Senator Joe O’Reilly amongst those elected Vice-Presidents of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe (PACE)

Vice-Presidents are elected annually at the beginning of an ordinary session and remain in office until the opening of the next session.  The number of Vice-Presidents has increased on several occasions as the number of member States has grown.

The functions of a Vice-President are to replace the President when the latter is unavailable during a debate of the Assembly during one of its part sessions.  A Vice-President may furthermore be called upon by the President to fulfil certain representational obligations of the President.

Speaking about his appointment this morning, Senator O’Reilly stated “I am honoured to be elected as a Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe (PACE). My role as a Vice-President will allow me to monitor and provide an Irish perspective on issues as they arise.  As Vice-President, I am also entitled to become a member of the Bureau, the body which prepares the Assembly's agenda and makes the arrangements for the day to day business.”

“Our relationship with the Council of Europe, the EU and its institutions is of great importance to the Oireachtas. TDs and Senators from all parties and groupings continue to engage proactively with EU policy, both in the Dáil and Seanad, as well as in the Committee system. The Oireachtas has an important oversight role in respect of Council of Europe and EU matters and the government’s interaction with them. I look forward to contributing to the important debates happening at the PACE and will do my utmost to represent the views of the Oireachtas to the Assembly.”

ENDS/