Council of Europe: presidents of European Parliaments meet in Dublin. War, democracy and representation on the agenda

The presidents of the Parliaments of the 46 member states of the Council of Europe and lots of partner, observer and neighbouring countries, as well as interparliamentary committees, will meet in Dublin on 28th and 29th September. The event takes place every two years, at the initiative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), once in Strasbourg and once in the capital of a member state. Dublin will be hosting over 60 presidents or deputy presidents as well as 400 delegates who, seated in the Oireachtas, will discuss three key issues: the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the role of national parliaments in the reconstruction of Ukraine; the challenges of representative democracy in unsteady times; equality and diversity in public representation: participation of young people, women and ethnic groups as Parliament members. The meeting will be opened by the heads of the Irish institutions, the president of PACE, Tiny Kox, and the secretary general of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić. Another two events will be held on the same days as the PACE meeting: a conference about “Incitement to hatred and threats of violence against elected politicians” and a business lunch among the women presidents. The event can be watched live on the website of the conference, at pace.coe.int/fr/pages/2023confpres.
Valentina Bombelli