The Spring Session of the General Assembly of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe was held in a videoconference on 27 and 28 April 2021.

Its sole purpose was the complete renewal of the governance of the Conference after the adoption in December 2020 of its new Rules of Procedure:

Gerhard Ermischer is elected President of the Conference of INGOs

Gerhard has been active in the Conference of INGOs for many years and succeeds Anna Rurka for a three-year term.

As a member of the former Standing Committee, Gerhard worked on the new Rules of the Conference. He represents the Conference of INGOs in the CDDG (European Committee on Democracy and Governance) and works closely with the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in particular on the revision of the Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Making Process. Curriculum Vitae

The General Assembly also :

  • appointed a new Audit and Disputes Committee
  • established an Appeals Committee
  • elected two new Vice-Presidents
  • elected a new Standing Committee
  • adopted the creation of 7 Thematic Committees and their chairs.
    • Committee for Interreligious and Interfaith Dialogue. Co-chair: Sören Lenz (CEC) / Gabriela Frey (EBU)
    • Committee: Action for social rights. For the respect of the dignity of every person and all their rights. Chair: Anna Rurka (Eurocef)
    • Environment, climate change, heritage and health. Chair: Carol Ritchie (EUROPARC)
    • Environmental and health crisis: governance and solidarity issues. Chair: Anne-Marie Chavanon (FIHUAT)
    • Human rights and artificial intelligence. Chair: Gilbert Flam (Licra)
    • Civil society committee on the rights of the child. Chair: Michel Grangeat (ICSP)
    • Committee on the rights of migrants. Chair: Daniel Guery (MIAMSI)
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This was the last session of our mandate as Permanent Delegates of Pax Romana to the Council of Europe. After a dozen years of service, we are retiring, hoping to have fulfilled our mission as well as possible. Odile and I would like to thank all the members with whom we have been in contact, regularly or more occasionally, and with whom, in some cases, we have created bonds of friendship.

We sincerely wish Pax Romana success in its 2021 synodal process in order to build new bases for its work, in particular to redefine its presence in the International Institutions.  Have a good journey!

Philippe & Odile GROLLEAU.