The Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegrp participated at the PACE Winter Session, composed of Mr Predrag Sekulić, Head of Delegation, and members Ms Marija Ćatović, Ms Sanja Pavićević, and Mr Ervin Ibrahimović.

The Winter Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ended today with a discussion on strengthening international regulations against trade in goods used for torture and the death penalty.

The Parliamentary Assembly adopted several resolutions and recommendations on issues that were on the agenda of the session, with special attention being paid to those related to the establishment of a framework for modern sports governance, activities carried out during the previous year in the framework of the monitoring process, and protection of regional or minority languages. The MPs also talked about the humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine, the protection of children affected by armed conflicts, the role of the Council of Europe in the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, the Turkish military intervention in Syria, the honouring of obligations and commitments by Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Council of Europe, the case for a basic citizenship income, as well as the need for drafting a convention on the profession of lawyer.

The Winter Session was marked by addresses delivered by Mr Serzh Sargsyan, President of Armenia, Mr Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria, Mr Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark and the Crown Princess of Denmark. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Mr Anders Samuelsen, in the capacity of the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, informed about the decisions made by the Committee since the previous PACE session and announced forthcoming activities closely related to the priorities of the Danish Presidency: the continuation of reforms of the European system of human rights protection, equality of opportunity, the rights of persons with disabilities, the inclusion of young people in democracy and the fight against torture. Mr Samuelsen also announced the organisation of a ministerial meeting on the future of the Council of Europe and the priorities of this organisation in May this year in Denmark.

In his regular address to the Parliamentary Assembly, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, called on the member states to remain committed to meeting the obligations of membership and cooperation with Council of Europe bodies.

At this session, the Parliamentary Assembly elected a judge of the European Court of Human Rights from Spain, and in the second round of voting, the new Commissioner of the Council of Europe for Human Rights.

Aside from the Plenary Session, the members of the delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro participated in the meetings of political groups in the Parliamentary Assembly, the meetings of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons and the Committee on Equality and Prevention of Discrimination, as well as at the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee on the role and mission of the PSSE.

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in the frameworks of the Winter Session, has accepted the invitation of the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Mr Ivan Brajović, to send a delegation that will observe the upcoming presidential election in Montenegro to be held on 15 April 2018.