The credentials of the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) were challenged on two counts on Monday 27 January in Strasbourg at the opening of the first part of the 2020 session.
On the one hand, for formal reasons, because of the presence in its ranks of individuals on the European Union’s blacklist drawn up after the annexation of the Crimea in 2014.
On the other hand, for substantial reasons, following the announcement by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, of a referendum proposing the pre-eminence of domestic law over international law, which would undermine the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.
The credentials were therefore referred, for the formal reasons, to the Committee on Rules of Procedure and, for the substantive reasons, to the Monitoring Committee, each of which was responsible for drafting a report. It must be communicated to the Chamber within 24 hours. This will be followed by a debate and a vote in which the Russian delegation will not be able to participate. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)