The Autumn Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) opened in Strasbourg on Monday.

The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will address PACE and answer questions from parliamentarians on Tuesday 1 October.

French Secretary of State for European Affairs Amélie de Montchalin will present the communication from the Committee of Ministers and Marija Pejčinović Burić, newly elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe, will address the Assembly.

The winner of the 2019 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize – chosen from a shortlist of three nominees – will be announced later today. The Prize will be awarded at a special ceremony in the plenary.

During the session, the Assembly will focus on the protection of whistleblowers, common standards for ombudsman institutions, and the protection of victims of terrorism, as well as the preservation of Jewish cultural heritage. The Assembly will also discuss reports on climate refugees and labour migration in Eastern Europe, and on obstetrical and gynaecological violence.

Reports on the functioning of democratic institutions in the Republic of Moldova, and on post-monitoring dialogue with Northern Macedonia, as well as a report on the contribution of the Council of Europe Development Bank to a more inclusive society, with an intervention by its Governor, also feature on the agenda.