PACE refers controversial draft resolution over Russia back to committee
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held lengthy debates on the draft resolution on strengthening the decision-making process of the Assembly concerning credentials and voting contained in the report by Petra de Sutter (Belgium, SOC) at its autumn plenary session on Tuesday.
After heated debates, PACE decided to send it back to its Rules Committee. In view of the content of the debate, the rapporteur proposed to the Assembly that the text be referred back to the committee and that the issue returns for plenary debate at a later date. The proposal, which required a simple majority, was approved by 99 votes in favour, 79 against, with 16 abstentions.
The report is related to the challenge or reconsideration of the credentials of PACE national delegations, their rights of representation and participation, and, in this context, the Assembly’s voting procedures and the voting rights of its members.
Though it does not feature Russia’s name, all the MPs addressing the session stressed the draft resolution factually refers to restoring the Russian delegation’s voting rights in the organization.
Russia was stripped of its voting and several other rights in PACE in January 2015 as a result of its ‘annexation’ of Crimea in 2014, and the Russian delegation has not taken part in a PACE session since the sanctions.
Russia decided to withhold the third part of its contributions to the Council of Europe budget totalling to €11 million after its representatives were denied voting rights, threatening to quit the organization if the rights are not reinstated.