(Strasbourg) “At a time we are called to face huge challenges – from terrorism to migration, from old and new forms of poverty to mistrust in public institutions, from the resurgence of racism and xenophobia to the huge loneliness of so many people –, we must not give in to the temptation of nationalism and chauvinism, of centrifugal drifts ad conflict, by reasserting the need for peace and justice in our continent”. This was stated by Michele Nicoletti, Democratic Party MEP and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in his first speech after his appointment as president of PACE this morning. The Council of Europe, established in Strasbourg in 1949, brings together 47 countries from all over the continent and mainly deals in human rights, democracy, the rule of law, and cultural diversity. The European Court of Human Rights is under its jurisdiction.