60 parliamentarians from the 46 member states of the Council of Europe took part in the meeting of the PACE Standing Committee, hosted by the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova. The event was held in the context of Moldova holding the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from November 14, 2025 to May 15, 2026.

In his opening speech, Speaker of Parliament Igor Grosu emphasized that the Republic of Moldova treats its presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe with the utmost responsibility.

“It is symbolic that Moldova assumes the presidency in the year marking 30 years since joining the Council of Europe,” Igor Grosu noted.

He also reaffirmed the country’s commitment to firmly advancing on the path of EU accession: “Moldova is most interested in preserving and strengthening European values and the European Union, because that is our home and that is where we are heading.”

Furthermore, the Speaker stated that Moldova’s priority during this mandate will be to facilitate the support provided to Ukraine by the Council of Europe: “We do not forget, even for a moment, that Moldova and all of Europe are being defended right now by Ukraine.”

For his part, PACE President Theodoros Rousopoulos assured that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will fully support the implementation of Moldova’s priorities: “It goes without saying that our continued support for Ukraine will remain at the forefront of the Council of Europe’s agenda for the foreseeable future.”

The agenda of the meeting also included a debate on PACE’s observation of Moldova’s recent parliamentary elections, as well as a discussion on preventing and combating gender discrimination in healthcare.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is one of the two statutory bodies of the Council of Europe, an international organization dedicated to the protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Republic of Moldova joined the Council of Europe on July 13, 1995, becoming a full member state. The country previously held the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2003.