Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. What is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (Pase) What is Pase decoding what does it do

Everyone who is not indifferent to world and European politics has repeatedly come across these four capital letters - PACE - in print and electronic media. The abbreviation is usually offered to the reader as "Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe". This is true. But there are some points that require clarification.

From European history

The origin of this structure is to be found in post-war Europe. The idea of ​​interstate integration of European countries was declared at the beginning of the twentieth century. It appeared on the pages of political journalism, but the matter never came to its practical implementation. They became especially relevant in the post-war period of development. It was necessary to take measures to counter the possible rehabilitation and revival of Nazism, to ensure the restoration of industry and the sustainable development of all countries of the continent. One of the most famous supporters of the ideas of European integration was the Council of Europe, founded in 1949, one of the most important structural components of which was PACE. The abbreviation of the name of this body in translation from English means "Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe". The Russian of this abbreviation is the same as its English spelling: RACE.

On the goals and objectives of the international organization

The activities of many international structures are indicated in their official names. PACE is no exception to this rule. Deciphering the abbreviation of this name can say a lot about the goals and objectives that this political organization sets for itself. This is an advisory body. It brings together representatives of the parliaments of various countries that are members of the Council of Europe. It should be understood that this organization does not have real political power. Its functions include monitoring the situation and monitoring the fulfillment of domestic and international obligations that countries voluntarily assumed when joining the Council of Europe. What is PACE is well known to all top administrators of international European structures. Without the approval of this organization, they could not have been in their posts. Under the control of PACE, the election of human rights judges and the development of all international conventions submitted for approval to the Council of Europe take place.

How the assembly works

The PACE organization, the decoding of the abbreviation of which indicates that it is nothing more than an international assembly of parliamentarians from various countries, operates in a sessional mode. National delegations to the assembly are appointed by the parliaments of states on the basis of approved quotas. The size of each parliamentary delegation is directly proportional to the population of the country it represents. In addition to sessional meetings of the Assembly, a number of standing committees work in its composition. They are responsible for the preparation of the documents under discussion and ensure the continuity of the functioning of the organization.

Regulations

The head of the assembly is the Chairman, who is elected for a one-year term. In practice, there is a situation where the chairmanship on a non-alternative basis is extended for three years. In the order of rotation, the position of chairman passes from one political faction to another after a three-year period. In addition to the chairman, the assembly also elects a whole group of his deputies. Their number reaches twenty. What the word "PACE" means, their listeners and spectators are periodically reminded This happens, as a rule, four times a year, when the plenary sessions of the Assembly open in the city of Strasbourg. Their work usually lasts for one week.

Russia and PACE

The Russian State Duma and the Federation Council are represented in the Parliamentary Assembly by no means from the day of its foundation. The answer to the question of what the abbreviation PACE means became relevant for Russian parliamentarians only in 1996, when the Russian Federation received full representation in the Council of Europe and assumed all the obligations corresponding to this status. Since then, the Russian parliamentarians, as part of a delegation of eighteen people, have been very pleased to go four times a year to the ancient French city of Strasbourg for the next plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It should be noted that relations between the Russian Federation and this international organization are by no means smooth sailing. PACE has repeatedly adopted declarative statements condemning Russia's domestic and foreign policy on this or that issue. Suffice it to recall the military operations in Chechnya in the mid-nineties.

European Court of Human Rights

Not every resident of the Russian Federation is able to confidently answer the question of how PACE is deciphered. But the Strasbourg Court of Human Rights is much better known. This legal structure, which is under the auspices of PACE, is for many Russians the last hope in their quest for justice. The jurisdiction of this court extends to the territory of the Russian Federation. A person can apply to this international court only after he has failed to achieve justice within the country.

Cooperation agreement: Joint Statement: Statement after the joint meeting:

Year of formation: 1949

Number of participating countries: 47

Total number of PACE deputies: 636 MPs (318 representatives and 318 substitutes).

The number of representatives from each country (and the same number of their deputies) is determined by taking into account the size of its population, as well as belonging to the group of main contributors. They are elected or appointed by the national parliaments from among their deputies. PACE members cannot be members of the governments of their countries. They have deputies who, in their absence, may speak at sessions of the Assembly and vote. Both representatives and their deputies, officially included in the PACE commissions, participate in their work with a voting right and can be elected to leadership positions. The powers of the members of the delegations are valid during one annual session of PACE, which takes place in four stages (as a rule, the last week of January, April, June and September). According to established practice, seats in the delegations of various countries are distributed in proportion to the number of party factions in the national parliament. PACE members unite in the following party groups (factions): the Group of Socialists (SOC), the Group of the European People's Party / Christian Democrats (EPP/CD), the Group of European Democrats (GED), the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), as well as Group of the United European Left (OEL). Some deputies are considered "independent" and do not belong to any of the factions.

The sessions are also attended by 18 observers - from the parliaments of Canada, Mexico and Israel. Similar rights are enjoyed by 2 representatives of the Turkish community of Cyprus, formally included in the delegation of the Republic of Cyprus. The Parliament of the Republic of Belarus in 1997 was temporarily deprived of the status of "special guest" and was not represented at the sessions.

Structure:

- Chairman. The Chairman of the Assembly is elected from among its members, traditionally for three consecutive one-year terms.

- The Bureau. Since 2014, the Bureau of the Assembly consists of the Chairman and his deputies (there are currently 18 of them), heads of five political groups, as well as chairmen of the PACE Committees.

- PACE Standing Committee. The Standing Committee (makes decisions during the intersessional period) consists of members of the Bureau, heads of national delegations, chairmen of the committees.

- political groups, committees, subcommittees.

The Assembly adopts resolutions and recommendations on the basis of reports prepared by deputies. Among the important powers of the Assembly are the election of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and his deputy, judges of the European Court of Human Rights, the adoption of opinions on the candidacies of new member states, monitoring the fulfillment by them of the obligations assumed upon accession. PACE adopts opinions on drafts of all international conventions developed in the Council of Europe. In addition, Assembly sessions traditionally become forums for discussing topical issues of European politics, heads of state and government are regularly invited to them.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe presents a report on its activities at each session of the Assembly. The Committee of Ministers is also obliged to give official responses to the PACE recommendations.

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One of the important structural elements of the Council of Europe, which consists of representatives of the legislative bodies of the participating countries, is considered the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe or PACE, founded in 1949.

Composition of PACE and its structure

PACE participants are appointed by the representative bodies of the member countries. The five largest countries, including the Russian Federation, are represented by eighteen members. At the same time, it is worth noting that the number of representatives from one country must be at least two.

The national group of delegates must be composed of authorized persons from parties represented in Parliament. Observers from the legislatures of Canada, Israel and Mexico may also participate in the conferences. In general, the Assembly has 318 members (47 countries).

To date, S. Kariakides has been appointed President of PACE. Also, the participants determine its deputies. It is important to note that there are separate factions in PACE, which are formed on the basis of a separate political aspiration of their members. There are currently five groups:

• Socialist;
• European People's Party;
• Free deputies;
• Liberal and Democratic Union for Europe;
• United European Left.

Also, in accordance with the state representative bodies, the Assembly has its own commissions in various areas, the main of which are:

• political;
• legal;
• Protection of people's rights;
• Fulfillment by the state of due obligations.

The Chairman of the Assembly, his deputies, as well as the heads of the commissions manage the work of the PACE Bureau: notices are prepared, important issues are determined, which, in the future, will be considered at the session in the form of reports.

How PACE works

Meetings of the Assembly are scheduled in Strasbourg several times a year, each lasting at least seven days. In addition, commission conferences are held with the participation of the Bureau and representatives of national delegates. The Commission is vested with the power to pass resolutions and advice on the orders of the Assembly. It is worth noting that the commissions also hold sessions several times a year in Paris or another state that has expressed a desire to host them.

Important fact

During the session, PACE members have the right to submit amendments, which are subsequently considered.

1. After the presentation of the report, a discussion is held (previously agreed speakers), and then, based on the results of the vote, an appropriate decision is made. For the approval of a resolution, a majority of positive votes is required, and for a recommendation - 2/3.

Important fact

Particularly important topics can be discussed in an emergency vote. Usually, debates of this format are held at each conference, including 1-2 topical issues. As a result, a vote is taken and any provisions or recommendations are adopted.

note

There is another similar debate format that includes current topics of concern, without documentary evidence.

Not only leaders of countries and representative offices, but also other invited persons have the right to speak at PACE conferences. Usually the reports contain answers to the exciting questions of state representatives, which is the presentation of a report by the head of the country to the Council.

The Assembly does not have the right to establish any bills, however, it constantly negotiates with the executive bodies of state administration, representatives of the parliament of PACE members, as well as other world organizations. The main task of the Council of Europe is to improve the living standards of the population and eliminate problems in modern society. Therefore, the organization takes appropriate measures:

• The requirement to follow the recommendations for troubleshooting, improving the situation, as well as monitoring the implementation of relevant requirements;
• Identification of gross violations of people's rights, as well as conducting investigations;
• Questioning the heads or representatives of the governments of the participating countries on any issues related to national problems. Deputies, without fail, must provide a public report. This measure is aimed at increasing the responsibility for non-execution of government actions to the population;
• Establishment of certain conditions and rules for the country's entry into PACE;
• Assistance in the adoption of state regulations and bills by discussing and making adjustments;
• The Chairman of the Assembly, as well as his deputies, have the right to act as an observer of voting, as well as to intervene in negotiations in conflict cases.

PACE and the Russian Federation

The group of delegates from the Russian Federation speaking at PACE conferences consists of 18 representatives and the same number of persons replacing them. Representatives of the Russian Federation are in the Socialist Fraction, Free Deputies, as well as the United Left. The Russian Federation joined PACE in 1996, while guaranteeing to fulfill certain obligations. As a result, their implementation is constantly monitored.

Important fact

The delegates representing the Russian Federation were deprived of the right to vote in 2015, and, subsequently, to participate in the sessions.

In 2009, PACE approved a provision that criticized the Russian Federation's recognition of the secession of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Subsequently, an additional resolution of similar content was adopted, which criticized the refusal to allow the presence of Assembly observers in their territories.

In 2012, a regulation was adopted to extend the monitoring of the situation in the Russian Federation. This was explained by the fact that the death penalty has not been officially abolished, investigations into cases of offenses against people have not been carried out properly, and Russian troops have not been withdrawn from the territories previously mentioned.

Based on the foregoing, we can conclude that the Council of Europe considers the most pressing problems, contributes to their solution, helps states in adopting bills and resolving certain issues.

The end of June 2019 was significant for the fact that the Russian delegation returned to PACE again. The course of the meetings of this organization was full of headlines both on the Internet and on television. The attention of a million people was riveted to the ongoing events, a huge number of questions were asked, which were vigorously discussed. As always, there was some negative in the direction of our state. However, despite numerous attempts to postpone the discussion of the issue on Russia to another day, or cancel it altogether, the PACE resolution was nevertheless adopted, and all powers were returned to our delegation.

However, first things first. This article will discuss what the PACE organization is, what is its essence, what issues does it solve, and why should Russia take part in it?

PACE is an international political organization established in 1949 as an advisory body. Its abbreviation stands for "Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe".

The idea of ​​creating such an organization belongs to the foreign ministers of Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Sweden and Great Britain. May 5, 1949 At the conference, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Council of Europe and the Charter of the organization was adopted.

The purpose of the creation of PACE is to take into account and represent political interests all members- participants, consider issues on the problems of modern society, and international politics.

At its core, PACE cannot pass laws and force someone to comply with them. This is just a kind of "mouthpiece" through which important issues are discussed, and recommendations are given for troubleshooting. In short, PACE is called upon to improve the lives of Europeans.

In order to achieve this goal, the organization takes the following measures:

1. Establishes relationships with the leadership of countries, and with various international and public organizations;
2. Demands that the heads of state resolve the disputed issues that have arisen;
3. Is the initiator of various strategies and ideas that are applied in the activities of the entire Council of Europe;
4. Identifies violations of human rights, and, if necessary, conducts investigations;
5. The Assembly calls on the governments of the participating countries to be responsible for their actions and actions to society. She can ask any questions related to the political life of the country. Moreover, both questions and answers should be given publicly and openly;
6. Serves as an election observer;
7. Negotiates in cases of conflicts and disagreements;
8. Makes decisions on the issues of states' accession to the Council of Europe, etc.

The tasks of the Assembly are inextricably linked with the goals of the organization. These include:

1. Consideration, adoption of resolutions and recommendations;
2. Consideration and issuance of applications for membership in the Council of Europe;
3. Holding conferences;
4. Election of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and his deputy;
5. Election of the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly;
6. Election of judges of the European Court of Human Rights, etc.

PACE is a large-scale organization that includes 47 states. These are Austria, Azerbaijan, Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Great Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia , Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden and Estonia. The headquarters of the Council of Europe is in Strasbourg.

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PACE has its own parliament, which consists of 636 deputies, of which 318 are representatives of countries and 318 are their deputies. At the same time, the number of seats in parliamentarians for each country is different and depends on the size of the state. For example, Russia, along with other large countries, is represented by 18 members of the delegation, which includes deputies from United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party, and Just Russia.

So how does the Assembly work? It holds plenary sessions in Strasbourg 4 times a year, with the duration of each session being 7 days. In addition, mini-sessions can be held 2 times a year, at which resolutions are also considered and adopted, but only the heads of national delegations participate in them. Mini-sessions are held in any country by invitation.

The work of PACE is to consider and take decisions on resolutions and recommendations, which are prepared according to established rules. The report can be prepared for 1 - 2 years. The Rapporteur reports to the Assembly on the progress of the work. Resolutions and recommendations are taken in the simplest way possible. A majority of the votes of the members taking part in the vote is required for approval. So on what topics are reports being prepared, and what issues are raised?

What issues is PACE called upon to solve?

The Assembly observes the situation developing in the countries that are its members. Based on existing problems, resolutions and recommendations are developed and adopted.

Considering that the PACE includes 47 states then the topic for discussion could be great amount. As for our state, the history of relations between PACE and Russia is very rich. For example, in the period from 2002 to 2019, more than 10 resolutions were considered with respect to Russia.

It is difficult to say what is the reason for such an increased interest, because our country was discussed almost every year. However, despite the constant pressure, both sides got used to each other. For Russia, it became clear that for the Assembly, human rights come first, and it cannot understand the peculiarities of the post-Soviet space, and PACE came to the conclusion that Russia is a country that will not respond to criticism with criticism, and certainly will not live under whose - the dictation. Nevertheless, both sides understand the importance of relationships with each other, because in the words of the members of the organization themselves: "We are all building a common European home!"

PACE session June 2019. Last news

To begin with, it is worth noting that in April 2019, the regular session of the Assembly was held. During it, a resolution was adopted in which, for the first time since 2014, Russia was called upon to form its own delegation and pay a contribution to the budget of the Council of Europe.

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By the way, the debt has accumulated rather big and amounts to about 60 million euros. In turn, Russia agrees to pay the necessary contributions, but subject to the restoration of the rights of the Russian delegation in full.

This event caused a lot of discussion and confusion. Some believe that the Council of Europe does not want to part with Russian payments, while others are sure that this measure is forced. Since the election of the PACE Secretary General is scheduled for the June 2019 session. Such a procedure should take place with the participation of the delegation from Russia, since the PACE statutory documents exclude discrimination of national delegations for political reasons. Accordingly, the necessary full restoration of Russia's rights.

However, there were many attempts to postpone the vote. For example, on June 24, PACE rejected the issue of postponing to another day voting on a draft resolution on inviting Russia to the June session. Parliamentarians proposed to change the reports in places, or even cancel the vote. The main initiators were the British and Ukrainians. Moreover, the Assembly declined to discuss the situation around the MH17 disaster. The main accusers of Moscow and Donbass in this matter were Kyiv and Amsterdam. During the summer session, it was also decided not to discuss Russian contributions to the CE budget.

At the same time, Moscow issued a statement for the meeting to make a decision as soon as possible, while indicating that the deadline was the morning of Wednesday, June 26, since the election of the PACE Secretary General was scheduled for that day.

As a result, on the night of Tuesday, June 25, PACE approved a resolution that allows Russia to participate in the June session. On the same day, the powers of the delegation were challenged, but the next day Russia was fully restored to its powers.

Such an event could not be left without attention, and the representatives of Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia, partially Poland and Slovakia left the meeting room in protest.

Opposed: Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Poland.

As a result of this resolution, the composition of the Duma part of the delegation of the Federal Assembly to PACE was approved, it included 22 people - 11 representatives and 11 deputies.

Of course, most of the questions are addressed specifically to the head of PACE, the whole world wanted to hear an official answer to the question: "Why was Russia returned to the organization?" The reaction came immediately. Liliane Maury Pasquier stated: “Russia has not participated in the work of the organization for 5 years. During this time, PACE has not been able to reach a solution to the issues of Donbass and Crimea, there is no progress in resolving human rights activities and democracy. Moreover, the Assembly could not allow Russia to withdraw from the participating countries, because in this case, 140 million Russians would lose the right to apply to the European Court of Human Rights.” According to the head, it was these reasons that prompted PACE to return Russia.