Terrorism, migration head the agenda for CoE Parliamentary Assembly

Terrorism and Europe's migration and refugee crisis take center stage at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's (PACE) winter session which opened here on Monday.

These and other issues promise significant challenges for PACE's new Spanish President Pedro Agramunt.

"We are not assembled here today in the belief that Europe is perfect. We are here because we believe that in Europe we must solve our problems together," the newly-elected president said in his inaugural speech.

"International terrorism constitutes a fundamental, multi-faceted danger," he said. "If we wish to defeat terrorism, we need to co-operate and recognize the Muslim community as one of our strongest allies, instead of pushing them towards suspicion and hatred. We should not forget that the majority of the victims of terrorism in the world are also Muslims," explained the PACE president and chairman of Spain's center-right People's Party.

Delegates from Council of Europe (CoE) member states meeting in Strasbourg this week until Jan. 29 will make the issue of terrorism a priority, all the more so after the Paris attacks of Nov. 13 and also the murderous attack on Jan. 6 in Turkey, another CoE member.

With regard to international terrorism, reports on foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq and combating international terrorism will be the focus of discussions.

The migration crisis will be addressed with reports on the Mediterranean Sea route for migrants, and on organized crime with regard to migrants.

The newly-elected president highlighted the lack of prompt and effective measures in dealing the migrant crisis, the stresses on state institutions which have played into the hands of nationalist parties, and the alarming fragmentation of the continent.

"The refugee situation is dramatic," he continued. "It is essential to find common solutions at a European level and work towards the integration of migrants at a local level.

"It is unacceptable that countries are trying to escape their obligations," he added, echoing the exhortations of outgoing president Anne Brasseur.

PACE will also debate the protection of women and the honest reporting of unpalatable truths, with a particular focus on the events of New Year's Eve in the German city of Cologne in which some asylum seekers are suspected of sexual assaulting scores of women, leading to accusations that the German authorities delayed publicly reporting the events.

On Monday, PACE members also expressed opposition to holding a debate on democratic institutions in Poland, which is the subject of controversy. At issue are measures on the rule of law and media independence implemented by the newly-elected government in Warsaw, which some consider contrary to fundamental principles of the European Union. Polish Prime Minster Beata Szydlo took part in a debate with the European Parliament in Strasbourg last Tuesday.

Russia will not participate in this week's session. The Russian parliament indicated its decision to not submit the credentials of the Russian delegation to PACE. "It is true that we have differences of view but only dialogue will enable us to move forward," lamented Brasseur. Endit