STRASBOURG (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova – Among the highlights of the five-day session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg will be speeches by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The lawmakers will debate the annulment of Russian delegation's credentials, migration challenges and rise of neo-racism in Europe, protections for whistleblowers and missing persons in the Ukraine conflict, among other issues.
Russia's rights in PACE
Summer session is perceived as a deadline for the Council of Europe's lawmakers to decide on the annulment of the previously ratified credentials of the Russian delegation. Russia has decided to stay out of PACE sessions until 2016 after losing voting rights following the start of the 2014 Ukraine crisis.
In January 2015, the assembly adopted a resolution stripping Russian voting rights, but not annulling credentials of the Russian delegation. The assembly promised to review its decision at the summer session.
The main criterion will be the progress made on Ukrainian reconciliation, as stipulated in the Minsk ceasefire deal that was reached between the conflicting sides in September and again in February.
Despite questioning Russia's commitment to Council of Europe’s principles, PACE lawmakers said they were willing to cooperate with Russia. Many have repeatedly said that Russia and PACE need one another.
Alexei Pushkov, the long-time head of Russia’s delegation to PACE, warned in June that they would stay out if they did not get voting rights back next January.
Europe faces migrant inflow, neo-racism rise
Amid a rising influx of African and Middle Eastern migrants to southern Europe, Council of Europe’s lawmakers have agreed to debate "a common European response to migration challenges."
The issue has been raised after Council’s human rights commissioner Nils Muiznieks told the assembly in spring that EU’s search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean should focus more on saving migrant lives than simply protecting borders.
Migrant death rate has been on the rise since the start of 2015, with tens of thousands taking a perilous journey to EU’s southern shores to flee crises in Africa and the Middle East.
PACE will also discuss ways to prevent neo-racism in Europe, predominantly affecting immigrants, but also resident Muslims, Jews and Roma. Lawmakers will focus on two key reasons behind the resurgence of racism – mainly the recent economic crisis and instability in impoverished regions that caused a rise in migration inflows to well-off Europe.
"Recognizing and preventing neo-racism" report will be presented by Italian lawmaker Milena Santerini for the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination.
Whistleblower protection
During the session, Dutch senator Pieter Omtzigt will present a report on improving the protection of whistleblowers. The lawmakers will then vote on a draft resolution.
The report stresses the importance of whistleblowing for promoting good governance, privacy, freedom of speech and the fight against corruption, including in the fields of national security and intelligence.
On the side of PACE session, Omtzigt will hold a discussion "Whistleblowing – the way forward," in which former NSA contractor Edward Snowden will participate via a video link.
Snowden, who leaked in 2013 a cache of sensitive documents on US and UK illegal surveillance practices domestically and globally, triggered a manhunt and legislative action on both sides of the Atlantic. The whistleblower is currently in Moscow on a temporary residency permit.
