On 28 September – 2 October, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will hold its autumn session in Strasbourg. On the agenda are debates on support for Ukrainian veterans, how artificial intelligence (AI) will affect working life in the future and media independence. The German Minister for Foreign Affairs will also be giving an address at the session. Four MPs from the Riksdag delegation will be participating.
The agenda includes a proposed topical debate concerning the attacks against LGBTQI people in Turkey. An urgent debate has also been called for on the situation in Ceuta, focusing on migration as a coercive measure and the Government's handling of the situation. The final agenda will be decided by the Assembly at the opening of the session.
Debates on AI, judgments by the European Court of Human Rights and threats to the International Criminal Court.
Several invited guests will participate in the debate on the OECD’s role in assessing how artificial intelligence affects working life in the future. The participants include the OECD Deputy Secretary-General Yasushi Masaki and the Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests of Romania Diana-Anda Buzoianu.
A report on the significance of diasporas and migrants in social cohesion and democratic participation will also be discussed during the session. The rapporteur behind the report also visited Sweden during the spring to gather facts and views. In addition to this, there will be a joint debate on a coordinated European policy for veterans as well as the need for long-term and systematic support for Ukrainian soldiers who have been disabled as a result of the war.
Other debates concern growing threats to media pluralism and media independence, the promotion of climate action among young people and threats to the International Criminal Court. In the latter debate, Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, the First Vice-President of the International Criminal Court, will hold an address.
Human Rights Award ceremony and guest speakers
On the first day of the session, the 14th Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights will be awarded. Maria Kalesnikava, winner of the 2021 prize, from Belarus, will also speak to the Assembly at the award ceremony. Kalesnikava was detained but released in December 2025.
Other invited guests include Albert II of Monaco, Portuguese President António José Martins Seguro and German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul. They will all address the Assembly.
The President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, Ms Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Monaco, will also present the work of the Committee of Ministers since the last session and answer questions from members. In addition, the President of the European Court of Human Rights Mattias Guyomar and the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset will participate; they will both address the Assembly and answer questions.
Members
Members taking part in the autumn session:
- Markus Wiechel (SweDem), Chair
- Boriana Åberg (Mod)
- Victoria Tiblom (SweDem)
- Jessica Stegrud (SweDem)
All the members of the delegation:
Members of the Swedish delegation of the Council of Europe
More information
The Council of Europe works to create common European values based on human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Sweden co-founded the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly in 1949. The Council of Europe currently has 46 member states.
- About the session on the PACE website
- The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
- The Swedish delegation on the PACE website
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