April 2021 part-session highlights:
- PACE April session highlights presented by liberal PACE President Rik Daems.
- ALDE-PACE exchanged views with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović-Burić. This was the first meeting that the group held with the Secretary General since her election in June 2019.
- The Parliamentary Assembly supported the call of Jacques Maire, ALDE President and Rapporteur on the urgent procedure on the Arrest and detention of Alexei Navalny, to release the jailed politician. In its recommendation addressed to the Committee of Ministers, the Assembly invited it “to use all the tools at its disposal, including those under article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5), to ensure full and prompt execution [of the decisions of the European Court on Human Rights] and in particular the immediate release of Mr Navalny”. Watch Jacques Maire’s comments at the PACE MediaBox.
- ALDE-PACE requested a current affairs debate on “Covid 19 passports or certificates: protection of fundamental rights and legal implications” and backed the initiative by Damien Cottier and Marija Jufereva-Skuratovski to prepare a report assessing the compatibility of these measures with the Council of Europe human rights standards. This work is all the more important that the European Union and several Council of Europe member states are discussing the introduction of such certificates in the weeks to come.
- Congratulations to four ALDE members appointed rapporteurs during the April session: Damien Cottier (Switzerland), Covid passports or certificates: protection of fundamental rights and legal implications AS/Jur; Jacques Maire (France), Review of the partnership for democracy in respect of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic AS/Pol; Fiona O’Loughlin (Ireland) co-rapporteur on the periodic review report on the honouring of membership obligations to the Council of Europe by France AS/Mon; Iulian Bulai (Romania) co-rapporteur on the periodic review report on the honouring of membership obligations to the Council of Europe by the Netherlands AS/Mon.
