Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)

The Council of Europe is the oldest international organization in Europe. It was founded in 1949 and its seat is in Strasbourg. It currently has 46 Member States.

The aim of the Council of Europe is to protect pluralistic democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) was the first parliamentary institution to be established at European level after the Second World War and is now Europe's largest political forum. It currently consists of 315 parliamentarians from the Council of Europe's Member States and an equal number of substitutes. The German Bundestag is represented by an 18-member delegation and an equal number of substitutes. In the Bundestag's current (16th) electoral term, the German delegation is headed by Joachim Hörster (CDU/CSU).