PACE will focus on the legal aspects of the war in Ukraine at the summer session and elect a new Secretary General

Summer plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which started June 24 in Strasbourg, will pay special attention to legal and human rights issues related to military actions on the territory of Ukraine.

Key issues of the session

• Debates and votes on three resolutions devoted to the role of sanctions in opposing the Russian war, legal aspects of aggression and protection of cultural identity during war.
• A report calling for immediate and long-term political solutions to help Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their homes.
• The official launch of the PACE parliamentarians’ network aimed at the return of Ukrainian children kidnapped and deported by Russia.
• Elections of the new Secretary General of the Council of Europe for the next five years. Alain Berse (Switzerland), Indrek Saar (Estonia) and Didier Reynders (Belgium) are applying for the position.

The session will last until June 28. It will also include a debate on the challenges of democracy in Georgia and a speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, who will present the message of the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly.