On the day before last of PACE Autumn Session, debates were held on abuse of pretrial detention in States Parties to the European Convention on Human Rights within the PACE monitoring process, in the period from October 2014 to August 2015.

The Parliamentary Assembly has adopted the Resolution 2077 (2015), where it stresses the importance of honouring the presumption of innocence in a criminal proceeding.  The detention should be used as a measure of last resort, in cases when other coercive measures are not enough to protect the integrity of the procedure. In that regard, the PACE invited all states parties to the European Convention on Human Rights to undertake measures in order to prevent its abuse.

Upon completion of debate on activities within the Assembly's monitoring procedure, the PACE has adopted Resolution 2078 (2015) in which, among other things, it notes with pleasure the end of monitoring process and opening of the post-monitoring dialogue with Montenegro. The PACE welcomes positive steps and progress made by several countries which were under monitoring or in the post-monitoring dialogue during the previous year, but it also points out the remaining shortcomings and makes certain recommendations.  The PACE also welcomes establishing of practice of consideration of periodic reports on honouring membership commitments by member states which are not in the process of monitoring or post-monitoring dialogue and it supports findings and conclusions from the reports on Andorra, Belgium, Croatia, and Cyprus.

Today, members of the Parliamentary Assembly were addressed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia Mr Aleksandar Vučić, who especially focused on the refugee crisis, economic reforms, and regional stability and cooperation.

During the day, meetings of the following committees were held: the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development, the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media, the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination, the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and the Monitoring Committee. Furthermore, a meeting between the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the heads of permanent delegations to PACE was held.

The final ordinary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2015 will be completed tomorrow with debates on equality and shared parental responsibility, with special reference to the role of fathers, and on rethinking the anti-doping strategy.