Oireachtas TV has released a behind-the-scenes documentary on the work of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the Irish delegation’s role.
Based in Strasbourg, PACE can be considered the oldest international parliamentary assembly with a pluralistic composition of democratically elected members of parliament.
The Council of Europe started with ten member states, which included Ireland and held its first session on 10 August 1949. The Assembly is one of the two statutory organs of the Council of Europe, which also includes a Committee of Ministers (Ministers for Foreign Affairs), usually meeting at the level of their deputies or Ambassadors. It now has 46 member states. The statutory aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve greater unity among its members through debates, agreements and common action.