Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Logo
History
Founded	10 August 1949
Leadership
President	Theodoros Roussopoulos
Secretary General	Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis
Seats	306
Meeting place
Palace of Europe, Strasbourg, France

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is like the main talking and debating group of the Council of Europe. The Council of Europe is a big international group with 46 countries. Its main goals are to protect human rights, make sure countries are democratic, and follow the rule of law.

PACE has 306 members. These members are chosen from the national parliaments (like the Congress or Parliament) of the countries that are part of the Council of Europe. They meet four times a year for a week at a time in Strasbourg, France.

PACE is one of the two main parts of the Council of Europe. The other part is the Committee of Ministers, which is made up of government representatives. PACE and the Committee of Ministers work together. However, PACE is often seen as the "engine" of the organization. It checks if governments are respecting human rights and democratic rules. It also suggests new ideas and helps make changes.

The first meeting of PACE was in Strasbourg on August 10, 1949. After World War II, many Europeans hoped that working together would stop wars from happening again. They saw PACE as a way to prevent terrible human rights violations, like the horrors of The Holocaust, and to protect democracy from unfair rulers.

Here are some of the important things PACE has achieved:

• It helped end the death penalty in Europe. New countries joining the Council of Europe must agree to stop all executions.
• It created the first ideas for the European Convention on Human Rights. This is a very important agreement about human rights.
• It has written reports that show when human rights are being violated in member countries.
• It helped former Soviet countries become democracies after 1989.
• It has inspired and helped create many new and fair national laws.
• It helps member countries solve disagreements or find common ground on difficult political or social issues.
• It chose the Flag of Europe and the Anthem of Europe. These symbols were later also used by the European Union.

What Can PACE Do?

The main meeting hall (hemicycle) of PACE at the Palace of Europe

Unlike the European Parliament (which is part of the European Union), PACE cannot make laws that everyone must follow. But it speaks for 700 million Europeans and has important powers:

• It can ask the 46 governments of the Council of Europe to take action. These governments must then respond together.
• It can investigate human rights violations in any member country.
• It can ask Prime Ministers and Heads of State questions about anything.
• It can send its members to watch elections and help solve problems during crises.
• It decides the rules for new countries wanting to join the Council of Europe. PACE can say "no" if a country doesn't meet the standards.
• It inspires, suggests, and helps shape new laws in different countries.
• It can ask for legal reviews of laws and constitutions in member countries.
• It can recommend that a member country be removed or temporarily stopped from participating if it breaks the rules.

PACE also has important jobs like choosing the judges for the European Court of Human Rights. It also elects the main leaders of the Council of Europe.

The Assembly usually meets four times a year in Strasbourg at the Palace of Europe. These meetings last for a week. PACE also has nine permanent committees that meet all year. They prepare reports and ideas on different topics.

PACE decides what it will discuss. Its debates and reports mostly focus on the Council of Europe's three main goals: protecting human rights, promoting democracy, and upholding the rule of law.

How Judges for the European Court of Human Rights Are Chosen

Judges for the European Court of Human Rights are chosen by PACE. Each member country that has agreed to the European Convention on Human Rights suggests three candidates. A special committee of 20 PACE members, who have legal experience, interviews these candidates. They also check their resumes. Then, they recommend candidates to the full Assembly. The Assembly then votes secretly to choose one judge from each country's list. Judges serve for nine years and cannot be chosen again.

In 2004, PACE decided that countries should try to suggest both male and female candidates. Because of this rule, about one-third of the 46 judges today are women. This makes the European Court of Human Rights a leader among international courts for having a good balance of genders.

What PACE Has Achieved

The Start of the European Convention on Human Rights

At its very first meeting in 1949, PACE created the main ideas for what became the European Convention on Human Rights. They decided which rights should be protected and how a court would make sure these rights were followed. Their detailed plan was later approved by the Council of Europe's ministers and became law in 1953.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights is a global leader in justice. It protects the rights of people in 46 European countries and beyond. It has helped human rights laws become more similar across Europe. PACE continues to choose the judges for this important court.

The European Flag and Anthem Started Here

PACE was also the first to suggest the Flag of Europe and the Anthem of Europe. The flag has twelve yellow stars on a blue background. The anthem is a musical piece called "Ode to Joy" by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Both the flag and the anthem were first adopted by the Council of Europe. Several years later, the European Union also started using them. Now, they are known worldwide as symbols of Europe.

In the early 1950s, many ideas for a flag were sent to the Council of Europe. In 1953, PACE chose a flag with fifteen stars, which was the number of member countries at the time. However, there was a problem because one star represented a region that was under French control but later rejoined Germany.

Two years later, after more discussions, everyone agreed on the twelve-star version. The number twelve was chosen because it represents perfection, not because of the number of countries. The European Union started using this flag in 1986. PACE suggested "Ode to Joy" as the official European anthem in 1971. The Council of Europe officially adopted it in 1972, and the EU started using it in 1985.

Ending the Death Penalty in Europe

In 1973, a PACE member from Sweden, Astrid Bergegren, first suggested that countries should get rid of the death penalty. Over the years, more and more people supported this idea. By 1980, PACE was asking all European parliaments to abolish it. They also said that the "right to life" in the European Convention on Human Rights meant that governments should not kill their citizens.

In 1989, PACE decided that ending executions would be a requirement for new countries to join the Council of Europe. This happened just before many countries from Central and Eastern Europe joined the organization. Today, the death penalty has been legally ended in all 46 member countries during peacetime. Sometimes, people still ask for it to be brought back, but ending it across the continent is a big success for the Council of Europe. Now, PACE works with others to try and end the death penalty worldwide.

Helping New Democracies Grow

Over many years, PACE has been a leader in helping European countries become democracies. It helps them join the Council of Europe, which is like a "club of democracies." PACE can say no to new members, so it uses this power to make sure countries meet certain conditions before joining.

In the 1950s, PACE welcomed Germany after World War II. In the 1960s, it took a strong stand during a crisis in Greece. In the 1970s, it welcomed Spain and Portugal into the group of democracies after their dictatorships ended. Most importantly, after the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, PACE played a key role. It created a special "Special Guest status" for former Communist countries. This helped bring European nations together under one roof in a historic way.

Languages Used

The official languages of the Council of Europe are English and French. However, PACE also uses German and Italian for its work. Each member has headphones at their desk where they can choose which language they want to listen to. If guests from other countries want to speak in a different language, they need to bring their own interpreters.

Who Participates?

PACE has a total of 612 members. This includes 306 main members and 306 substitute members. They are chosen or elected by the parliaments of each member country. The groups of members from each country must reflect how their own national parliament is set up, so they include members from both ruling parties and opposition parties.

The number of representatives and votes each country gets depends on its population. This is different from the Committee of Ministers, where each country gets one vote.

Some parliaments, like those from Kyrgyzstan, Jordan, Morocco, and Palestine, have "Partner for Democracy" status. This means their groups can take part in PACE's work, but they cannot vote. There are also observer members from the parliaments of Canadian, Israeli, and Mexican.

The costs for members to participate in PACE, like travel and hotel, are usually paid by their own national parliament. A few members who are chosen to write reports for PACE have their costs covered by the Council of Europe.

Countries and Their Members

Delegation	Seats	Accession
Albania	4	1995
Andorra	2	1994
Armenia	4	2001
Austria	6	1956
Azerbaijan	6	2001
Belgium	7	1949
Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	2002
Bulgaria	6	1992
Croatia	5	1996
Cyprus	3	1961–1964, 1984
Czech Republic	7	1991
Denmark	5	1949
Estonia	3	1993
Finland	5	1989
France	18	1949
Georgia	5	1999
Germany	18	1951
Greece	7	1949–1969, 1974
Hungary	7	1990
Iceland	3	1959
Ireland	4	1949
Italy	18	1949
Latvia	3	1995
Liechtenstein	2	1978
Lithuania	4	1993
Luxembourg	3	1949
Malta	3	1965
Moldova	5	1995
Monaco	2	2004
Montenegro	3	2007
Netherlands	7	1949
North Macedonia	3	1995
Norway	5	1949
Poland	12	1991
Portugal	7	1976
Romania	10	1993
San Marino	2	1988
Serbia	7	2003
Slovakia	5	1993
Slovenia	3	1993
Spain	12	1977
Sweden	6	1949
Switzerland	6	1963
Turkey	18	1949
Ukraine	12	1995
United Kingdom	18	1949

Parliaments with "Partner for Democracy" Status

Parliaments with "Partner for Democracy" status promise to work towards the basic values of the Council of Europe. They also agree to have their progress checked sometimes. In return, they can send groups to take part in the work of PACE and its committees, but they cannot vote.

Delegation	Seats	Population	Population per member	Year Partner for Democracy status granted
Jordan	3	10,954,200	3,651,400	2016
Kyrgyzstan	3	6,586,600	1,097,767	2014
Morocco	6	36,261,700	6,043,617	2011
Palestine	3	5,227,193	1,742,398	2011

Parliaments with Observer Status

Delegation	Seats	Population	Population per member	Year observer status granted
Canada	6	35,151,728	5,858,621	1996
Israel	3	9,350,580	3,116,860	1957
Mexico	6	126,014,024	21,002,337	1999

Other Groups Invited to Participate

The Assembly of Kosovo has been invited to send a group to take part in PACE's work as observers, meaning they can't vote. In April 2023, the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers approved Kosovo's request to become a member. Then, on April 16, 2024, PACE voted in favor of Kosovo's membership.

Delegation	Seats	Population	Population per member	Year invited
Kosovo	3	1,806,279	602,093	2016

Two representatives from the Turkish Cypriot community have also been invited to join discussions in the Assembly as observers, without the right to vote.

Leaders of PACE

Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly

The President is the main leader of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Here is a list of past Presidents:

Period	Name	Country	Political Group
1949	Édouard Herriot (interim)	France	Radical Party
1949–1951	Paul-Henri Spaak	Belgium	Socialist Party
1952–1954	François de Menthon	France	Popular Republican Movement
1954–1956	Guy Mollet	France	Socialist Party
1956–1959	Fernand Dehousse	Belgium	Socialist Party
1959	John Edwards	United Kingdom	Labour Party
1960–1963	Per Federspiel	Denmark	Venstre
1963–1966	Pierre Pflimlin	France	Popular Republican Movement
1966–1969	Geoffrey de Freitas	United Kingdom	Labour Party
1969–1972	Olivier Reverdin [de]	Switzerland	Liberal Party
1972–1975	Giuseppe Vedovato	Italy	Christian Democracy
1975–1978	Karl Czernetz [de]	Austria	Social Democratic Party
1978–1981	Hans de Koster	Netherlands	People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
1981–1982	José María de Areilza	Spain	Union of the Democratic Centre
1983–1986	Karl Ahrens	Germany	Social Democratic Party
1986–1989	Louis Jung	France	Group of the European People's Party
1989–1992	Anders Björck	Sweden	European Democratic Group
1992	Geoffrey Finsberg	United Kingdom	European Democratic Group
1992–1995	Miguel Ángel Martínez Martínez	Spain	Socialist Group
1996–1999	Leni Fischer	Germany	Group of the European People's Party
1999–2002	Russell Johnston	United Kingdom	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
2002–2004	Peter Schieder	Austria	Socialist Group
2005–2008	René van der Linden	Netherlands	Group of the European People's Party
2008–2010	Lluís Maria de Puig [es]	Spain	Socialist Group
2010–2012	Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu	Turkey	European Democratic Group
2012–2014	Jean-Claude Mignon	France	Group of the European People's Party
2014–2016	Anne Brasseur	Luxembourg	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
2016–2017	Pedro Agramunt	Spain	Group of the European People's Party
2017–2018	Stella Kyriakides	Cyprus	Group of the European People's Party
2018	Michele Nicoletti	Italy	Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group
2018–2020	Liliane Maury Pasquier	Switzerland	Socialists, Democrats and Greens Group
2020–2022	Rik Daems	Belgium	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
2022–2024	Tiny Kox	Netherlands	Group of the Unified European Left
2024–present	Theodoros Roussopoulos	Greece	Group of the European People's Party

Vice-Presidents of PACE

These are some of the current Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly:

Period	Name	Country	Political Group
2023–present
	Yıldırım Tuğrul Türkeş	Turkey	Justice and Development Party
	Elisabetta Gardini	Italy	Brothers of Italy
	Pierre-Alain Fridez	Switzerland	Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
	Rik Daems	Belgium	Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats
	Reinhold Lopatka	Austria	Austrian People's Party
	Armin Laschet	Germany	Christian Democratic Union of Germany
	David Morris	United Kingdom	Conservative Party
	Bernadeta Coma	Andorra	Democrats for Andorra
	Bertrand Bouyx	France	Renaissance
	Marco Nicolini	San Marino	RETE Movement
	Tamara Vonta	Slovenia	Freedom Movement
	Olena Khomenko	Ukraine	Servant of the People
	Snježana Novaković-Bursać	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
	Agnieszka Pomaska	Poland	Civic Platform
	Blerina Gjylameti	Albania	Socialist Party of Albania
	Markus Wiechel	Sweden	Sweden Democrats
Georg Georgiev	Bulgaria	GERB—SDS
vacant	Slovakia

Secretary General of PACE

In January 2021, Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis was chosen as the Secretary General of the Assembly. She started her five-year term in March 2021.

She leads a team of 80 people from many different countries who work in Strasbourg. She is the first woman to hold this important job since PACE started in 1949. She is also the first person from Greece to be the Secretary General.

See also

In Spanish: Asamblea Parlamentaria del Consejo de Europa para niños

• European Cultural Convention
• Václav Havel Human Rights Prize