The winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will kick off on Monday in Strasbourg.

On the first day the president of PACE will be elected. Two candidatures are Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ALDE) and Robert Walter (United Kingdom, EDG).

The Magnitsky case, the impact of the internet on politics, and the integration of migrants in Europe will be among topics debated by PACE delegates.

There has also been a request for an urgent debate on the functioning of democratic institutions in Ukraine, PACE website reported.

Other topics on the agenda include combating climate change, the first ever evaluation of the Assembly’s “partnership for democracy” with the Palestinian National Council, and the accountability of international organisations for human rights violations.

Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland will address the Assembly, and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz will present the traditional Communication from the Committee of Ministers, as well as answering parliamentarians’ questions.