Petra Bayr, an Austrian member of the Socialists, Democrats, and Greens group, was elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe today.
She obtained an absolute majority in the first round of voting with 164 votes to 50 for the other candidate, Victoria Tiblom (Sweden, ALDE). She will serve a one-year term of office, which may be renewed once, News.Az reports, citing the Council of Europe.
President Bayr succeeds Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), who had held the position since January 2024. She is PACE’s 36th President and the third Austrian national since 1949, after Peter Schieder (2002-05) and Karl Czernetz (1975-78). She is the fifth woman to hold this office.
“We are united by the vision of a Europe – and a world – without war. And we are united by all our achievements, our conventions and convictions,” said the newly elected President in her inaugural address, praising the value of the European Convention on Human Rights, “a living instrument that affects real lives” … The Council of Europe must never be silent in the face of injustice, where democratic achievements are under increasing pressure and wherever individuals are deprived of their liberty solely because of their beliefs,” she emphasised.
“A Europe where women live free from violence”
“I stand here before you today, knowing that I am surrounded by allies in defending the Convention, in ensuring the full implementation of the judgments of our Court, and in advancing new rights that are emerging,” Ms Bayr said.
“I stand here for linguistic and cultural minorities across our member states …, for all those who defend their rights …, for freedom of expression without censorship or fear …, for equal access to education … and for a Europe where women live free from violence, are economically independent, politically represented and fully heard,” she added.
“The strength of law – not the law of the strong – must prevail”
Evoking the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine, she stated that the Council of Europe will continue to stand firmly for international law, for territorial integrity, and for peaceful conflict resolution. “This war is not only an attack on the sovereignty of a state. It is an attack on international law, on European peace order and on the very foundations of human rights. The strength of law – not the law of the strong – must prevail,” she said.
Ms Bayr also said she wishes to bring the Council of Europe closer to its citizens – especially to young people – explaining not only what it is, but why it matters. Furthermore she considers that a widely visible Council of Europe includes closer and more strategic co-operation among all its bodies: the Parliamentary Assembly, the Committee of Ministers, the Court, the Secretary General and all institutions. “Together, we can strengthen coherence, visibility and political impact,” she concluded.
