members]
Draft decision: to approve the lists of members
15. Meetings elsewhere than Strasbourg and Paris[AS/Bur (2023) 63]
Draft decision: to approve the proposals contained in the document
16. Dates and places of next meetings
Thursday 14 December 2023, 9 am, ParisMonday 22 January 2024, 8 am, Strasbourg (part-session)Friday 26 January 2024, 8 am, Strasbourg (part-session)
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security CouncilResolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
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SECRETARIAT
AS/Bur (2023) CB 12 28 November 2023
To the Members of the Bureau of the Assembly
Synopsis
of the meeting held in Vaduz on 27 November 2023
The Bureau of the Assembly, meeting on Monday 27 November 2023, in Vaduz, with Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly, in the Chair, as regards:
− Communications: took note of the communications by the President of the Assembly, the SecretaryGeneral and the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, and held an exchange of viewswith the Secretary General;
− Follow-up to the Reykjavik Summit: heard a presentation by the Director of Committees - HumanDignity and Sustainable Development, and took note of the information provided;
− Standing Committee in Vaduz (28 November 2023):
o took note of the requests to hold current affairs debates on:▪ “Spain and rule of law: current situation”, tabled by the EC/DA group, and decided to
recommend to the Standing Committee not to hold this debate;▪ “Spiral of violence and humanitarian crisis in the Middle-East: finding a peaceful way out”,
tabled by leaders of political groups, decided to recommend to the Standing Committee to holdthis debate and appointed Mr Aleksander POCIEJ (Poland, EPP/CD) as the first speaker;
▪ “Budget and priorities of the Council of Europe and follow up to the Reykjavik Summit”, tabledby leaders of political groups, decided to recommend to the Standing Committee to hold thisdebate and appointed Ms Ingjerd Schie SCHOU (Norway, EPP/CD) as the first speaker;
o updated the draft agenda;
− First part-session of 2024 (Strasbourg, 22-26 January):
o agreed to hold the forthcoming part-session along the modalities and according to the schedulepresented by the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly, as laid down in thepreliminary draft agenda;
o decided that the Assembly shall proceed to the election of judges to the European Court of HumanRights, and other high-level personalities of the Council of Europe, in accordance with thestandard secret voting procedure laid down in the Rules of Procedure (art. 40.11), using ballotpapers and boxes;
o drew-up the preliminary draft agenda;
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− Application for membership set out in the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the SecretaryGeneral of the Council of Europe, in line with Statutory Resolution (51) 30: took note of the reportby the two eminent lawyers appointed by the Bureau, who, according to established practice, drew upa report for the attention of the Bureau assessing the conformity of the applicant's legal system withCouncil of Europe standards, and decided to declassify it;
− References and transmissions to committees: approved the references and transmissions as set outin Appendix 1, subject to ratification by the Standing Committee;
− Elections observation:
o Poland: parliamentary elections (15 October 2023): approved the report by the observationmission;
o Serbia: early parliamentary elections (17 December 2023): took note of the statement by the pre-electoral observation mission and approved the final list of members of the ad hoc committee(appendix 2);
− The situation of the children of Ukraine (Paris, 15 December 2023): approved the list of membersof the ad hoc committee and appointed Ms Olena KHOMENKO (Ukraine, EC/DA) as Chairperson(appendix 3);
− Issues raised by committees:
o Committee on Legal Affairs and Human rights:authorised Ms Azadeh ROJHAN (Sweden, SOC) tocarry-out a fact-finding visit to Kosovo* in early December 2023 (dates to be confirmed), in hercapacity as Rapporteur for opinion on the Statutory Opinion on the application for membership setout in the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, inline with Statutory Resolution (51) 30;
o Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination: authorised Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO(Monaco, ALDE) to carry-out a fact-finding visit to Kosovo* in early December 2023 (dates to beconfirmed), in her capacity as Rapporteur for opinion on the Statutory Opinion on the applicationfor membership set out in the letter of 12 May 2022 addressed to the Secretary General of theCouncil of Europe, in line with Statutory Resolution (51) 30;
− Composition of the Committee on the Election of Judges to the European Court of HumanRights: on the basis of proposals by:o the SOC group, nominated Ms Gala VELDHOEN (Netherlands) as a member;o the UEL group, nominated Mr Frédéric MATHIEU (France) as a member;
− Meetings elsewhere than Strasbourg and Paris: authorised the ad hoc sub-committee to participatein the Helsinki Dialogue of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, to meet in Helsinki on 11-12 January 2024;
− Date and place of next meetings:
− Thursday 14 December 2023, 9 am, Paris− Monday 22 January 2024, 8 am, Strasbourg (part-session)− Friday 26 January 2024, 8.30 am, Strasbourg (part-session).
Isild Heurtin / Greta Faggiani
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in full compliance withUnited Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
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Copy to:
Secretary General of the Assembly Directors and all staff of the Secretariat of the Assembly Secretaries of National Delegations and of Political Groups of the Assembly Secretaries of observer and partner for democracy delegations Secretary General of the Congress Secretary to the Committee of Ministers Directors General Director of the Private Office of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Director of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights Director of Communication Permanent Representations to the Council of Europe
Appendix 1– References and transmissions to committees
A. REFERENCES TO COMMITTEES
− Responding to the violent attacks in the North of Kosovo*, Doc. 15845: transmission to the Committeeon Political Affairs and Democracy for consultation
− Tools to prevent and address transnational repression, Doc. 15847: transmissionto Committee on LegalAffairs and Human Rights for information [to be taken into account in the follow-up to the report on“Transnational repression as a growing threat to the rule of law and human rights”]
− Strengthening democracy through participatory and deliberative processes, Doc. 15848: reference tothe Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report
B. REQUEST FROM A COMMITTEE
− Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development (letter of 23 October 2023) : TheCouncil of Europe Development Bank: implementing the Reykjavík Declaration, Bureau decision:reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report
* Throughout this text, all reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population shall be understood in fullcompliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
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Appendix 2 – List of members of the ad hoc committee for the observation of the early parliamentary elections in Serbia (17 December 2023)
Chairperson / Président: Mr / M. Stefan SCHENNACH
Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group / Groupe des socialistes, démocrates et verts (SOC)
Mr / M. Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria / Autriche* Mr / M. Pierre-Alain FRIDEZ, Switzerland / Suisse Mr / M. Givi MIKANADZE, Georgia / Géorgie Mr / M. Yunus EMRE, Türkiye Mr / M. Antonio GUTIÉRREZ LIMONES, Spain / Espagne Ms / Mme Gökçe GÖKÇEN, Türkiye
Group of the European People’s Party (EPP/CD) / Groupe du Parti populaire européen (PPE/DC)
Ms / Mme Jorida TABAKU, Albania / Albanie Mr / M. Pauli AALTO-SETÄLÄ, Finland / Finlande Mr / M. Corneliu-Mugurel COZMANCIUC, Romania / Roumanie* Mr / M. Andreas NIKOLAKOPOULOS, Greece / Grèce Mr / M. Georgios STAMATIS, Greece / Grèce**
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) / Alliance des démocrates et des libéraux pour l’Europe (ADLE)
Ms / Mme Tamara VONTA, Slovenia / Slovénie* Mr / M. Mehmet AKALIN, Türkiye Mr / M. Damien COTTIER, Switzerland / Suisse Mr / M. Sjoerd WARMERDAM, Netherlands / Pays-Bas Ms / Mme Liliana TANGUY, France (EPP/CD’s seat)
Substitutes / suppléant.e.s Mr / M. Dean PREMIK, Slovenia / Slovénie Mr / M. Jean-Pierre GRIN, Switzerland / Suisse
European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance (EC-DA) /Groupe des Conservateurs européens et Alliance démocratique (CE-AD)
Mr / M. José María SÁNCHEZ GARCÍA, Spain / Espagne Mr / M. Harald WEYEL, Germany / Allemagne zz
Group of the Unified European Left (UEL) / Groupe pour la gauche unitaire européenne (GUE)
Ms / Mme Laura CASTEL, Spain / Espagne*
Substitutes / suppléant.e.s Mr / M. Antón GÓMEZ-REINO, Spain / Espagne Ms / Mme Sevilay ÇELENK ÖZEN, Türkiye
Co-rapporteur.e.s AS/MON (ex officio)
Mr / M. Axel SCHÄFER, SOC / Germany / Allemagne
Venice Commission / Commission de Venise Mr / M. Óscar SÁNCHEZ MUÑOZ, Substitute member, Spain / member suppléant, Espagne Mr / M. Michael JANSSEN, Administrator, Venice Commission / Administrateur, Commission de Venise
* members of the pre-election delegation / membres de la délégation préélectorale**awaiting non-conflict of interest declaration / en attente de la déclaration de non-conflit d’intérêt
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Appendix 3 – List of members to participate in a PACE co-operation activity on “The situation of the children of Ukraine” (Paris, 15 December 2023)
Chairperson / Présidente : Ms / Mme Olena KHOMENKO (Ukraine, EC/DA / Ukraine, CE/AD)
Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development / Commission des questions sociales, de la santé et du développement durable
Ms / Mme Laryza BILOZIR (Ukraine, ALDE / Ukraine, ADLE) Ms / Mme Sena Nur ÇELİK (Türkiye, NR / Türkiye, NI) Mr / M. Murat Cahid CINGI (Türkiye, NR / Türkiye, NI) Mr / M. Jean-Pierre GRIN (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE) Ms / Mme Olena KHOMENKO (Ukraine, EC/DA / Ukraine, CE/AD) Ms / Mme Evhenia KRAVCHUK (Ukraine, ALDE / Ukraine, ADLE) Ms / Mme Carmen LEYTE (Spain, EPP/DC / Espagne, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO (Spain, SOC / Espagne, SOC) Mr / M. Alain MILON (France, EPP/CD / France, PPE/DC) Mr / M. Simon MOUTQUIN (Belgium, SOC / Belgique, SOC) Mr / M. Georgios STAMATIS (Greece, EPP/CD / Grèce, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Maria SYRENGELA (Greece, EPP/CD / Grèce, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Liliana TANGUY (France, ALDE / France, ADLE)
Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons / Commission des migrations, des réfugiés et des personnes déplacées
Ms / Mme Nerea AHEDO (Spain, ALDE / Espagne, ADLE) Ms / Mme Aysu BANOĞLU (Türkiye, SOC) Mr / M. Paul GAVAN (Ireland, UEL / Irlande, GUE) Ms / Mme Meryem GÖKA (Türkiye, NR / Türkiye, NI) Lord Leslie GRIFFITHS (United Kingdom, SOC / Royaume-Uni, SOC) Mr / M. Konur Alp KOÇAK (Türkiye, NR / Türkiye, NI) Ms / Mme Ada MARRA (Switzerland, SOC / Suisse, SOC) Ms / Mme Mariia MEZENTSEVA (Ukraine, EPP/CD / Ukraine, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Ester MIELI (Italy, EC/DA / Italie, CE/AD) Ms / Mme Esther PEÑA (Spain, SOC / Espagne, SOC) Mr / M. Paulo PISCO (Portugal, SOC) Mr / M. Theodoros ROUSOPOULOS (Greece, EPP/CD / Grèce, PPE/DC) Lord Simon RUSSELL (United Kingdom, EC/DA / Royaume-Uni, CE/AD) Ms / Mme Domenica SPINELLI (Italy, EC/DA / Italie, CE/AD) Mr / M. Ionuț-Marian STROE (Romania, EPP/CD / Roumanie, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Khatia TSILOSANI (Georgia, SOC / Géorgie, SOC) Ms / Mme Pelin YILIK (Türkiye, NR / Türkiye, NI) Ms / Mme Sandra ZAMPA (Italy, SOC / Italie, SOC)
Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media / Commission de la culture, de la science, de l’éducation et des médias
Mr / M. Pauli AALTO-SETÄLÄ (Finland, EPP/CD / Finlande, PPE/DC) Mr / M. Rino Roland Rino BÜCHEL (Switzerland, ALDE / Suisse, ADLE) Lord George FOULKES (United Kingdom, SOC / Royaume-Uni, SOC) Mr / M. Claude KERN (France, ALDE / France, ADLE) Ms / Mme Miroslawa NYKIEL (Poland, EPP/CD / Pologne, EPP/CD) Ms / Mme Fiona O’LOUGHLIN (Ireland, ALDE / Irlande, ADLE) Mr / M. Pavlo SUSHKO (Ukraine EC/DA / Ukraine, CE/AD) Mr / M. Birgir THÓRARINSSON (Iceland EPP/CD / Islande, PPE/DC)
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Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights / Commission des questions juridiques et des droits de l’homme
Mr / M. Pablo HISPAN (Spain, EPP/CD / Espagne, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Anna-Kristiina MIKKONEN (Finland, SOC / Finlande, SOC) Ms / Mme Susana SUMELZO (Spain, SOC / Espagne, SOC)
Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy / Commission des questions politiques et de la démocratie
Ms / Mme Elena BONETTI (Italy, ALDE / Italie, ADLE) Ms / Mme Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA (Latvia, EPP/CD / Lettonie, PPE/DC) Mr / M. Gonzalo ROBLES (Spain, EPP/CD / Espagne, PPE/DC) Ms / Mme Oleksandra USTINOVA (Ukraine, ALDE / Ukraine, ADLE)
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F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex | pace@coe.int | Tel: + 33 3 88 41 2000
AS/Per (2023) OJ 04 rev4 27 November 2023
Standing Committee
Revised draft agenda
of the meeting to be held
in Vaduz on Tuesday 28 November 2023 from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 14:30 to 17:30
(Venue: Vaduzer-Saal, Main Hall, Giessenstrasse 3, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein)
1. Opening of the meeting by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly
2. Opening speech by Mr Albert Frick, President of the Landtag
3. Exchange of views with Ms Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport ofLiechtenstein
CM/Inf (2023) 25CM/Inf (2023) 26
4. Examination of new credentials Doc. 15862
5. Modifications in the composition of committees Commissions (2023) 08 Commissions (2023) 08 Add. rev
6. (Possibly) Request for a current affairs debate (under Rule 53 of the Rules of Procedure)
Spain and the rule of law: current situationBudget and priorities of the Council of Europe and follow-up to the Reykjavík SummitSpiral of violence and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East: finding a peaceful way out
7. Agenda
Adoption of the revised draft agenda
AS/Per (2023) OJ 04 rev4
8. First part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly(22-26 January 2024)
Consideration of the preliminary draft agenda
AS/Bur (2023) 59
This document is the convocation to the meeting for the members of the Standing Committee
Copy for information to the Secretaries of delegations and political groups
Members who wish to present amendments are invited to table them in writing with the Table Office as follows:
Deadline for tabling amendments: Sunday 26 November 2023 at 10:00
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9. References to committees
Consideration of the proposals submitted by the Bureau of the Assembly
AS/Per (2023) 13
10. (Possibly) Current affairs debate
Budget and priorities of the Council of Europe and follow-up to the Reykjavík Summit
11. Event on the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment
Interactive panel discussion moderated by Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equalityand Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly, with the participation of:
Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s
Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland
Exchange of views with members of the Assembly
At 14:30
12. (Possibly) Current affairs debate
Spiral of violence and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East: finding a peaceful way out
13. Observation of elections
Observation of the parliamentary elections in Poland (15 October 2023)
Chairperson of the Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau:Ms Mireille Clapot (France, ALDE)
Debate
Doc. 15861
14. Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Heritable genome editing in human beings
Rapporteur of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development:Mr Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC)
DebateVote on a draft recommendation
Doc. 15855
15. Equality and Non-Discrimination
Institutional racism of law enforcement authorities against Roma and Travellers
Rapporteur of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination:Mr Jean-Pierre Grin (Switzerland, ALDE)
DebateVote on a draft resolution
Doc. 15856
16. Other business
17. Next meetings
Paris, March 2024 (meeting to be confirmed)Vilnius, Lithuania, 24 May 2024
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F – 67075 Strasbourg Cedex | pace@coe.int | Tel: + 33 3 88 41 2000
SECRETARIAT
AS/Per (2023) CB 04 28 November 2023
To the members of the Standing Committee
Synopsis of the meeting held in Vaduz, Liechtenstein on 28 November 2023
The Standing Committee, meeting on 28 November 2023 in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, with Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Assembly, and Mr Darko Kaevski, Vice-President of the Assembly, in the Chair:
- heard an opening speech by Mr Albert Frick, President of the Landtag;
- held an exchange of views with Ms Dominique Hasler, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sportof Liechtenstein, President of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers;
- ratified the credentials of new members of the Assembly submitted by the delegations of France andNorway;
- approved the changes in the composition of Assembly committees;
- took note of the preliminary draft agenda of the first part-session of the Assembly (22-26 January 2024);
- ratified the references proposed by the Bureau (see Appendix);
- held a current affairs debate on “Budget and priorities of the Council of Europe and follow-up to theReykjavík Summit”;
- within the framework of the Event on the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, held an interactivepanel discussion moderated by Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality andNon-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly, with the participation of Mr Tiny Kox, President ofthe Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe; Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunitiesexpert, Liechtenstein; Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein;and Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’sEmpowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland, followed by an exchange of views;
- held a current affairs debate on ”Spiral of violence and humanitarian crisis in the Middle East: finding apeaceful way out”;
- took note of the report of the Ad hoc Committee of the Bureau on the Observation of the parliamentaryelections in Poland (15 October 2023);
- unanimously adopted the following texts on behalf of the Assembly:
Recommendation 2264 (2023) Heritable genome editing in human beings Resolution 2523 (2023) Institutional racism of law enforcement authorities against
Roma and Travellers
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- decided to hold its next meetings as follows:
• Paris, March 2024 (meeting to be confirmed)• Vilnius, Lithuania, 24 May 2024.
Valérie Clamer, Ayşegül Elveriş
cc. Secretary General of the Parliamentary AssemblyDirector and all staff of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary AssemblySecretaries of National Delegations and of Political Groups of the AssemblySecretaries of observer and partner for democracy delegationsSecretary General of the CongressSecretary to the Committee of MinistersDirectors GeneralDirector of the Private Office of the Secretary General of the Council of EuropeDirector of the Office of the Commissioner for Human RightsDirector of CommunicationPermanent Representations to the Council of Europe
APPENDIX
References and transmissions to committees
A. REFERENCES TO COMMITTEES
1. Tools to prevent and address transnational repressionDoc. 15847Motion for a resolution tabled by Mr Constantinos Efstathiou and other members of theAssembly
Transmission to Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights for information
2. Strengthening democracy through participatory and deliberative processesDoc. 15848Motion for a resolution tabled by Mr George Papandreou and other members of the Assembly
Reference to the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy for report
3. The Council of Europe Development Bank: implementing the Reykjavík Declaration
Reference to the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development for report
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VERBATIM RECORDS of the Interactive Panel discussion and the exchange of views
in the framework of the Event on the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment which took place in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, on 28 November 2023
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Dear President, dear Secretary General, honourable members of PACE, dear Secretariat, we are continuing the existing tradition of me having the pleasure to moderate the Vigdís Prize ceremony for Women's Empowerment. And today indeed, we are finalising our initiative and it is going to be the first time we are dedicating this Prize to amazing women. And I would like to start this part of our session with the intervention of the President of the Assembly, Mr Tiny Kox. Dear Tiny, the floor is yours.
Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Thank you very much. Six months ago in Reykjavík, I had the honour of launching the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, in the presence not only of Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, of Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and of PACE Equality Committee Chairperson Mariia Mezentseva, but also alongside the woman who has given her name to the Prize, former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman in the world to be elected as a Head of State. As we did so then, we pay tribute to her as a champion of women’s rights and a model for us all, men and women alike. I truly believe that we are progressing towards a world where women leaders will no longer be an exception, or even a minority, and for that we can be eternally grateful to women like Vigdís. She and others have shattered the glass ceilings in all parts of society, in all of our member States and partner countries, and have paved the way for gender equality which must be at the heart of genuine democracy. Today, we are launching the all-important second stage in the process, which is the call for candidates for this new annual Prize, designed to reward outstanding initiatives to promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity. My thanks to the Liechtenstein Parliament for hosting this event and for raising its visibility through the meeting of the Standing Committee. Dear colleagues, I ask all of you to share the call for applications and to propose candidates from among your relations in civil society, those who are working tirelessly to promote gender equality, equal access to participation and decision making, economic equality and inclusive policies and practice. You will be contributing to making the Prize a meaningful success and putting these people in the spotlight, where they should be. The 60 000-euro award will certainly help the winner to multiply their action for the good. As I said back in May, taking my inspiration from Vigdís’ own words, women’s empowerment has progressed from “impossible” to “inevitable”. The Parliamentary Assembly has been a forerunner in advocating for women’s independence, autonomy and indeed, empowerment. The creation of the Prize with the generous financial and political support of Iceland is another tool in our toolkit for building a better future. I take this opportunity to congratulate and thank the six members of the Selection Panel of the Prize, which I will personally preside. The panel is represented here today by our dear friend and ally, Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, with whom we are delighted to be co-operating again. The call for candidates will close next February, and the Prize will be presented during the Assembly’s June part-session. It will be very exciting to follow the process and I am really looking forward to seeing a good number of deserving candidates, thanks for all your proposals! Now before our interactive panel discussion begins, we will watch a video on Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and on “her” Prize, produced by the Assembly’s Communication division using footage from Icelandic archives. Enjoy the view!
[Video projection]
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Indeed, dear friends if the world will be saved, it will be by women. This is what President Vigdís’ message is to all of us, specifically in the challenging times, while several of our member States are going through the international armed conflicts. We hope for the victory and for the peace. And of course, it was such a great pleasure to know the President, even before we launched this Prize, when Iceland started ranking annually the most advanced policies in gender equality in the world. Now, I would like colleagues to come back to our program and we have distinguished panellists today with us. We will have them answering each, two questions and I would like to ask to do it briefly. I will be asking those questions. I would like to present the speakers. We have among them not only President Tiny Kox, but also Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein. We have Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein. We have Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland. So, I would like to not waste the time so we can have discussions with parliamentarians further on. And the first question goes to President Tiny Kox. We will make a small
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pause while our distinguished panellists will take their seats at the podium. Please, dear guests take your seats […] Thank you, dear friends, we may continue now. Dear Tiny, together with the government of Iceland, Parliamentary Assembly is in the heart and in the origin of this Prize by creating it and naming it after President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman in the world to be elected as Head of State. And we've seen how many achievements she achieved. This was to ensure equal access and the participation of women in decision making. How do you possibly see the contribution of the Prize to the empowerment of women and young girls?
Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Thank you very much. I think that the Prize helps us to understand that women's empowerment is not a given, but it's acquired. Women empowerment is not given by us, good man, “here you got the bit of power”, no, you acquire. And it is up to men to accept it, to understand it and to understand that by empowering women you also improve the position of men. So, in the end, there is something in for us as well. And I think this is very important in the Prize. We saw this beautiful video. Thank you very much for making it. It says it all. If we want to save the world, it will be done by women. This does not say too much because men are quite good in organising chaos and problems and a lot of misery. So, we need women to save the world. And I hope that men are able and will understand that we can play our role by empowering women. Nobody loses, everybody wins.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Dear Tiny, I think you have started answering my second question. How can men support this process of empowering women and girls?
Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe First, by being a bit humbler than we normally are, and secondly, by understanding - as I said - you do not lose anything by making it possible that women acquire empowerment. They do it by themselves. And of course, it is good and great if there is support from everybody who understands that you do not lose anything, you win something. And when we use big words like we have to save the world, if we forget about half of humanity, all women and girls on earth, then it surely will not function. So at least you could say, let us give it a try. So, let us be humble men. But if we can play a role and we are invited to do so, I would be most grateful to do my fair share.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much, dear Tiny. I think you are a role model not only as a president, but also with this frank and simple advices which every man and boy can do. Dear Ms Kubik-Risch, you have been working on gender equality for many years, including as Head of Equal Opportunities Unit with Liechtenstein State Administration. How has your country evolved over the years? Could you share about some milestones in Liechtenstein's gender equality policy, please? The floor is yours.
Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein Thank you very much. First of all, I just want to say that when the Head of the Liechtenstein delegation asked me a few weeks ago whether I would be prepared to take part in this event and say a few words, I was really keen to do so because Liechtenstein embarked on the process of equality very late in the day. And I think that this Prize is a very strong and hard-hitting signal for private organisations and others here in Liechtenstein. So, I am very grateful indeed to you for that. I mean, remember that we only introduced voting rights for women in 1984. Since then, however, we have made great strides forward on all levels. Now, specifically on your question on the various milestones in our country, there are very few really for me to home on into, but I think that the most important, of course, was enshrining equality between men and women in the Constitution. And in the same year, the Liechtenstein Parliament, the Landtag, directed a motion to the Government which called on it to ensure that any provisions which were not yet in alignment with the principle of equality should be brought into compliance. And I think that that constitutes a significant milestone. Now, we also adopted specific legislation on the equality of men and women in the workplace and that specific law was then further expanded and we transposed EU directives. A third milestone that I would just like to mention is that in 2001, Liechtenstein introduced a comprehensive law on protection against violence. And then in 2020, the Liechtenstein parliament ratified the Istanbul Convention and subsequently the Government constituted a co-ordination group to enforce that convention. But we have done more than just pass laws. We have also put in place a raft of different proposals and measures in a variety of different areas. And often, that process was done in conjunction with NGOs. I think that Liechtenstein has a thriving civil society, a host of different women's organisations as well, which have been active in this process.
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Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much indeed for that. And I have another question for you. Historical fact, dear colleagues. Women's suffrage was only introduced in Liechtenstein in 1984 and this was an important step in achieving full and effective gender equality, followed by many other measures. Do you see, Ms Kubik-Risch, a need, an extra need for action in Liechtenstein today? And if so, which are these areas? Thank you.
Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein Thank you very much. Well, obviously, even though a great deal has been done over the last 40 years, clearly Liechtenstein still has work to do. We need to have balanced representation of men and women in decision-making roles. We also need to decriminalise termination of pregnancy in Liechtenstein. We also need to have better division of paid and unpaid labour in Liechtenstein. We are also waiting for paid parental leave and have been waiting an awful long time for that as well. So, fair distribution of labour. Now, we have a legal basis for these things, but I think much remains to be done in terms of awareness raising for that to catch up. And I think that that has a lot to do with trying to break away from stereotypical roles. So obviously, we want to involve politics as well as the business world in order to push forward even further with equality.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly I would like to remind dear colleagues, the latest countries to be ratifying the Istanbul Convention were Ukraine, then the United Kingdom, and we expect more to follow because indeed, women's rights are human rights, and it involved deeply in the research that it contributes the developments of our economies and some of our member States currently are going through stagnation, but also with the new-born babies. The law that can emphasise the right of parental leave not only for women, but also for men in Ukrainian parliament. It was practically implemented by our members, for instance. Thank you very much. And we move on to our next distinguished speaker, Mr Wilfried Marxer. Dear Mr Marxer, you are regarded as THE human rights expert in Liechtenstein, having worked extensively on key issues such as minority rights, religious tolerance and the fight against extremism, which is also at the heart of our work in the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination. And this is just a few areas, there are many others where you were involved. You have also investigated women's political participation, political and social equality between women and men, and the challenges that remain to be addressed. In this context, can you tell us more about transformative power of the gender equality and women's empowerment which you gathered in your experience?
Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein Well, no, that is very difficult to do. Talking about the transformative force, I mean, we have already heard that you cannot get very far without women and Liechtenstein came to women's equality very late in the day. So, we have got an awful lot of catching up to do. Now, over the last 40 years, since women have had the right to vote, we have, I believe, been pioneering and an awful lot has changed in society. Ms Kubik-Risch talked about the various milestones, something that would have been scarcely conceivable 40 years ago. And that is why we are so very grateful that pressure came from outside. The international community never gave up pushing a country to improve. We have got a monitoring process, for example. I mean, it is not that everything was orchestrated from the outside, rather it came from within. A growing awareness amongst people in Liechtenstein in recent decades. So, there has been a shift in mentalities which has given rise therefore to those milestones and the force of women. Now, of course, it would be a great thing if we could raise women's voices even more and try and increase women's representation because we've got a great deal to do. We have got 60% of government members who are women. That is a terrific achievement. Of course, we have got the Government elected by parliament, but we have got only 20% in parliament. And if you look at local authorities, you can see that only twelve out of eleven posts are occupied by women. And so, there is a great deal of catching up to do there. Now, women, of course, often heavily involved in their families and do not have equal pay. A great deal to be done when it comes to equality in the workplace. So again, we have got still a way to go. And men, of course, I think need to become more involved in the whole process and make sure that they do their bit when it comes to work in the care sector, for example.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Dear Mr Marxer, you said that is impossible to answer such complicated question. I will put another, even more complicated question now and that might need PhD research, but what would be the measures that should be taken, if we dream about it, to achieve fully the women's empowerment?
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Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein So, looking at Liechtenstein, there was a popular initiative. We have direct democracy here, of course. We have these civic initiatives and referendums, and we had initiative on introducing quotas in politics. So, you would have, say, equal representation of men and women in parliament. Now, that was rejected, and we have to live with that. And so, we have now to embark on a laborious process, try to raise consciousness and we have to put women into leadership positions. But that of course is the job of political parties in politics. They have to promote women and make sure they are given prominence in election campaigns, for example. But you have to make sure that all the various preconditions are in place. If you look at local authorities, for example, meetings are held in the evening and a lot of women say, well, I cannot take part in meetings in the evening. So, all kinds of small changes that would be helpful and that I think, would bring about greater representation. I remember in 1968, for example, when you had the first girls attending grammar schools because prior to that date it had only been boys and you actually had then higher proportions of girls passing their school, leaving examinations. But again, this is a process. I mean, you have to look at the root causes. You mean, are there some careers which are not particularly attractive to women? Are women not promoted sufficiently within companies? Is it possibly difficult to reconcile a part-time job with a leadership role? Is it difficult to work from home and have leadership jobs? I mean, look at all the potential that is there, particularly look at education. It is something that we should capitalise on for society but also make sure that people are able to fully realise their personal potential. So, make sure they can be involved in politics as well as work perhaps in the care sector as well as in their families. But again, that is something where men have to do their bit and not simply expect all of that to fall to women. It is not sufficient simply to have equality of opportunity at legal level. You have to make sure that is possible at a practical level and women can fulfil that potential.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you, Mr Marxer, to mention one important thing, and this is, of course education. How do we present the understanding of young girls to be addressing the issue of their further jobs and workplaces? That a girl can become an engineer, IT specialist, fly to the space and many other technical issues. Funny to say, going from Zurich here, I saw in the parking lot special spaces. It says ladies and they are painted in red. There are different ways of encouraging women being part, being active part in the society. But the final effect of every member State is coming also from educating our population. And this is extremely important. Thank you for being a promoter of women's rights and empowerment while being a man. Thank you so much for your professional work. We go ahead to our dear friend and speaker who is very well known to you, dear colleagues. And this is Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, our dear colleague and she's a member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment and currently works in the Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland. Dear Rósa, you were closely involved in the creation of the Vigdís Prize, and I can only imagine what it symbolises personally to you, but also for all Icelandic women. And this is named after your President. We have seen in this important short movie how she empowered not only the office, the institution of the President, but also all the women around, being meanwhile the only woman at the table. How do you think we can see the award meaning generally for such country as Iceland?
Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland So first of all, I want to express my gratitude for being here with you, dear colleagues and on this occasion, it is wonderful when we are opening the calls for candidates for this important award. So, Madame Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, she is actually regarded in Iceland as a national treasure. So, whenever she and her legacy are rewarded, we all feel extremely proud. And as our Prime Minister, Ms Katrín Jakobsdóttir said when we launched the Prize in Reykjavík, in Iceland, this spring at Vigdís Finnbogadóttir House, Katrin said Vigdís is the role model of a whole generation, my generation. And her influence is still great as she continues to be an important figure and presence in Iceland. She was a beloved President who influenced the public discourse in Iceland on many subjects. And as you mentioned, Mariia, it's not only the statues, but also what you achieve and what you put your accent on which issues. So, Madame Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, she had most influence, as we saw here in the video, on gender equality, environmental issues, cultural diversity and not least in the field of languages. So, her election as the first woman elected Head of State was of course phenomenal. But we have to remember it did not come out of the blue. Five years earlier, the first women's strike in Iceland had occurred and that resulted to the Icelandic Parliament issuing and passing a gender equality bill in 1976, thus adopting an official gender policy in the country. So, these were the events that led up to her election. But her election also made huge changes. It was not only symbolic. When she was elected as a divorced single mother, women only made up 5% of parliamentarians in Iceland. But when she ran
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and became the first female elected Head of State anywhere in the world, it changed everything in Iceland and also elsewhere, I hope. And just by looking at numbers, we can see that after her election, the number of women parliamentarians rose from 5% to 15% in the coming term, and the next coming term it rose up to 20.6%. So, her election made marks because the increased number of women in parliament meant that they fought for issues that was not considered real issues before, such as parental leave, such as day care and to diminish the gender pay gap. So, none of these issues were seen as major issues before that. So, I also want to mention because we have talked a little bit about men and their support. Vigdís herself mentioned quite often how important the support of men was during her campaign, especially fishermen and sailors. They came out openly to support her so in these typical male dominant sectors, because they realised how important the role of women back home was. So that was quite beautiful.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much. That is very interesting to know how it was developing and of course we know that was the really first step electing Vigdís as a President to the today's achievement seen in Iceland as a championship in gender equality. But Rósa, what do you think can be a powerful message to the younger ones, to the younger generations? As we see in our member States, sometimes they do not even come to elections. Not even talking about being a candidate for local or national elections.
Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland So being an Icelandic woman who was five years old when Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was elected and 21-year-old when she quitted her post, I know personally how me, and my generation were influenced by the fact of having a woman as a Prime Minister. So, the main reason, for example, this Prize and putting into the limelight the hard work that champions for gender equality are working day by day is, of course, for promoting role models, because the role models have to be there for the generation to come. And it is very interesting to see my colleagues here from Liechtenstein who has been fighting recently in our view this fight for gender equality. And I hope they will look at us and we are always open to give advice and share our experience. But even in Iceland we have great challenges still. We have domestic violence, we have a system that we have to improve better for the gender equality but I really want to emphasise the importance of being a role model, have as many role models in front of us for the generation to come and for other women who passes on to the younger generation that everything is possible. And as Madame Finnbogadóttir told herself to Guardian in an interview in 2017, she said “women thought, if she can, I can”. So, the aim of these prizes is to reward outstanding initiatives promoting the empowerment of women in all their diversity, to create role models for other women and girls who are fighting for gender justice. And it is therefore very fitting for the Vigdís Prize to be named after her. And I want to finish, if I may, Mariia, on behalf of my country and my Prime Minister, Ms Katrín Jakobsdóttir, who is the second female to be Prime Minister of Iceland. I want to give my sincere thanks to the members of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination that have facilitated the launching of the Prize, with, of course, the tireless support of the President of PACE, Tiny Kox. Thank you so much. And to his dedicated staff. So, thank you so much for this support.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much indeed. I experienced that phrase myself. I met Vigdís in 2017 in Reykjavík for the Women Parliamentary Platform, and at that time I was a city Council member, being under constant challenges from the mayor and his ruling majority back then, God bless his soul, made many jokes about young women in local parliaments where Ukraine was struggling, the new generation of politicians. And currently, we're also numbering them, not only in numbers, but also the quality. You are very right, dear Rósa. This is the role model that young leaders, young generation might have, or so-called mentors who can advise so that they don't waste time on such stories which I have had in my past. Thank you very much for your interventions, dear panellists, but this is not over yet. We will now give the floor to our members of the Assembly for their remarks. I have already in my list three colleagues who indicated a wish to speak. And this is, of course, our dear friend Franziska Hoop, the Chairwoman of the Liechtenstein delegation. Franziska, the floor is yours.
Franziska Hoop (Liechtenstein, ALDE) Thank you, Mariia. Mr President, speakers, dear colleagues, on behalf of the Liechtenstein delegation, I would like to thank the panellists most warmly for the important and interesting things that they have said. Iam delighted to see so many Liechtensteiners here today. Particular thanks to Ms Kubik-Risch and Mr Marxer. Thank you for agreeing to come along. Gender equality still has not been achieved. The orange days that are taking place at the moment show us just how frequently domestic violence
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still occurs and how often we see gender inequality across Europe. And combating this requires our hardest work, and I believe that civil society plays a central role here. They are often at the front line when it comes to promoting equality and to fighting for that, and we must thank them most warmly for that and, of course, show our greatest respect. I am delighted that the Council of Europe is honouring this by launching the Vigdís Prize. And it is great to see that we will be awarding the Prize for the first time in the year that we will also celebrate the 75th anniversary of our Organisation, which is wonderful. Thank you very much.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you, dear Franziska, for your leadership and, of course, yet again for having us all here. Next on my list is the Chairwoman of Latvian delegation. Zanda, are you here? The floor is yours, please.
Ms Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica (Latvia, EPP/CD) Thank you, Mariia. And thank you all for this very important discussion. Indeed, gender equality and women empowerment are very topical. We have achieved important milestones in these issues already. But nevertheless, the road ahead is long and consists of many, many challenges even in the most developed and equal countries. Countries where we can witness progress in equality must show benefits from openness and inclusion and by that, encourage and inspire others. And this is why the initiative like the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment is very significant indeed. The first woman elected Head of State in the world, president of Iceland Vigdís, as well as her successors and here allow me to mention for me personally a very significant person, Latvian first woman president, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga. They are excellent examples of women empowerment and serve as inspiration for many, many women and men around the world in everyday life. So, allow me also to linger on memories of this spring when together with women at PACE and in the leadership of Despina, we organised breakfast meeting in Riga with distinguished Dr Vīķe-Freiberga. And I think indeed these women who already have their experience as leaders, like Latvian President, Icelandic President and also including you, Mariia, here, are strong and respectful symbols of equality and women empowerment. And if we have more of these examples, we can achieve more. And that is why I think such meetings and such initiatives like Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment give us strengths and believe that there is nothing that we cannot achieve, and it shapes a better future for all of us. And allow me to share with you a hope that this week Latvia will be another country joining the club of those who ratified the Istanbul Convention. We will have a vote in two days - on Thursday - in our parliament. We are going through a difficult kind of discussions because the level of disinformation that our country is facing right now, it is quite incredible and enormous. So, I hope that we will succeed the vote and I hope that all of you will be in your thoughts with us on Thursday and keeping your fingers crossed. Thank you.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Brilliant news. And I wanted to say that we will all pray, but then I remember these religious organisations in many member States who were going through this war against the ratification. But we still will pray you will make it. Thank you, for your leadership and we are going to the next leader, the Chairwoman of the Culture Committee, Yevheniia Kravchuk, who has the floor.
Ms Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE) Thank you, Mariia. Thank you to all the guests in the panel. I think it is a very important topic and I would like to thank again the Equality Committee for the leadership in this process. And I would like to refer to the resolution to the report that I did in the Equality Committee. It was about the role of women during conflicts and peace reconciliation. And I want to underline again that of course, during conflicts, during the wars, women are in most vulnerable group, but at the same time women are leaders. I think Ukraine has been setting an example having three women in Bureau and Standing Committee of PACE and I think it is a vivid example of what women can do, women from Ukraine. And as well I would like to underline that very important topic is ensuring that women participate in economic development in building of the economies. In Ukraine, we are discussing now the facility plan for 50 billion euros to receive from the European Union and together with our cabinet ministers, we made sure that gender aspect is one of the criteria to judge to receive this money because women have to be in the front line of the economic development. And for sure we together with Mariia and Olena Khomenko will make all possible that women will be in all the active roles in the recovery plan and reconstruction of Ukraine. Thank you.
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Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you, dear Yevheniia for mentioning this case and the instrument of gender equality in State funds and the funds of international partners, which is very important. Next on my list is our Swiss friend and representative who was re-elected recently and congrats to her, Ms Sibel Arslan. Please, the floor is yours. Welcome back.
Ms Sibel Arslan (Switzerland, SOC) Thank you very much Mariia. I would like to ask my question in German. So, I would like to thank the members of the panel. Thank you very much. Somebody mentioned the role of women in business. Well, in Switzerland, Liechtenstein’s neighbouring country of course, we are also discussing the shortage of skilled workers and talking about the need to ensure that women who have the necessary skills also have the necessary family support so that they can become more involved in the workplace. And perhaps we can hear a little more advice about how we might draw on the potential of women. Now I also want to talk about peace processes, women being involved in peace process negotiations. We know that negotiating or discussions tend to last longer. These processes go on for longer when women are involved. 30% longer. And so, I think it is a very good idea to ensure that our foreign policy is also firmly anchored on the principle of gender equality. Thank you.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Three more speakers and then we come back to the panel to answer a very important question on peace resolutions and economic elements. The next on my list I have Fiona from Ireland. Please, dear Fiona, the floor is yours.
Ms Fiona O’Loughlin (Ireland, EPP/CD) Thank you Mariia and thank you of course for your leadership in relation to this. And when we think of female leaders, we only have to look at the top table and look at Despina also in terms of her encouragement and support, particularly of the women's group that has formed. Two of the most genuinely inspirational moments that I have had since becoming a member of PACE have been the meeting with Vigdís and with the former President in Latvia. And I just want to say that is just incredible news that within two days we are going to have the vote in relation to the Istanbul Convention. But I think the wisdom and the experience, and I am very conscious that we are where we are because of standing on the shoulders of women like those two incredible women. So, we should never stop looking for inspirational role models. And I think that is true within all of our own countries, maybe not to the same degree. And I think it would be interesting if from every one of our 46 member States that we were able to look at providing centrally into the women's group, just maybe one or two women within our own countries and something about them that has inspired us on our own role and on our own path. And I can immediately think of two in my own country. Constance Markievicz, who was not just the very first woman elected to the Irish Parliament, but the very first woman elected to the Westminster Parliament and the second female minister in the whole world. And the other would be Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who it took 60 years for another minister, female minister, and she decriminalised homosexuality in Ireland only 30 years ago. So, again, really, really strong women. And I think that we all learn so much collectively from these women that are inspiration to all of us. In terms of the Vigdís Prize, I think is a great thing to do and I am just wondering how we can communicate it, how we can encourage women to enter, what the process is going to be. As the Chair of the Women's Caucus in Ireland, I am conscious that as of yesterday, the gender pay gap kicked in and as we say, women are working for free for the rest of the year from yesterday. Being a member of a parliament where we still only have 24% women, we all have a lot to do. So, we have to inspire one another, we have to learn from one another, and we have to, I think, collectively support women where we can. The previous speaker spoke about the peace process and the voice of women in peace. The peace process in Ireland would never have come about if it wasn't for the National Women's Coalition and for women like Eileen Paisley, who was wife of Dr. Ian Paisley, who said that eventually she was able to when she saw her grandchildren being born, she was able to persuade her husband that she wanted her grandchildren to grow up in a time of peace. So, the voice of the women both elected in positions, but also the voices of women who had influence over men who were elected, were really, really important. But thank you. I think this is a wonderful initiative and I really wish you the very best of luck. Thank you.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much, dear Fiona, thank you for bringing concrete examples. And I think all 46 parliaments are united in the endeavours for better representation of women, and not only. Finally,
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friends, we are going to hear from our men members. And this is the chairman of the Social Committee, Mr Simon Moutquin. You have the floor, Mr Moutquin.
Mr Simon Moutquin (Belgium, SOC) Thank you very much. And I am honoured to be the first man to take the floor. Now, I heard people talking about improving the conditions for women to be able to take power. Well, that depends on men as well. I think it is often quite striking to see how much more frequently men take the floor than women in our Assembly, for example. But let me ask a question to the President. What is being done within the Organisation on the staffing side to ensure that we have a better balance between men and women? And then secondly, I want to talk about the environment because my committee has looked into the link between breast cancer and environmental issues, and we have also looked at the high prevalence of breast cancer among women who work night shifts. We also know that there are other aspects here as well. Just one simple example. Women seem to learn to swim less frequently than men, therefore they are more likely to drown. So, all sorts of things that we need to look at and one thing I would like to point out is that in Belgium, and I don't always go around blowing my own country's trumpet, but we have set up some excellent centres for victims of domestic violence where women can go. They can go and bring their case because the police are there, they can get counselling and psychological assistance. We have the necessary professionals all in one place. And I think it is a really excellent model that ought to be spread out across Europe. I would invite you most warmly to come to Belgium and have a look at what we are trying to do for women who suffer such domestic violence. We have had 24 such murders of women just this year alone so far.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you for bringing up the issue of breast cancer. And by the way, this is not only women who have it is also men with a lower percentage, but still, it is very dangerous disease. I have two more brilliant colleagues on my list and the first one is Iulian Bulai, the President of ALDE. Please, Iulian, the floor is yours.
Mr Iulian Bulai (Romania, ALDE) Thank you so much, Mariia, thank you and congratulations for this great leadership on this initiative. And I would also welcome amongst us Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir and thank her and the government of Iceland for this great decision of this Prize. I was in that room six months ago and it was extraordinary to be there to see how history was written. And there are, of course, many things to be proud of within this Organisation when thinking of this extraordinary fight that we all have to fight, not only women, but also the partners for this cause, including men. And it is right to give credit to the women in the Assembly who are doing a great job and I think the first and the greatest credit should go to Despina. So, Despina, I want to thank you for what you are doing for this Assembly. You are doing really great. Now, look at this table. Yes. There are four women and three men. And I can guarantee that each of them is doing a fantastic job. And it is not just at random, because we don't believe in equality, but in equity. And just think of this. The only woman that we can recall in ages, being a chair of an Election Observation mission that took place this year to Poland was a woman from ALDE. So, it is possible to give the right amount of space and possibilities for those who can, including women, because they are equal to men in this. It is a matter of also men putting a bit ego down and to allow this happen. Now, if we should practice what we preach, we should look a bit in the retrospective of this Organisation’s 70 years of existence. Mariia, you said 29 male Presidents. I am sure they were all brilliant, but I am not that sure that men would have been always a better option than women. Just three women. Imagine this. That is too little. Now, in two months’ time, we have a great opportunity to practice what we preach. I will not go more into that. I will just say that if we mean what we are doing, if we really mean it, then we should look at the value of men and women, but also especially of women. And to be given the exact amount of attention, space, power, to be active and to demonstrate that they can be equal to men. And I hope we can do this together in January. But not only that, but also when going home, practice what we preach, both at PACE, but also in our national parliaments. And then we have got a woman Chair from the Liechtenstein delegation. We have got the present Chair from Ukraine within this group chairing the Culture Committee, we have got Fiona being the rapporteur on the Reykjavík Summit. So many women that have shown that they are doing a great job, even better than men. Why are we afraid to do more of this? That is an open question that I am looking forward to getting more answers on. Thank you.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you, dear Iulian, for being very straightforward and supportive to women leadership at PACE. We have chairman of the Migration Committee, SirTheodoros Rousopoulos, followed by Madame
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Gardini. And that would be the end of interventions, friends, because I am sure you got a little bit hungry, and we will have lunch afterwards. Please, dear Theodores, the floor is yours.
Mr Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD) Thank you, Mariia. First of all, I want to express my gratitude that men are allowed to speak during this session. But of course, you will reply that men were talking for long, for decades. I just want to say that in my country, Greece, the first woman who was elected in the parliament was almost 70 years ago and the first woman who was appointed as a Minister of health care system was almost 70 years ago. And it was my party. That is why I am very proud to say that, which is a right wing party and it is very progressive, in my opinion. Now we have a president of the Republic who is a woman, and we have a lot of women working and producing ideas not only in politics, but in business, etc. If I wanted to provoke you, I would ask if there were a competition which is similar to the men's competition between women. Do women help other women? Do women support other women? Before that, allow me to say a short story from 2015 which is about Iceland. And I found it very interesting. The very well-known, the famous documentarist Michael Moore, the American documentarist, he produced a documentary under the title “Where to Invade Next?” saying the Americans a lot of interesting things about Europe and what do they have to copy if they want to be like Europeans. So, he went to Iceland, and he was talking about the crisis. And during the crisis, as Michael Moore mentioned, all banks were closed, bankrupted, except one bank, which he said was ruled and then the camera turned to these three women: CEO, CFO and the HR department were women. Which is a very exceptional paradigm of what women can do. Yes, I really believe what Vigdís Finnbogadóttir had said that women can change the world and can make it better. Thank you for this initiative. I want to congratulate you all. You do a great job, and I will try to find a woman from my country to propose as a candidate for this Prize. Thank you.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much, dear Theodoros. Madame Gardini will be finalising the question time and the panellists will answer because we are a little bit running of time.
Ms Elisabetta Gardini (Italy, EC/DA) Thank you very much. I will be brief. I too should like to thank the panel, would like to thank all the panellists and all the speakers in the discussion so far. A discussion which has been ongoing for a number of years now, but one which is still sorely needed. Now, I am from a city, Padua, close to Venice, and we had the first female graduate anywhere in the world. And so, this really has been a source of pride for us and something that we have sought to replicate. And the way in which she worked, she took her degree in 1678. She was a polyglot. She wanted to study theology, but she was not allowed to. So, she was not able to take a degree in theology but in philosophy, which at the time was the only route available to a woman. Now, the fact of the matter is that we are from all kinds of different countries. We have different histories and backgrounds and different dates of course and milestones when women got the right to vote. Fairly recent in the case of Liechtenstein and in Italy as well, a fairly recent achievement in the wake of the Second World War. But since then, a great deal has been done. But there are a number of contradictions which still reign. In Italy, for example, I do not know whether you have seen this for yourselves or read it in your newspapers, but we have had a very lively debate because a young girl, aged 22 was killed by her ex-boyfriend, same age, both university students. And this is the product, I think, of a different culture, not a culture of parity, but in Italy we are going a little bit deeper into this, people struggling to understand how this could be and why it had happened. Because we have got some research going on which suggests that there is no correlation between women's achievements and a reduction in violence against women. So, I think this is a phenomenon which is still in the shadows and something that we have not investigated sufficiently. We need to shine a light on that because you would have thought that as women achieve equality, there would be a reduction in the levels of violence that women suffer. But that is not true. And in fact, in the most advanced countries, in countries in which the highest levels of equality, in which equality has been a given for the longest time, there seems to be a greater level of aggression and aggressiveness. And it is not simply because women are more willing to report violence against them, because if a woman is killed, well, she cannot denounce a perpetrator. It is too late. So, I think we need to look at what we can do because above and beyond parity or equality, which, I mean, we have still got a way to go. Why is there still this degree of aggressiveness towards women? Why do women still have to put up with this? I mean, this is what colleagues have talked about. We have talked about levels of violence, we have talked about psychologists dealing with this. But what about prevention? I think we need to do more when it comes to prevention. We have got to try and forestall these acts of violence. And so, I wanted to ask panellists whether they think that that is possible, whether the Council of Europe can perhaps delve a little deeper into this phenomenon. I mean, I don't get the feeling that we have looked at this closely enough, you know, in Italy and elsewhere. We ae struggling to understand why these situations
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crop up time and maybe we are lagging a little bit behind in Italy when it comes to equality. The problem is that we are seeing high levels of these instances of violence or deaths in those countries which are very much advanced when it comes to equality. So, I don't know whether we can do something on this front. I mean, as I say, this has sparked a whole debate in Italy and it is something that I think that we might collectively want to pursue. Thank you very much.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Mr Seyidov, the chairman of Azerbaijan delegation. If you can be very, very brief and that would make 50-50 parity in questions between men and women.
Mr Samad Seyidov (Azerbaijan, EC/DA) Yes, Mariia, I will be very brief. Just wanted to express my gratitude to you and to excellent panellists for this amazing discussion. Actually, this is really very important to take into account that we are always talking about democracy, rule of law and human rights. But I think that there is a precondition for all three sacred values that's a woman empowering. And that is why maybe it would be better to include to these three one more: woman empowerment. Because together with them, democracy, rule of law and human rights will be protected much better than we have today. And from this point of view, I think this is the way where we should go. I mean, Council of Europe. On my personal experience, we have a lot of problems and sometimes even with Mr President, we have some discussions, tough discussions, and Madame Secretary General, dear Despina, always try to find way out from the very difficult situations. That is another vivid example, the role of women and the role of those who are looking for way out from difficulties and problems, which sometimes not only we, but Council of Europe itself is. That is why thank you very much for these excellent discussions.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you. I thought we would save some time, but discussions are rolling and rolling. Now, I know Mr Marxer would want to give a brief answer and comment. If anyone else would want to do so, please indicate. Otherwise, we would finalise the panel. Thank you.
Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein Thank you very much. I will pick up on the question from Switzerland in particular, because as you will have gathered, Liechtenstein works very closely with Switzerland. I mean, you will have paid here in Swiss francs, of course. And you will know that we are very close neighbours and that is why it is good if Switzerland can serve as a kind of model for Liechtenstein. I have my doubts, however, because the question was what has to happen in the economy for women to be in leading positions? I mean, I don't think it is sufficient just to legislate, because I think that there will be some resistance or pushback to that. I mean, it is society in and of itself that needs to recognise women's potential and look at what it needs to do to make sure that women stay in their jobs, that they get a good education and then further training so that they can then access those leading posts. I mean, I think there is terrific potential. I don't think we should be talking about just women, by the way. We should be talking about migrants as well. We need to look at those people who come to Europe and find that their qualifications are possibly not recognised. So once again, we need to make sure that we capitalise on potential across the board. And Liechtenstein has a lot of companies which operate globally and certainly we have to make sure that people are educated to operate in an international environment. And I very much hope that at some point in time the penny will drop and people will realise that it is important to promote women within companies. And when I made my introductory remarks, I alluded to the fact that the needs of employees, workers have changed rather. Because women, for example, might want to work part-time, perhaps 50%, they would want perhaps additional leisure time. And so, the economy, business will just have to respond to that. I mean, obviously the State can make its contribution. MsKubik-Risch will probably be able to give us a few examples of that and talk about preventing violence, talk about women's refuges and similar institutions. I will pass on to her, if I may.
Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein Okay, well, thank you very much. Yes, I think you need a whole raft of measures when you are talking about business. We talked about paid parental leave earlier, about a better balance between paid and unpaid work. Better balance or more women in leadership positions. We need a lot of measures. Equal pay for equal work, of course, is extremely important too. You need a comprehensive concept. You may need to change the framework conditions to ensure that you can best foster these things. And Liechtenstein has, among other things, introduced an equal opportunities Prize for families and businesses across Liechtenstein. It is very recent, so I can't report on the results yet, but perhaps I will be able to another time. Thank you.
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Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland Thank you so much for your good questions. I just want to, if I may, just short remarks from several of you. Our most powerful tool in Iceland - just to share the experience that we have - is regarding the working market is shared parental leave and then prolonging the parental leave. And we have had also the experience of free or low-cost day care, public day care, high quality public day care, and that we need to educate people and persons within the day care sector to be able to provide high quality, free or low-cost day care. And believe me, we have had many committees and delegation from abroad to come to Iceland to do research on the parental leave, the shared parental leave, the experience and what measures we have done to do so. This has been one of the most powerful tools that we have experienced in Iceland. So, yes, we can wait for another hundred years that the free market will realise that they have to give women more the same salaries and the same benefits. But the official governments and the municipal must come in and step in and provide day care and fight for parental leave. I just also want to say to my Irish friend here from the Caucus of Women in Ireland. The Irish public show a remarkable victory, I would say, when the Irish people voted against or to legalise abortion a few years ago. That was a remarkable campaign and a turnover of many decades of a very difficult and hard story. So, this can be done. You are thinking about the pay gap. Believe me, we in Iceland, we had decades of mapping and researching and reports on the pay gap between genders. And when we peel everything away, we have in general recent report shows us we have 12% pay gap difference between men and women who is not explained by any other things than their gender. Not the length of the work, not the type of the work we have done all this work and this is the only explanation left. 12%. So, women are paid 12% less than men because they are women. So, this is something that you have to tackle, my dear friends. And also, I want to say to my Italian friend here, I have been watching very closely the debate in Italy. And yes, you have the first Prime Minister who is a woman in Italy now, but in the middle of the 16-days awareness project of fighting and raising awareness of gender-based violence you have these terrible cases of gender-based violence and murder, feminicides in Italy. We have that in France, we have that in Iceland and Nordic countries as well. Equality is never given. You have to fight for it, you have to demand it. As with other human rights. The ones who are in power, they will never give human rights or equality. The ones who are marginalised, they have to fight for it. And when it comes to the judge system or a jurisdictional system, the punishment for rape and gender-based violence must be more severe. We have to send clear messages out there that gender-based violence will not be tolerated. We will not agree upon gender-based violence and we have to educate our young boys and then that is where the man has to step in. You have to educate young boys not to use gender-based violence against women. And it is not out of the blue that one of the most powerful slogan for fighting against gender-based violence is “believe the victims”. So, you have to believe the victims.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Thank you very much, dear Rósa, that was a very powerful statement. And last but not least, dear President, I will give the floor to you for final remarks and then I will thank two more people in this hall and then I can already feel the smell of food. We will go for lunch.
Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Thank you very much, dear Mariia, thank you very much all. Let me make five short answers to issues that you have put on the table. First, Simon refers to the fact that misery is unequally divided. Women are far more often the victim of misery than men. We have half of humanity is female, but far more than half of all the misery is first delivered at the doorstep of women. And that means that when it was quoted that if we want to save the world, women have to do it, that is not a fancy idea, it is reality. If women don't do it, it will not happen. So, it is an obligation. Secondly, Simon and also Iulian, they asked more or less what we are doing ourselves in the Assembly, in the Council of Europe. Yes. The good thing is that I think we are managing quite well. Despina and our staff, they check and also the Equality Committee whether we deliver or whether we only have good ideas. There are positive developments and there are quite a lot not so positive developments. We have now seen a lot of positive developments, I think, in our staff, in the Secretariat, where we see ever more women playing an important role. But we still see - Iulian mentioned that - that although we have such nice proposals, in fact it is too many men and too few women. I think this should be indeed the discussion in our Organisation. And also, we have to look carefully to how do we behave. Rósa reminded me we had the MeToo report in 2017. Sometimes we really do ugly things, and we should be held accountable for this. There should be a follow up, I think, of the decisions that we took. Then we had a “Not in my Parliament” campaign, which was a good initiative, but this too needs to be followed up. You cannot do that once. You have to do it on a regular basis, otherwise it will not work. With regard to the so important issue of
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violence against women, we are not talking about something. We are talking about the number one or number two crime in the whole of the world. I was just paying a visit to Mexico, and I was reminded there, especially by the two female Presidents of both Houses and nine out of ten female Chairs of committees, that this is number one for the Mexican society. If we cannot deal with violence against women and girls, then talking about human rights becomes a bit idle, I would say. And the good news is that both presidents of the Parliament have issued together with me a statement that we want now Mexico to sign and ratify the Istanbul Convention. And last, in the direction of my good friend Theodoros, he has promised us that he will look whether he can nominate a good candidate. He said a woman. It is not obliged that you have to nominate a woman, but it's not that you should intend to do it. I think that the result of this panel is that we all are obliged. If you do not know someone who would deserve this Prize, then I would say open your eyes, look around. If you then still do not see anything, then you are socially, politically and ideologically blind. So, I hope, and I would like to demand all of you, that you come at least up with one candidate. The selection panel, Rósa and others. They will take care if you come up with hundreds of proposals, they will select one winner. But I think we should feel this obligation, this Prize is more than doing something. It is also to encourage us all that we have to come up with proposals to show that there is not one role model. There are many of them. We only have to open our eyes, identify which group, which person, man, woman, whatever deserves this Prize. And then I think in June we will have a more than beautiful handing over of the Prize of this year. Thank you very much.
Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Indeed, colleagues, please share the information for those who may become amazing nominees. And among the thanking words given to Despina, President Tiny Kox, our honourable panellists, I would want to thank two more people in this room who are currently and always supporting our initiative. This is Ms Louise Barton, Director of the committees, and of course, the Secretariat of the Equality Committee and Non-Discrimination, Penelope Denu, as the Head of Secretariat and all the members of the Secretariat. Thank you. Dear friends, I see that you would want to extend the discussion further, but let's extend the actions further and have some food for thought, but also food for stomach. Thank you so much. The ceremony is over.
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DELEGAÇÃO DA ASSEMBLEIA DA REPÚBLICA
RELATÓRIO REFERENTE À PARTICIPAÇÃO NA II CIMEIRA PARLAMENTAR DA PLATAFORMA
INTERNACIONAL DA CRIMEIA, QUE TEVE LUGAR EM PRAGA, CHECA, A 24 DE OUTUBRO DE 2023
A República Checa acolheu a 2.ª Cimeira Parlamentar da Plataforma Internacional da Crimeia, no dia
24 de outubro de 2023. A Cimeira teve lugar no Centro de Congressos de Praga e contou com a participação
de representantes de Parlamentos nacionais e de Assembleias parlamentares de Organizações internacionais
de cinquenta e um países e cinco continentes, a convite da Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados do
Parlamento da República Checa, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, e do Presidente da Verkhovna Rada da
Ucrânia, Ruslan Stefanchuk.
A Deputada Edite Estrela (PS), na qualidade de Vice-Presidente da Assembleia
da República, participou na Cimeira, em representação do Presidente da
Assembleia da República, Augusto Santos Silva.
A Plataforma Internacional da Crimeia foi criada no verão de 2021 por iniciativa
do Presidente Volodymyr Zelensky e tem por objetivo reunir e coordenar todos os
esforços nacionais e internacionais existentes para desocupar a península da
Crimeia. A Plataforma funciona como um fórum de coordenação e consulta para
representantes dos governos, Deputados e peritos de renome e centra-se em cinco
domínios prioritários: 1 – a política de não reconhecimento, 2 – as sanções, 3 – os
direitos humanos, 4 – a segurança e a liberdade de navegação, e 5 – as
consequências económicas e ambientais da ocupação temporária da península da
Crimeia pela Rússia. Tem igualmente por objetivo sensibilizar a comunidade internacional para a tentativa de
anexação da Crimeia pela Rússia em 2014 e para as suas consequências, incluindo as violações dos direitos
humanos e a opressão na Crimeia.
A Agenda da Cimeira integrou como pontos fulcrais a renovação do apoio geral do Ocidente à causa
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ucraniana, assente na continuidade do princípio de não reconhecimento da Crimeia como parte integrante
território russo. Foi ainda discutido o sequestro de crianças na península da Crimeia, assim como as violações
de direitos humanos ocorridas desde 2014.
A Sessão de abertura teve início com as intervenções dos Presidentes da Câmara dos Deputados e do
Senado checos, do Presidente do Verkhovna Rada da Ucrânia, do Primeiro-Ministro da República Checa, do
Presidente da Ucrânia e do Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros da República Checa.
A Cimeira foi presidida e moderada por Ruslan Stefanchuk, Presidente do Verkhovna Rada, parlamento
ucraniano, e Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Presidente da Câmara dos Deputados do Parlamento checo.
Os trabalhos tiveram início com a intervenção do Presidente da Ucrânia, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, por via
remota, que invocou à comunidade internacional a manutenção
de sanções, fornecimento de armas e munições à Ucrânia, e
realçou também desmoronamento de ilusões russas
relativamente a imunidade nas suas ações.
O Primeiro-Ministro da Chéquia, Petr Fiala, destacou a
prontidão do seu governo no apoio à Ucrânia desde início da
agressão, lembrou o conflito como uma das prioridades da
Presidência checa da União Europeia, e concluiu com um apelo
à ação coletiva por se tratar do «futuro partilhado por todos
nós.»
O Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros checo, Jan Lipavský,
considerou imperativo proteger a herança cultural e ambiental da Crimeia, destacou o papel da diplomacia
checa para levar à justiça criminosos de guerra, e rematou com o desejo de que a Cimeira seguinte pudesse
ser na península anexada pela Rússia.
Participaram delegações dos 27 Estados-Membros da União Europeia, outros aliados europeus (como
Suíça, Geórgia, Turquia) e não-europeus (como Austrália, Guiné-Bissau, Japão), tendo estado igualmente
presentes, representantes parlamentares de instituições e organizações internacionais (Conselho da Europa,
NATO, ASEAN, OCDE e União Interparlamentar).
A Sessão Plenária contou com apresentações de peritos da situação na Crimeia, intervenções dos
oradores e dos representantes dos parlamentos dos países participantes.
Nas suas intervenções, todos os participantes condenaram inequivocamente a agressão da Rússia contra
a Ucrânia e concordaram com a necessidade de restaurar a sua integridade territorial dentro de fronteiras
internacionalmente reconhecidas, incluindo a península da Crimeia. Condenaram também o impacto negativo
da ocupação ilegal russa da Crimeia e de outras partes da Ucrânia na segurança energética e alimentar
mundial, bem como nos direitos humanos dos habitantes das regiões ocupadas. Concederam ainda especial
atenção à questão das crianças ucranianas deslocadas que foram levadas para a Rússia, para a Bielorrússia
ou para os territórios ocupados pela Rússia.
Na sua intervenção, a Vice-Presidente da Assembleia da República, Deputada Edite Estrela, salientou a
natureza crítica da luta entre ideais democráticos e tendências autocráticas, e invocou o incremento da
coligação global contra a esfera de influência russa, particularmente com a África e a América Latina. Reiterou
ainda ausência de direito histórico russo sobre território ucraniano, e concluiu com um apelo a homólogos e
colegas para não vacilarem na determinação em manter diálogo aberto e contrariar falsas narrativas vindas da
Rússia.
Intervenção:
Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
While we gather here today to discuss and reiterate our commitment
to this critical issue, over three thousand and five hundred days have
passed since the illegal occupation and attempted annexation of the
Crimea Peninsula by Russia.
Six hundred and seven days have passed since Russia invaded and
started this aggression war against Ukraine.
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Faced with the grim reality that in the struggle between democratic ideals and autocratic tendencies, the
darkest moments of the last century have again resurfaced.
And while we remain entirely committed to continue supporting our government´s full spectrum of
assistance to Ukraine – be it political, financial, humanitarian or military – it is time that we strive to further
engage other regions, namely Africa and Latin America in this fight.
This fight, dear colleagues, represents a defining moment within our generation. It is a foundational fight for
the future of democracy and international law. One that summons all who want a rules-based international
order, where freedom, peace and security are intrinsic values of coexistence.
And the impact of the war is truly global. We have witnessed increased food insecurity in developing
countries, rising worldwide energy prices, obscure financial flows to pariah states and WAGNER mercenaries
operating throughout Europe’s southern neighborhood.
Therefore, we should strive to engage further our partners in the global south in order to build a broader
coalition. The Kremlin’s rhetoric and reach must be countered. As parliamentarians, we can contribute by
maintaining an open dialogue on this issue with members of African and Latin American parliaments and help
deconstruct the false narratives promoted by Russia.
Let us be clear – Russia has no historical right to what was once considered the sphere of influence of the
Russian Empire and peace can only be achieved by the unconditional withdrawal of the Russian occupying
forces from Ukrainian territory.
These are the tenets that underline our common position.
I urge you, dear colleagues, to not let time weaken our resolve.
A Sessão Plenária decorreu com normalidade e considerável sentido de união entre as delegações. Os
votos de solidariedade com Israel e as notas de apreensão com a atual situação no Médio Oriente foram
tónicas dominantes na maioria das intervenções. Certos participantes, nomeadamente da Bósnia e
Herzegovina, da Suécia e da NATO, defenderam a criação de um tribunal independente que garanta maior
eficácia no julgamento de crimes de guerra e crimes contra humanidade. A maioria dos países expressaram
também a aprovação da perspetiva da Ucrânia se tornar, eventualmente e com os necessários critérios de
adesão reunidos, Estado-Membro da União Europeia.
De destacar, contudo, a intervenção do Presidente da Assembleia Nacional da Turquia, Numan Kurtulmuş,
por ter gerado algum desconforto na sala e ter saído das ideias chave referidas pelos outros oradores. O
Presidente Kurtulmuş começou por expressar apoio à causa ucraniana e enalteceu o papel da Turquia como
mediadora do conflito. Porém, o tom do discurso rapidamente escalou para a situação no Médio Oriente com
críticas a Tel Aviv e, no que a Turquia considera, grandes falhas no sistema internacional atual, assim como a
necessidade de um cessar-fogo urgente e de ajuda humanitária a Gaza.
Como resultado da Cimeira, foi adotada uma Declaração Conjunta na qual todos os participantes
abordaram os pontos acima referidos, incluindo a perseguição política dos tártaros da Crimeia e a supressão
da sua identidade nacional, a contínua militarização russa da península da Crimeia, a decisão unilateral da
Rússia de suspender a sua participação na Iniciativa do Grão do mar Negro e o bloqueio russo ao mar Negro.
Na Declaração Conjunta, os participantes na Cimeira manifestaram igualmente a sua intenção de continuar a
prestar à Ucrânia todo o apoio possível nos seus esforços de guerra e na reconstrução do país no pós-guerra,
de prestar assistência à Ucrânia durante o processo de adesão à União Europeia e de apoiar as investigações
criminais internacionais sobre os crimes de guerra cometidos pela Rússia nos territórios ocupados da Ucrânia.
Palácio de São Bento, 12 de março de 2024.
A Assessora Parlamentar, Ana Maria Guapo.
ANEXOS
Anexo 1 – Agenda da Cimeira;
Anexo 2 – Lista de participantes;
Anexo 3 – Lista de oradores;
Anexo 4 – Declaração Conjunta.
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Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform
Prague, 24 October 2023
AGENDA
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
8:00 Arrival to the Prague Congress Center, welcome
9:15 – 10:15 Opening session of the Second Parliamentary summit of the International Crimea Platform
(remarks by the Speakers of the Czech Chamber of Deputies and Senate, the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, on-line address by the President of Ukraine)
10:15 – 13:30 Plenary session
(expert presentation of the situation in Crimea, remarks by the Speakers and representatives of parliaments of the participating countries)
13:30 – 14:00 Adoption of the Joint Declaration
15:00 End of the summit
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ANEXOS
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Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform
23 – 24 October, 2023
Prague
List of Participants
Version of 23/10/2023
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Czech Republic Markéta Pekarová Adamová, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Miloš Vystrčil, President, Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk, Chairman, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Albania Etjen Xhafaj, Secretary of the Committee of Foreign Affairs, Parliament of the Republic of Albania
Austria Claudia Arpa, President, Federal Council of the Republic of Austria Wolfgang Sobotka, President, National Council of the Republic of Austria
Belgium Mark Demesmaeker, Chairman of the Committee on Transversal Affairs, Senate of the Belgian Federal Parliament Eliane Tillieux, President, Chamber of Representatives of the Belgian Federal Parliament
Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Zvizdić, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly
Canada Raymonde Gagné, Speaker, Senate of the Parliament of Canada
Croatia Gordan Jandroković, Speaker, Sabor
Cyprus Annita Demetriou, President, House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus
Estonia Lauri Hussar, President, Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia
Finland Jussi Halla-aho, Speaker, Eduskunta of the Republic of Finland
France Yaël Braun-Pivet, President, National Assembly of the French Republic
Georgia Archil Talakvadze, Deputy Chairman, Parliament of Georgia
Germany Bärbel Bas, President, German Bundestag
Ghana Andrew Asiamah Amoako, Second Deputy Speaker, Parliament of Ghana
Greece Ioannis Plakiotakis, First Vice-President, Hellenic Parliament
Hungary Csaba Hende, Deputy Speaker, National Assembly of Hungary
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Iceland Birgir Ármannsson, Speaker, Althingi of the Republic of Iceland
Ireland Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Speaker, Lower House of the Irish Parliament (Oireachtas)
Italy Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, Chairman of the European Affairs Committee,Senate of the Italian Parliament Sergio Costa, Vice-President, Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament
Latvia Daiga Mieriņa, Speaker, Saeima of the Republic of Latvia
Liechtenstein Albert Frick, President, Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein
Lithuania Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, Deputy Speaker, Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania
Moldova Igor Grosu, President, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova
The Netherlands Koen Petersen, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Cooperation, Senate of the States General of the Netherlands
North Macedonia Talat Xhaferi, President, Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia
Norway Masud Gharahkhani, President, Storting of the Kingdom of Norway
Poland Tomasz Grodzki, Marshal, Senate of the Republic of Poland
Portugal Edite Estrela, Vice-President, Assembleia da República of the Portuguese Republic
Romania Nicolae – Ionel Ciucā, President, Senate of Romania
Sierra Leone Mohamed Bangura, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee, Parliament of Sierra Leone
Slovenia Nataša Sukič, Deputy Speaker, National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia
Spain Javier Maroto, Deputy President, Senate of Spain Francina Armengol, President, Congress of Deputies of Spain
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Sweden Kerstin Lundgren, Deputy Speaker, Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden
Switzerland Martin Candinas, President, National Council of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation Eva Herzog, Vice-President, Council of States of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation
Türkiye Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker, Grand National Assembly of Türkiye
United Kingdom Dame Rosie Winterton, Deputy Speaker, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Lord Wood of Anfield, Member of House of Lords, House of Lords of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
International Organisations European Parliament Roberts Zile, Vice-President, European Parliament
NATO Parliamentary Assembly Michal Szczerba, President, NATO Parliamentary Assembly
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Pia Kauma, President, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe Tiny Kox, President, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Video Messages ASEAN Interparliamentary Assembly, Siti Rozaimeriyanty Dato Haji Abdul Rahman, Secretary General Australia, Milton Dick, Speaker, House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia Bulgaria, Rosen Zhelyazkov, President, National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria Costa Rica, Rodrigo Gerardo de Jesús Arias Sánchez, President, Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica France, Gérard Larcher President, Senate of the French Republic Guinea-Bissau, Domingos Simões Pereira, President, National People's Assembly of Guinea-Bissau Japan, Banri Kaieda, Vice-Speaker, House of Representatives of the National Diet Inter-Parliamentary Union, Duarte Pacheco, President Malaysia, Wong Chen, Chairman of the Select Committee for International Relations and Trade, House of Representatives of the Parliament of Malaysia Malta, Anġlu Farrugia, Speaker, House of Representatives of the Parliament of Malta New Zealand, Adrian Rurawhe, Speaker, New Zealand Parliament Poland, Elżbieta Witek, Marshal, Sejm of the Republic of Poland Serbia, Vladimir Orlić, President, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia United States of America, James Risch, Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senate United States of America, Marcy Kaptur, Co-Chair of the Ukrainian Caucus, House of Representatives
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Guests Chamber of Deputies of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Tania Tennina, Head of the International Relations Department
Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Prague Ingrid Brocková, Ambassador
Folketing of the Kingdom of Denmark Torben Jensen, Vice-General Director
Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe Patrick Cox, director
The Knesset of the State of Israel written statement by Yuli Yoel Edelstein and Zeev Elkin, co-Chairs of the Israel-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group
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Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform
ORDER OF SPEAKERS
# NAME POSITION CHAMBER TIME
opening ceremony
1 Markéta Pekarová Adamová Speaker Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic 9:00
2 Miloš Vystrčil President Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic
3 Ruslan Stefanchuk Chairman Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
4 Volodymyr Zelenskyy President Ukraine
5 Petr Fiala Prime Minister Czech Republic
6 Refat Chubarov Chairman Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People
7 Jan Lipavský Minister of Foreign Affairs Czech Republic
8 Oleksandr Khara, Eskender Bariiev experts International Crimea Platform
plenary session
9 Gordan Jandroković Speaker Croatian Sabor 10:00
10 Bärbel Bas President German Bundestag 10:03:30
11 Yaël Braun-Pivet President Assemblée Nationale of the French Republic 10:07:00
12 Numan Kurtulmuş Speaker Grand National Assembly of Türkiye 10:10:30
13 Raymonde Gagné Speaker Senate of the Parliament of Canada 10:14:00
14 Francina Armengol President Congress of Deputies of Spain 10:17:30
15 Roberts Zile Vice-President European Parliament 10:21:00
16 James Risch Ranking Member Foreign Relations Committee of the US Senate 10:24:30 VIDEO
17 Marcy Kaptur Co-chair Ukrainian Caucus of the US House of Representatives 10:27:00 VIDEO
18 Claudia Arpa President Federal Council of the Republic of Austria 10:29:30
19 Wolfgang Sobotka President National Council of the Republic of Austria 10:33:00
20 Eliane Tillieux President Chamber of Representatives of the Belgian Federal Parliament 10:36:30
21 Annita Demetriou President House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus 10:40:00
22 Banri Kaieda Vice-Speaker House of Representatives of the National Diet of Japan 10:43:30 VIDEO
23 Lauri Hussar President Riigikogu of the Republic of Estonia 10:46:00
24 Jussi Halla-aho Speaker Eduskunta of the Republic of Finland 10:49:30
25 Gérard Larcher President Senate of the French Republic 10:52:30 VIDEO
26 Birgir Ármannsson Speaker Althingi of the Republic of Iceland 10:57:30
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27 Seán Ó Fearghaíl Speaker Lower House of the Irish Parliament 11:01:00
28 Daiga Mieriņa Speaker Saeima of the Republic of Latvia 11:04:30
29 Milton Dick Speaker House of Representatives of the Parliament of Australia 11:08:00 VIDEO
30 Albert Frick President Landtag of the Principality of Liechtenstein 11:10:30
coffee break
31 Tamila Tasheva Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea 11:47:00
32 Emine Dzhaparova First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine 11:50:30
33 Igor Grosu President Parliament of the Republic of Moldova 11:54:00
34 Talat Xhaferi President Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia 11:57:30
35 Masud Gharahkhani President Storting of the Kingdom of Norway 12:01:00
36 Rosen Zhelyazkov President National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria 12:04:30 VIDEO
37 Tomasz Grodzki Marshal Senate of the Republic of Poland 12:07:00
38 Elzbieta Witek Marshal Sejm of the Republic of Poland 12:10:30 VIDEO
39 Nicolae – Ionel Ciucā President Senate of Romania 12:13:00
40 Martin Candinas President National Council of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation 12:16:30
41 Vladimir Orlić President National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia 12:20:00 VIDEO
42 Adrian Rurawhe Speaker New Zealand Parliament (The message will be read by Greg O´Connor)
12:22:30 VIDEO
43 Dame Rosie Winterton Deputy Speaker House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom 12:25:30
44 Sergio Costa Vice-President Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament 12:29:00
45 Rodrigo Arias Sánchez President Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica 12:32:30 VIDEO
46 Domingos Simões Pereira President National People's Assembly 12:35:30
VIDEO
47 Denis Zvizdić Deputy Speaker House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina
12:39:30
48 Archil Talakvadze Deputy Chairman Parliament of Georgia 12:43:00
49 Andrew Asiamah Amoako Second Deputy Speaker Parliament of Ghana 12:46:30
50 Ioannis Plakiotakis First Vice-President Hellenic Parliament 12:50:00
51 Csaba Hende Deputy Speaker National Assembly of Hungary 12:53:30
52 Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene Deputy Speaker Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania 12:57:00
53 Anġlu Farrugia Speaker House of Representatives of the Parliament of Malta 13:00:30 VIDEO
54 Edite Estrela Vice-President Assembleia da República of the Portuguese Republic 13:03:30
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55 Nataša Sukič Deputy Speaker National Council of the Republic of Slovenia 13:07:00
56 Javier Maroto Deputy President Senate of Spain 13:10:30
57 Eva Herzog Vice-President Council of States of the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation 13:14:00
58 Kerstin Lundgren Deputy Speaker Riksdag of the Kingdom of Sweden 13:17:30
59 Giuliomaria Terzi Sant´Agata Chairman EU Affairs Committee of the Italian Senate 13:21:00
60 Mark Demesmaeker Chairman Committee on Transversal Affairs of the Senate of the Belgian Federal Parliament
13:24:30
61 Wong Chen Chairman
Select Committee for International Relations and Trade of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Malaysia
13:28:00
62 Koen Petersen Chairman
Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Cooperation of the Senate of the States General of the Netherlands
13:30:30
63 Mohamed Bangura Chairman Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Sierra Leone 13:34:00
64 Etjen Xhafaj Secretary Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Parliament of the Republic of Albania
13:37:30
65 Tiny Kox President Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 13:41:00
66 Michal Szczerba President NATO Parliamentary Assembly 13:44:30
67 Pia Kauma President OSCE Parliamentary Assembly 13:48:00
68 Duarte Pacheco President Inter-Parliamentary Union 13:51:30 VIDEO
69 Siti Rozaimeriyanti Dato Abdul Rahman Secretary General ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly 13:53:30 VIDEO
adoption of a Joint Declaration
Ruslan Stefanchuk Chairman
Markéta Pekarová Adamová Speaker
end of the session
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Second Parliamentary Summit
of the International Crimea Platform
23 – 24 October, 2023
Prague
Joint Declaration
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Joint Declaration of the Participants1 of the Second Parliamentary Summit
of the International Crimea Platform
Following the establishment of the International Crimea Platform at its Inaugural Summit
on 23 August 2021 representatives of national parliaments and parliamentary assemblies
of international organizations participating in the International Crimea Platform (hereinafter referred
to as "Participants") gathered in Prague, Czech Republic, on 24 October 2023 to hold
the Second Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform, jointly organized by the
Czech Republic and Ukraine.
Recalling the Joint Statement of the International Crimea Platform Participants, adopted
on the third anniversary of the establishment of the International Crimea Platform on 23 August 2023,
and the stipulations of the Joint Declaration of the participants of the First Parliamentary Summit of
the International Crimea Platform on 25 October 2022, held in Zagreb, Croatia,
recalling all relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly including 68/262 of 27 March 2014
“Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, ES-11/1 of 2 March 2022 “Aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/2 of
24 March 2022 “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/4 of 12 October
2022 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Defending the Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”,
ES-11/5 of 14 November 2022 “Furtherance of remedy and reparation of aggression against Ukraine”,
76/179 of 16 December 2022 “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous
Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine”, ES-11/6 of 23 February 2023 “Principles of
the Charter of the United Nations underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine”,
reaffirming that the International Crimea Platform remains the pivotal foreign policy instrument for
consolidating international efforts aimed at the de-occupation and restoration of Ukraine's territorial
integrity, within its internationally recognized borders, for mitigating the consequences of the
temporary occupation and illegal attempt of annexation by the Russian Federation of the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and for safeguarding the rights and interests of
Ukrainian citizens,
expressing our support for the key principles, objectives and philosophy of Ukraine’s Peace Formula
as a realistic peace initiative on the table, which reflects the principles of the UN Charter, considering
the Peace Formula as a basis to establish comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Furthermore, emphasizing our willingness to assist tangible measures aimed at the support of the 10-
point peace plan,
commending the endeavours of individual nations and international organizations in establishing
Crimea Platform Support Groups within their respective parliamentary bodies,
recognizing that the Russian Federation’s illegal temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic
of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol in 2014 ultimately enabled the Russian Federation to launch its
full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022,
emphasizing that the Russian Federation, by unleashing an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine
and temporarily occupation and attempt of annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and
the city of Sevastopol and parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhya regions of
Ukraine, undertook to seize another state´s internationally recognized territory by force which has
resulted in numerous violations of international law, gross and systematic violations and abuses of
1 It is recognised that due to their constitutional position the Speakers of certain Parliaments and Chambers cannot directly associate themselves with substantive political statements, and therefore should not be seen as indicating specific support for all sections of this Joint Declaration. Nonetheless, on behalf of their Parliaments and Chambers, they recognise the importance of the issues raised in proposing particular ways forward. Furthermore, Speakers of Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Irish, Norwegian and Swedish parliaments are generally supportive of the content of this declaration, but they have constitutional/legal constraints, which prevent them from signing documents that could be perceived as binding for their parliaments and/or states. Similarly, GNA of Türkiye, while expressing its strong support to the foundational cause of the Joint Declaration, disassociates itself from the parts of the text that do not represent its national position.
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human rights, and threats to fundamental aspects of Ukraine's sovereignty, and has undermined key
principles of the international rules-based order,
emphasizing the consequences of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including the Autonomous
Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, in particular, the mobilization campaign that targeted
the civilian population, including the indigenous peoples, illegal deportations of Ukrainian children
and civilian hostages, the theft of Ukrainian grain, aggravation of the political persecutions resulting
from new repressive laws adopted by the occupying authorities of the Russian Federation,
emphasizing also the global consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine that affect
nations and people worldwide such as the undermining of food security, the destabilisation of energy
markets and prices, the risk to nuclear safety in the region and the lasting damage to the
environment,
reaffirming the non-recognition and condemning in strongest possible terms the attempted illegal
annexation by Russia of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as
other temporary occupied or controlled territories of Ukraine, in particular parts of the Luhansk,
Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, which constitute a clear violation of international law
and present a direct and imminent threat to international security, bearing significant repercussions
for the global community,
continuously reaffirming the unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty, independence, unity, and
territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, recognizing Ukraine's inherent right
to self-defence against a war of aggression carried out by the Russian Federation, in accordance with
Article 51 of the UN Charter,
underlining that the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized
borders, including the de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of
Sevastopol, and the assurance of Ukraine's state sovereignty, constitute a fundamental prerequisite
for ending the war and establishing lasting peace in the region,
reaffirming the Participants´ readiness to implement the strategic goals of the parliamentary
dimension of the International Crimea Platform, in particular promoting greater global and internal
awareness of the situation on the Crimean Peninsula under temporary occupation by the Russian
Federation,
reaffirming the Participants´ readiness to support the current efforts of the Ukrainian state to
develop the reintegration strategies and policies for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city
of Sevastopol after its de-occupation.
The Participants condemn:
- the Russian Federation's illegitimate so-called "referenda" conducted in parts of Ukraine's
Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as the sham “elections” in
these temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as they violate Ukraine´s independence,
sovereignty and territorial integrity, and have no validity under international law; which
requires that their results be considered null and void and that any subsequent claims to
incorporate these Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation be unequivocally rejected,
- the human rights violations and violations of the international humanitarian law committed
by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, including the summary executions of civilians, including
children, sexual- and gender-based violence, destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as
hospitals, schools, and homes and other, forced displacement of people, arbitrary detention
and torture of civilians, denial of access to humanitarian assistance, suppression of freedom
of speech and assembly, and persecution of religious and ethnic minorities,
- the political persecution in the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula that has been
ongoing since 2014 and that targets mostly Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, including activists,
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journalists, lawyers, in particular the Deputy Head of the Medzhlis of the Crimean Tatar
people Nariman Dzhelyal, journalists Iryna Danylovych and Vladyslav Yesypenko, activists
Server Mustafayev and Server Saliyev as well as dozens of others,
- the use of human rights violations in the form of mass searches and political persecutions of
the indigenous Crimean Tatar people,
- attempts to undermine Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identity via attacks on the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church and mass imprisonment of the Muslim population, including destruction of
the cultural heritage,
- the forcible transfer and deportation by Russia of Ukrainian children that was started in the
temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol no later than
2015, is defined as a violation of international humanitarian law and is the subject of the
arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court,
- the ongoing militarization of the Crimean Peninsula by Russia, which undermines security and
stability in the Black and Azov Seas region, and violates freedom of maritime navigation,
- the Russian Federation’s unilateral decision to suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, coupled
with its interference in Ukraine's grain exports and systematic attacks on export
infrastructure facilities, as well as the intimidation directed towards commercial vessels in
the Black Sea,
- the Russian Federation's blockade of Ukrainian sea ports, which disrupted global food supply
chains, exacerbated global food insecurity situation leading to spike in food prices, and food
crises in countries in need,
- Russia's offensive actions including against hydro-electric facilities conducted in a manner
that has caused severe damage to natural environment of Ukraine and provoked a high threat
of environmental disaster. Participants emphasize that Russia must bear ultimate
responsibility for its war of choice, which has caused disastrous humanitarian, ecological,
agricultural, and economic repercussions, and became one of the most significant ecological
and technological catastrophes witnessed in Europe over recent decades,
- the serious violations of international humanitarian law and the continued gross and
systematic violations and abuses of human rights against the inhabitants of Crimea, including
the indigenous Crimean Tatars peoples. These violations encompass a range of actions such
as killings, disappearances, prosecutions driven by political motivations, discriminatory
practices, harassment, intimidation, gender-based violence, arbitrary detentions and arrests,
- Russian Federation’s control of and military presence at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power
Plant, which poses a serious threat to nuclear safety and security in Ukraine and beyond. We
underscore that the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant stands as the largest facility of its kind
in Europe, and any harm inflicted upon it could lead to catastrophic repercussions for
Ukraine, Europe, and the global community,
- the Russian Federation’s reported actions at the chemical plant “Crimean Titan” creating the
risk of environmental damage in the northern Crimean Peninsula and southern Kherson
region. If realized, such a sombre scenario would lead to a large-scale ecological disaster in
the north of the Crimean Peninsula and in the south of the Kherson region, while causing an
unpredictable number of human casualties and devastating regional economic damages.
Participants declare that they intend to:
- support international investigation into the war crimes, human rights violations and crimes
against humanity perpetrated by the Russian occupying authorities in Crimea, the City of
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Sevastopol and elsewhere in Ukraine, support the International Criminal Court investigation
in Ukraine, including Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, ensuring that perpetrators are
brought to justice and explore the establishment of an international tribunal for the crime
of aggression,
- provide Ukraine with all assistance needed in achieving membership of the European Union
and to support the start of negotiations in line with a merit-based approach,
- encourage other states and interparliamentary organizations to join the International Crimea
Platform, which serves as a mechanism for consolidating interparliamentary endeavours
directed towards de-occupation and further reintegration of the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea and the city of Sevastopol,
- consider the establishment of the Crimea Platform Support Groups in the parliaments of the
participating parliaments,
- reaffirm their resolute dedication to the principle of non-recognition of the attempted illegal
annexation of Crimea, as well as attempts to illegally annex other Ukrainian territories,
coupled with subsequent claims to incorporate these areas into the Russian Federation,
- reiterate our commitment to support the application and further strengthening of sanctions
against the Russian Federation, and diplomatic, economic and other appropriate measures,
in order to exert pressure on the Russian Federation, as well as to counter sanctions
circumvention,
- continue calling on the Russian Federation to immediately cease its systematic and grave
violations of human rights, including the continuous breaches of its international
commitments and to provide full and unimpeded access to Crimea for established regional
and international monitoring mechanisms,
- calls on international organisations such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe to monitor the human rights situation
in Crimea more closely and to take appropriate measures to support the gathering of evidence
and registration of crimes and accountability for them,
- continue calling upon the International Committee of the Red Cross, as well as the UN
Committee against Torture, the UN Human Rights Council and all other relevant international
bodies to strengthen efforts to ensure the improvement of the conditions of Ukrainian
civilians held as hostages, as well as prisoners of war held by Russia and to prevent torture,
humiliation of honour and dignity, violation of human rights, and to work towards establishing
the whereabouts of all detained Ukrainian citizens,
- declare our readiness to provide support to the Ukrainian state in the process of development
of reintegration strategies for the Crimean Peninsula as well as to assist Ukraine with their
further implementation following the de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea
and the city of Sevastopol,
- sustain the provision of political, diplomatic, military, security, financial, humanitarian, and
other forms of assistance to Ukraine and to work on countering disinformation and false
narratives, spread by Russia or other actors, in the digital space through increased global
action to avoid possible destabilization attempts,
- raise awareness of these issues with their international and regional partners, especially
among other parliamentarians and parliaments, and call on their partners to support and join
the Peace Formula of President Zelenskyy,
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- urge the relevant parties to take immediate and decisive actions to cease all activities
endangering the cultural and historical heritage of Crimea. We appeal to international
organizations, notably UNESCO and its bodies focused on safeguarding of cultural objects, to
intensify their vigilance, protective measures, and monitoring of endangered cultural sites in
Crimea. This encompasses the Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora, designated
as a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
- emphasize that Russia must bear ultimate responsibility for its war of choice, which has
caused disastrous humanitarian, ecological, agricultural, and economic repercussions, and
became one of the most significant ecological and technological catastrophes witnessed in
Europe over recent decades and call on the international community to condemn Russia’s
offensive actions including against hydro-electric facilities whilst insisting upon Russia
assuming accountability for its war of choice,
- call on the Russian Federation to immediately withdraw all its forces from the Zaporizhzhia
Nuclear Power Plant premises, to return it under full control of Ukraine and to permit the
International Atomic Energy Agency to comprehensively exercise its supervisory and
safeguard mandate over the facility,
- urge the Russian Federation to immediately demilitarize the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions
and stop threatening the transportation of civilian cargo ships, acknowledging the critical
significance of reinstating unrestricted freedom of navigation. Additionally, demand the full
liberation and unblocking of all Ukrainian seaports,
- urge the Russian Federation to immediately resume participation in the Black Sea Grain
Initiative, cease hostilities against ports in Odesa and on the Danube, and desist from the
unlawful appropriation and transport of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily occupied or
controlled territories of Ukraine, including Crimea,
- demand that the Russian Federation immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw
all its forces from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders,
including Crimea.
Adopted in Prague, Czech Republic,
on 24 October 2023.
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A DIVISÃO DE REDAÇÃO.