Wojciech Sawicki

Wojciech Sawicki (born 20 March 1955 in Warsaw) served as the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a body bringing together parliamentarians from the national parliaments of the 47 Council of Europe member states, for a ten-year period from February 2011 to February 2021.

He was twice elected to the post by the members of the Assembly, serving two five-year terms of office, and headed a 90-strong multi-national secretariat based in Strasbourg, France.

From 1990–96 he served as Secretary General of the Polish Senate, the upper house of the Polish parliament, playing a leading role in helping to re-establish democracy in Poland after the collapse of communism in 1989.

Presenting his candidacy to PACE members in 2010, he said: “Being from Poland – a country which was cut off from most of Europe by the Iron Curtain and where, for years, I participated actively in the democratic opposition movement – I know the true value and real meaning of democracy, human rights and the rule of law. I know how important it is for Europe to be united in defence of these principles.” Provided by Wikipedia