At the start of the April session in Strasbourg, there was considerable uncertainty surrounding whether or not the Bureau (PACE’s highest decision-making body) would reach agreement on how to follow up the allegations of corruption. After a decision was made in January to set up an independent external investigation, the Bureau had been unable to agree on how this should be done.

Extensive investigative mandate

Until the evening of Sunday 23^rd April, it had not been clear whether the five political groups would be able to complete the task assigned to them in March, and agree on a common proposal. However, in the course of Monday – the spring session’s first day of meetings – agreement was reached, and the independent external investigation was given a strong mandate.

Ingjerd Schou (Conservative Party), the Head of the Norwegian Delegation to PACE, worked tirelessly both before the start of the session in Strasbourg and throughout Monday to ensure that the proposal would not be watered down and the mandate undermined.

“The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly must be a bastion of democracy, human rights and the principle of the rule of law. We found it unacceptable that our work could be undermined by allegations of serious corruption. We had to act. The only way to maintain credibility and confidence was to commission an independent external investigation. I’m delighted by the result,” Ms Schou said in Strasbourg.

Three independent investigators

The work to set up the investigative body is now in progress, and three independent investigators will be appointed by the Bureau. The investigators will be expected to complete their work by the end of the year, when they will submit their report to the Bureau.

Read the Parliamentary Assembly's press release here

The Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly

The Council of Europe was established in 1949 and comprises 47 member states. The principal aim of the Council of Europe is to work towards strengthening human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in its member states.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) consists of 324 members from the parliaments of the Council of Europe's member states. The Assembly plays a prominent role in the Council of Europe in an advisory capacity. It adopts resolutions and recommendations to the member states’ parliaments and governments in a range of different fields. It also monitors the extent to which new member states observe their commitments.

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