Accountability for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the Istanbul Convention were discussed at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) spring session

On 20–24 April, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held their spring session in Strasbourg. Eight members of the Riksdag delegation participated. During the week, discussions included the Istanbul Convention, the abolition of the death penalty and threats and violence against politicians.

On the first day of the session, the Assembly decided to hold three extra debates during the week in addition to the regular debates. These were about

a statement of opinion to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe concerning an additional protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on money laundering and terrorist financing.
the need to intensify work on the establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine
the need for respect for international law and for peace and stability in the Middle East.

Two members of the Swedish delegation spoke in the debate on Ukraine, one of whom was Gustaf Gothberg (Moderate Party), who spoke on behalf of his party group.

The Assembly also debated a report on the complete abolition of the death penalty. From Sweden, Michael Rubbestad (Sweden Democrats) and Denis Begic (Social Democratic Party) participated in this debate. Denic Begic emphasised that the death penalty has no place in societies that respect human rights.

Violence and hatred against politicians and gender equality issues were debated

A debate about violence and hatred against politicians and the consequences of this attracted great engagement. The resolution that was the subject of debate called for strengthened protection, appropriate legislation and a political culture characterised by respect. A total of 81 members had registered for this debate, two of whom were from the Swedish delegation. Victoria Tiblom (Sweden Democrats) emphasised that free and secure elections require candidates to campaign freely, without fear of violence and hatred.

A joint debate was held on improving the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and on promoting a culture of consent. Spain’s Minister for Equality Ana Redondo began by stressing that gender equality is a basic prerequisite for democracy. Boriana Aberg (Moderate Party) was one of four Swedish MPs who participated in the debate and highlighted Swedish measures against violence against women.

The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs answered questions from the Assembly

The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot and the Chairperson of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Denis Bećirović was one of the guest speakers during the session and answered questions from the Assembly. A question-and-answer session was also held with the Secretary of the Council of Europe Alain Berset. In addition to this, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova, Mihai Popşoi, presented the work of the Committee of Ministers.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Michael O’Flaherty presented his annual report and highlighted his priorities: Ukraine, the situation of internally displaced people, artificial intelligence, the impact of climate change and growing inequality.

Other debates in which the Swedish MPs participated were

The debate on Magnitsky legislation, focusing on how member states can trace profits made from the crimes exposed by Sergei Magnitsky
guidelines to counteract social dumping and labour exploitation
discrimination based on religious affiliation and copyright in relation to artificial intelligence.

Platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces

During the session, the newly established platform for dialogue with Russian democratic forces held its second meeting. The purpose of the platform is to enable dialogue between Russian democratic forces in exile and leading and leading members of the Parliamentary Assembly concerning issues of common interest. The members are ten well-known Russian voices for democratic change, five representatives of indigenous and national minorities in Russia, and eleven members from the parliamentary assembly. Azadeh Rojhan (Social Democratic Party), the Assembly’s rapporteur for political prisoners, is one of these members.

In connection with the session, the Council of Europe Museum Prize was awarded. This year’s prize was awarded to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It was also announced that this year’s European Prize, awarded to a city that has worked particularly actively to promote European ideals, has been awarded to Reggio Emilia in Italy.

Members

The members of the Riksdag delegation who participated in the spring session were:

All the members of the delegation:

Members of the Swedish Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Further information

The Council of Europe works to create common European values based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Sweden was one of the founding members of the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly in 1949. The Council of Europe currently has 46 member states.

Contact person for the media

Petra Sjöström Senior International Adviser, International Department of the Riksdag, telephone: +46 72 716 59 25, email: petra.sjostrom@riksdagen.se