18/11/2010 Political Affairs and Democracy
Co-operation between PACE and the European Parliament should focus on how to create a common European space in terms of human rights, democracy and the rule of law, avoiding the creation of new borders within Europe, participants concluded at a hearing on the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on PACE and the European Parliament, organised by the PACE Political Affairs Committee in Paris today.
“We therefore have to ensure the coherence of standards between the Council of Europe and EU law, and avoid duplication and lowering of standards,” said Kerstin Lundgren (Sweden, ALDE), rapporteur on the issue.
“With EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU will be subjecting itself to external control in terms of human rights. This will enhance the credibility of the EU’s commitment to fundamental rights,” Heidi Hautala, Chair of the Sub-Committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament, added.
Participants called for closer institutional co-operation in order to avoid unnecessary duplication, waste of funds and confusion about respective roles through increased dialogue, transparency and information sharing.