What is a Pace organization in Europe? Pase: what kind of organization is this?

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe deprived Russia of its voting rights in this organization until April 2015. In response, the head of the Russian delegation announced Russia's withdrawal from PACE. What will this mean for our country?

During the voting on the resolution on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine, 160 PACE deputies voted to deprive the Russian delegation of voting rights until April 2015. Only 42 were against it, and another 11 abstained. The PACE decision will be valid until April 2015, after which it may return to the issue of the powers of the Russian delegation “if Russia demonstrates significant progress in terms of fulfilling the requirements of the resolution.”

In addition to the opportunity to vote on resolutions and decisions of the parliamentary assembly, Russia lost the right to be an observer at elections in European countries, and its delegates will not be able to serve as PACE rapporteurs. According to the head of the Russian delegation, Alexei Pushkov, if Russia is not given back its voting rights by the end of 2015, the question of leaving the Council of Europe and all its structures will be raised. Immediately after the announcement of the voting results, the Russian delegation to in full force stood up and left the PACE meeting room.

“In view of the fact that PACE deprived the Russian Federation of the right to vote and participate in governing bodies organization, there is no need to talk about any contacts in the organization. We informed our colleagues, the leadership of PACE, the leadership of political groups that if fundamental rights are taken away from Russia, then the Russian delegation will suspend its participation until the end of 2015 at a minimum,” Pushkov said.

Experts believe that for Russia, leaving the Parliamentary Assembly will have no significant impact. real consequences does not carry. The fact is that PACE, although it is one of the main structures of the Council of Europe along with the European Court of Human Rights, in reality has very meager powers. Most of its activities come down to monitoring the level of democracy in a particular country, respect for human rights, and issuing resolutions and decisions based on the reports of delegates. However, participating countries are not obliged to follow these documents. In other words, the activities of PACE are primarily advisory in nature. In addition, Russia with its 18 delegates (there are 318 in total in the Parliamentary Assembly) still could not really influence the decisions taken by PACE.

The only thing that can cause concern is Russia's possible withdrawal from the Council of Europe, since this would immediately remove it from the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights, and would also block Russians' ability to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. According to the most gloomy (and so far unconfirmed) forecasts, this could return the death penalty to Russia (it is now prohibited precisely because of the ratification of the convention in the country), and also deprive those citizens who are dissatisfied with Russian justice from the opportunity to seek justice on the side. However, these fears are often exaggerated: the death penalty is in force in many countries of the world, primarily in a number of US states (which PACE even obliged to abolish it), and as for justice, the Russians who applied for it to the Strasbourg court did not always she was found. The fact is that the ECHR, like the PACE, also does not have significant power; it does not have the right to change the existing legislation in a particular country or make changes to the court verdicts of these countries. The only thing this court can do is award fines.

As for PACE itself, it will, of course, survive the absence of Russia (Russian delegates were already deprived of their voting rights for a year in 2000 due to the war in Chechnya), but it will still have to face a couple of troubles. Firstly, this is a material factor: after all, Russia paid one of the largest contributions for participation in the parliamentary assembly - about 25 million euros, with the budget of the assembly itself being 400 million. The contribution for 2015 has already been made by the Ministry of Finance, but if Russia is not given back its rights, next year PACE will lose this money. Secondly, this is an opportunity, albeit nominally, to monitor the situation in Russia, interact with its leadership and representatives, enter into dialogue and conduct discussions with them. Now, with Russia's withdrawal from this organization, PACE has lost this opportunity for minimal control.

On April 7, the Spring Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) opened in Strasbourg. On Thursday, PACE members will discuss possible sanctions against the Russian Federation for annexing Crimea. In particular, it is proposed to review the powers of the Russian delegation, up to and including depriving Russian parliamentarians of the right to vote.

What is PACE and when did it appear?

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe - abbreviated PACE - was approved in 1949 and until 1974 was called the Consultative Assembly.

PACE is one of the three main bodies Council of Europe (CoE)* and the oldest international parliamentary institution.

The Parliamentary Assembly represents the interests of the main political parties existing in the member states of the organization. The Assembly considers issues related to problems modern society and various aspects of international politics.

Why is PACE needed?

Although PACE does not have the ability to pass laws, the Assembly conducts a constant dialogue with the government, the national parliament of the participating countries, other international and public organizations. Also draws attention to the main problems of modern society and strives to improve the lives of Europeans. To achieve this, the organization takes the following measures:

1) Demands action from the heads of 47 states to resolve various issues. PACE is a kind of “engine” of various ideas, strategies and lays the foundation for many areas of activity of the Council of Europe.

2) Conducts investigations and identifies violations of human rights.

3) Asks the presidents and prime ministers of the participating countries any questions about the problems existing in their countries. Politicians must give a public response. Thus, the Assembly calls for the government to be held accountable for its actions to society.

4) Act as an observer at elections and negotiate in case of conflict situations.

5) Dictates the conditions for states to join the Council of Europe.

6) Promotes acceptance national laws participating countries by discussing draft laws.

Which countries are included in PACE?

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 (since 1996), Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden , Estonia. The Vatican, Israel, Canada, and Mexico also have observer status.

How is the composition of PACE formed?

The PACE Parliament consists of 636 deputies (318 representatives and 318 their deputies). Countries appoint their own parliamentarians.

Five most large states- Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Russia and France are represented in PACE by 18 members, the minimum representation is 2 members per state. The national delegation must include representatives of all political parties represented in Parliament and meet the requirement of balanced representation of men and women. For example, from Russia there are 18 parliamentarians sitting in PACE - deputies " United Russia", Communist Party of the Russian Federation, Liberal Democratic Party and "A Just Russia".

How does PACE work?

The Assembly holds plenary sessions four times a year. Sessions last one week each.

In addition, twice a year there are sessions of the “Standing Commission”, or “mini-sessions”, in which members of the Bureau and heads of national delegations participate. The Standing Committee has the right to adopt resolutions and recommendations on behalf of the Assembly. Plenary sessions are held at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, sessions of the standing commission - as a rule, in other countries at their invitation.

1) A PACE member collects the required number of signatures from other members in order to submit a proposal to develop a report.

2) If the Bureau of the Assembly agrees that such a report is necessary, it entrusts its development to one or more commissions.

3) The commission appoints a rapporteur who prepares a report over the course of 1-2 years, regularly reporting to the commission on the progress of the work.

4) As part of the preparation of the report, the deputy can make a number of study tours and organize hearings.

5) The final version of the report, together with the draft resolution and/or recommendation, is adopted by the relevant commission, after which it is submitted to the PACE plenary session or to the session of the Standing Commission.

6) During the session, written amendments to draft resolutions may be submitted, each of which is subject to voting.

7) At the plenary session, the rapporteur presents his report, after which debates are held (on a pre-prepared list of speakers) and voting on all proposed amendments and on the resolution and/or recommendation as a whole.

8) A resolution requires a simple majority to pass; a recommendation requires a two-thirds majority. Only the votes of members who took part in the voting are taken into account.

What factions are there in PACE?

PACE members are united in the following party groups (factions):

European People's Party Faction
Socialist faction
European Democratic Faction
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
United European Left Faction
Independent MPs

Ekaterina Chevalier

*

Council of Europe (CoE) - international organization, promoting cooperation between all European countries in the fields of law, democratic development and cultural interaction. The Council of Europe includes 47 states. Unlike the European Union, the Council of Europe cannot issue binding laws.

The most prominent bodies of the Council of Europe are the European Court of Human Rights, which operates under the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Commission of the European Pharmacopoeia.

Nowadays, the whole world is divided into certain zones, in which various bodies function, helping to establish relations between countries and providing them with their support. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) belongs to this group. It is one of the main bodies, consisting of many member states, and also providing advisory services. It significantly influences the life of modern society and regulates international relations.

Founding period

PACE was founded in 1949 and has been successfully operating within Europe since then. This is one of the oldest bodies of interparliamentary cooperation. Unfortunately, not many people know why this organization was created, and people are often interested in information about PACE: what it is and what it does. In fact, it is a well-established body that has been in operation for over sixty years and elects its own president. At the beginning of 2014, Anne Brasseur, a member of the Luxembourg parliament, became the head of the advisory body.

PACE structure

I would like to note that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) annually elects a new chairman. As for the operating procedure, this position passes from one political faction to another every three years. In addition, deputy chairmen are elected by the participants. Basically, their number does not exceed twenty people.

There are five political groups in the Assembly: socialist, European democrats, alliance of liberals and democrats, and united European left.

PACE also has special commissions, which are formed depending on the area of activity. All members of the organization are united into a single Bureau of the Assembly. It is the leadership that decides serious problems and controls the activities of the statutory body of the Council of Europe.

PACE activities

Answering the question “PACE - what is it?”, one can note that the organization primarily cares about the interests of political parties that exist directly in the member states. Secondly, the organ worries about fruitful and positive relationships between parliamentary structures of different countries that are members of the Council of Europe.

The parliaments of the states that are part of the organization appoint PACE members. One country may have two or more members of the advisory body. Thus, the five largest states are represented by eighteen members. Among them should be representatives of all political parties in the country. In addition, PACE, an organization with enormous influence, emphasizes a balanced number of male and female participants. In total, the advisory body has 318 members, each of whom has a deputy.

It is impossible not to mention that the Assembly decides by considering and discussing them at sessions. The flaws and shortcomings in international politics that are relevant today are also studied.

The further full-time job many ministries and authorities. As a member of the organization, member states can influence their governments. This mainly manifests itself in the form of recommendations that participants send to their country on behalf of PACE.

PACE participants

PACE, which, we recall, is the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, includes representatives from 47 countries. Among them, Russia, Luxembourg, Austria, Switzerland and Ireland are considered the most influential. But, besides this, you can find Italy, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and other countries here.

There is an event that participants or their deputies cannot miss - the PACE session. Observers (representatives of parliaments of countries that are not members of the organization) must be present at such a meeting. As a rule, they come from Canada, Mexico or Israel. These people ensure the integrity of the session.

Authority of the organization

When asking the question “PACE - what is it?”, of course, you should also find out what the organization does and what powers it has. Thus, deputies prepare special reports, on the basis of which the Assembly adopts various kinds recommendations and resolutions. One of the most important powers of PACE is to choose Secretary General Council of Europe, as well as its deputy. In addition, the organization accepts opinions on new candidacies of member states. PACE has taken upon itself the responsibility of electing executors for it. It should be noted that the conclusions on draft conventions developed in the CE are also adopted by PACE.

In turn, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe provides PACE with a report on its activities and undertakes to implement the body’s recommendations or provide responses to them.

"Dedication"

At one of the sessions, PACE participants consider possible applicants for joining the organization. After a decision is made to join the statutory body of a certain state, the government of the country is notified with a corresponding notification. After some time, the PACE Chairman and all its participants check how the member state fulfills its obligations. For this purpose, a Monitoring Commission functions specifically; it monitors the situation as a whole and annually submits a full report on the work done to all participants in the organization.

The PACE Assembly, in turn, reviews the reports and makes decisions about the future of the member state. It can have only two options: the participating country remains part of the organization or leaves it.

Work of the organization

Exactly four times a year, PACE sessions are held (the acronym stands for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe). The organization works for a whole week at this time. In addition to these important meetings, there are so-called mini-sessions, at which serious or urgent problems are also discussed, decisions are made and recommendations are made.

There are times when no meetings are scheduled, but a session must be called. They can be held twice a year and are called “Standing Commissions”. They can make decisions and act on behalf of the Assembly. These types of sessions are held in different countries, by invitation. The main meetings are organized at the headquarters of the Council of Europe - Strasbourg. Commissions may hold sessions several times a year. Mostly they take place in Paris.

You can prepare a resolution or adopt recommendations as follows: a member of the Assembly has the right to collect the required number of signatures and submit his developed proposal, which will be considered for a certain period of time. If the Bureau agrees that a report is necessary and this idea should be developed further, then the matter becomes the responsibility of the relevant Commission. Her responsibilities include appointing a responsible person who will collect information related to the report over a period of several months or years. After all the necessary steps, the deputy organizes a hearing at which the final version is presented. As a result of a positive decision by the Commission, the report is submitted to the Plenary Session. Various additions and developments may be attached to the information. After the report is presented to the commission members, a vote takes place, the outcome of which is decided future fate idea submitted by the participant.

PACE meeting for adoption final decision requires more than two-thirds vote. Thus, each participant can organize an “urgent debate” at which his proposals will be presented in the form of a report.

Statuses of PACE participants

Member states are considered full participants in the Assembly. But besides this, people with the status of “observer” and “special guest” can attend PACE sessions. The first group has already been mentioned earlier, these are representatives of Canada, Israel and Mexico. The second is special guests who can be invited by the chairman of the organization or participants. Unfortunately, in 1997, for reasons unknown to Belarus, this status was suspended. In 2010, the country's government tried to restore the right to be invited to a PACE meeting, but it remained undisclosed. However, nothing has changed - Belarus has not renewed its status.

PACE as an organization began to exist on May 5, 1949. Since then, the statutory body has tried to make its activities as effective as possible. For example, since 1989, the Assembly has directed many of its efforts to combat the global crisis and resolve various problems of European countries. In addition, all meetings are based on the developments, research, travel and missions of PACE participants.

It is worth noting that the Assembly has made a lot of efforts to ensure that the Council of Europe strengthens its political role. PACE pays a significant role to conferences and colloquia that are open to the eradication of violence, drugs, immigration, and intolerance. The organization is trying to improve the situation environment, improve and make the media fair.

Discussion of important issues

By asking himself: “PACE - what is it?”, each person becomes more enlightened in matters that relate to European and international events. At each session, organizations are reviewed current problems modern society. Also at the meeting is given great attention upcoming European and international events. Representatives of various bodies take part in discussions on this topic.

The Assembly is particularly active in areas related to the protection of human rights. She is responsible for a variety of resolutions that relate to issues of crime, the organization of effective and fair justice, the fight against AIDS, the eradication of child trafficking and drug addiction, and other things. The Assembly also approved provisions on lesbians and homosexuals, exploitation of people under the age of sixteen, sects and religious beliefs.

PACE today

Quite recently, one of the most powerful and largest participants in the Assembly - Russia - refused some contracts that significantly affected the activities of PACE. Thus, the Russian Federation showed that to some extent it is suspending and terminating cooperation with the organization, although it is not very beneficial for it. The Chairman of the Assembly took the first step and contacted the government of the state, since, in her opinion, PACE cannot do without such a powerful participant as Russia. If the Russian Federation refuses, then the organization will face formatting and a transition to new level international cooperation.

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe by majority vote until April. In response, the head of the committee for international affairs State Duma Alexey Pushkov said that Russia will leave PACE before the end of the year.

What is PACE and when did it appear?

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (abbreviated PACE) was approved in 1949 and until 1974 was called the Consultative Assembly.

PACE is one of the three main bodies and the oldest international parliamentary institution.

The Parliamentary Assembly represents the interests of the main political parties existing in the member states of the organization. The Assembly considers issues related to the problems of modern society and various aspects of international politics.

Why is PACE needed?

Although PACE does not have the ability to pass laws, the Assembly conducts a constant dialogue with the government, the national parliament of the participating countries, and other international and public organizations. Also draws attention to the main problems of modern society and strives to improve the lives of Europeans. To achieve this, the organization takes the following measures:

Demands action from 47 heads of state to resolve various issues. PACE is a kind of “engine” of various ideas, strategies and lays the foundation for many areas of activity of the Council of Europe.
Conducts investigations and identifies violations of human rights.
Asks the presidents and prime ministers of participating countries any questions about problems existing in their countries. Politicians must give a public response. Thus, the Assembly calls for the government to be held accountable for its actions to society.
Act as an observer at elections and negotiate in case of conflict situations.
Dictates the conditions for states to join the Council of Europe.
Promotes the adoption of national laws of participating countries by discussing bills.

Which countries are included in PACE?

How is the composition of PACE formed?

The PACE Parliament consists of 636 deputies (318 representatives and 318 their deputies). Countries appoint their own parliamentarians.

The five largest states - Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Russia and France - are represented in PACE by 18 members, the minimum representation is 2 members per state. The national delegation must include representatives of all political parties represented in Parliament and meet the requirement of balanced representation of men and women. For example, from Russia there are 18 parliamentarians sitting in PACE - deputies of United Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, the Liberal Democratic Party and A Just Russia.

How does PACE work?

The Assembly holds plenary sessions four times a year. Sessions last one week each.

In addition, twice a year there are sessions of the “Standing Commission”, or “mini-sessions”, in which members of the Bureau and heads of national delegations participate. The Standing Committee has the right to adopt resolutions and recommendations on behalf of the Assembly. Plenary sessions are held at the headquarters of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, sessions of the standing commission are usually held in other countries at their invitation.

1) A PACE member collects the required number of signatures from other members in order to submit a proposal to develop a report.

2) If the Bureau of the Assembly agrees that such a report is necessary, it entrusts its development to one or more commissions.

3) The commission appoints a rapporteur who prepares a report over the course of 1-2 years, regularly reporting to the commission on the progress of the work.

4) As part of the preparation of the report, the deputy can make a number of study tours and organize hearings.

6) During the session, written amendments to draft resolutions may be submitted, each of which is subject to voting.

8) A resolution requires a simple majority to pass; a recommendation requires a two-thirds majority. Only the votes of members who took part in the voting are taken into account.

What factions are there in PACE?

PACE members are united in the following party groups (factions):

European People's Party Faction
Socialist faction
European Democratic Faction
Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
United European Left Faction
Independent MPs

The Council of Europe (CoE) is an international organization promoting cooperation between all European countries in the fields of law, democratic development and cultural interaction. The Council of Europe includes 47 states. Unlike the European Union, the Council of Europe cannot issue binding laws.

PACE is an abbreviation that in English looks like “RACE”, and in Russian stands for “Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe”. In most cases, it performs an exclusively advisory function; it includes representation from each member parliament of the association a certain state. Founded four years after the end of the Second World War, this body is one of the oldest of all organizations in Europe dedicated to ensuring cooperation between allied parliaments. At the beginning of 2018, M. Nicoletti was appointed chairman.

Compound

It is the parliaments of the states that are direct members of PACE that are responsible for appointing the remaining members of the organization. The largest world states have a total of eighteen members; it is important that any state can send at least two members to PACE as official representation. Moreover, each representative office is obliged to maintain a person from each authoritative party and maintain a balance between male and female composition. The largest representative offices, indicating the number of members included in them:

United Kingdom of Great Britain - 18.
Federal Republic of Germany – 18.
Russian Federation – 18.
French Republic – 18.
Republic of Turkey – 18.

Official credentials

All reports submitted to PACE automatically become the basis for making a decision regarding the approval of resolutions. One of essential functions is the appointment (in the format of elections) of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, not excluding the election of his replacement. The ECHR judge is also appointed through elections in PACE. Already the above-mentioned powers to decide on the inclusion of new states, as well as providing a platform for discussions about current policies affecting all members of the organization.

Work process and organization

Each PACE session is held once a season and lasts seven days. Once every six months, special meetings called “mini-sessions” are held, in which only the main members of the Bureau take part. Resolutions are prepared as follows: one of the representatives collects the required number of signatures from the remaining members confirming the need to submit a report. The Bureau may approve or reject consideration of this report. During the preparation of the report, the deputy has the opportunity make business trips to organize hearings.

Each report takes no more than two years to prepare, and only one person is appointed responsible for it. The most acute standing questions are tabled for “urgent debate”, the outcome of which determines the possibility of adopting any new resolutions. If no documents are required to be accepted, the urgent debate will be referred to as a “Current Issues Debate”. Heads of state often take part in the speeches.

Russian Federation in PACE

Is on the list of the largest members of the organization, having large number representatives. However, back in 2015, the Russian Federation was deprived of the right to vote in PACE.

Joining the organization back in 1996 of the Russian Federation was accompanied by the assumption of a number of obligations, the implementation of which was monitored.

Many issues arising in relation to Russia in 2012 served as the basis for the future deprivation of its voting rights, namely, PACE did not arrange a moratorium on executions, it was required to cancel it completely (which is quite problematic, since this will entail the adoption of a new constitution, and not any -amendments), the Russian Federation’s refusal to grant permission to hold and support gay pride parades, as well as numerous violations of human rights during legal proceedings.

Another factor that directly influenced the deprivation of the vote can be considered the annexation of Crimea, which is regarded as military aggression, which largely violates the UN Charter. Because of this, the annexation of Crimea to Russia is not regarded by PACE members as having legal force, which means it is not recognized by European states. After which several resolutions unfavorable for the Russian Federation were adopted, which officially recognize the conflict in Ukraine as military aggression on the part of the Russian Federation.

Corruption in PACE

In 2013, Azerbaijan, through its representatives, bribed many PACE members so that some resolutions were adopted regarding this country, which should be favorable for the government. This also entailed the cancellation of the submission for consideration of a report sharply criticizing the actions of the Azerbaijani government. But it was only in 2017 that an investigation into this case was initiated.