21/11/2012 President
Strasbourg, 21.11.2012 – "I have designated rapprochement with the EU as one of the priorities of my presidency. I am absolutely convinced that rapprochement and improved co-ordination with the EU are needed. This is indeed a question not of rivalry, but of complementarity We defend the same values and we must seek to do so in the most effective and efficient way possible, avoiding any duplication of efforts," said PACE President Jean-Claude Mignon, speaking today in Berlin.
Mr Mignon, who was participating in a conference and debate hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), cited the Agency for Fundamental Rights, the Special Representative for Human Rights and the "Euronest" Assembly as examples of EU bodies that could benefit from improved co-ordination with their Council of Europe counterparts. He expressed the view that all those concerned - governments, parliaments and entities such as the Konrad Adenauer Foundation - should contribute to the efforts to improve co-ordination between the two institutions at all levels.