Everyone who is not indifferent to world and European politics has repeatedly met these four capital letters in print and electronic media - PACE. The abbreviation is usually offered to the reader as the “Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe”. This is true. But there are some points that need clarification.
From European History
The beginning of this structure should be sought in post-war Europe. The idea of interstate integration of European countries was declared at the beginning of the twentieth century. She appeared on the pages of political journalism as the "United States of Europe", but it never came to its practical implementation. The integration processes became especially relevant in the post-war period of development. It was necessary to take measures to counter the possible rehabilitation and revival of Nazism, to ensure the restoration of industry and the sustainable development of all countries of the continent. One of the most famous supporters of the ideas of European integration was Winston Churchill. In 1949, the Council of Europe was founded, one of the most important structural components of which was PACE. The abbreviation for the name of this body translated from English means "Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe." The Russian phonetic transcription of this abbreviation coincides with its English spelling: RASE.
About the goals and objectives of an international organization
The directions of activity of many international structures are indicated in their official names. PACE is not an exception to this rule. Deciphering the abbreviation of this name can say a lot about the goals and objectives that this political organization sets itself. This is an advisory body. It brings together representatives of the parliaments of various countries that are members of the Council of Europe. It should be understood that this organization does not possess real political power. Its functions include monitoring the situation and monitoring the implementation of domestic and international obligations that countries voluntarily assumed upon joining the Council of Europe. What is PACE, is well known to all senior administrators of international European structures. Without the approval of this organization, they could not have been at their posts. Under the supervision of PACE, the election of judges of the European Court of Human Rights and the development of all international conventions are submitted to the Council of Europe.
How the assembly works
The PACE organization, the decoding of the abbreviation of which indicates that this is nothing more than an international assembly of parliamentarians from various countries, operates in session mode. National delegations to the assembly are appointed by state parliaments based on approved quotas. The size of each parliamentary delegation is directly proportional to the number of people in the country it represents. In addition to sessional meetings of the assembly, a number of standing committees work in its composition. They are responsible for the preparation of the documents under discussion and ensure the continuity of the organization.
Regulations
The head of the assembly is the Chairman, elected for a one-year term. In practice, a situation has developed where the chairmanship is extended on a non-alternative basis for three years. In rotation, the post of chairman passes from one political faction to another after a three-year period. In addition to the chairman, the assembly also elects a whole group of his deputies. Their number reaches twenty. What does the word "PACE" mean, the media periodically remind their listeners and viewers. This happens, as a rule, four times a year, when plenary sessions of the Assembly open in the city of Strasbourg. Their work usually lasts for one week.
Russia and PACE
The Russian State Duma and the Federation Council have not been represented in the Parliamentary Assembly since the day it was founded. The answer to the question of what the abbreviation PACE means became relevant for Russian parliamentarians only in 1996, when the Russian Federation received full representation in the Council of Europe and assumed all obligations corresponding to this status. Since then, Russian parliamentarians, consisting of a delegation of eighteen people, have been pleased to travel four times a year to the old French city of Strasbourg for the next plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. It should be noted that relations between the Russian Federation and this international organization are far from smooth. PACE has repeatedly adopted declarative statements condemning Russia's domestic and foreign policies on a particular issue. It is enough to recall the military operations in Chechnya in the mid-nineties.
